Trends of Venture Capital Internationalisation The impact of a technology ecosystem on early stage cross-border investments

Abstract

The venture capital industry has grown rapidly in the last decades to become an important source of financing for entrepreneurs. While research suggests that venture capital investments are more likely to be successful if done in close geographic proximity to the venture capital firm, there is clearly a trend of increasing international investments. This thesis looks at the venture capital community in New York to understand venture capital as a part of the development of New York’s technology cluster, and to understand venture capitalists view on cross-border investments. By applying the ecosystem resource perspective model, the study finds that venture capitalists have a strong influence on the technology ecosystem in New York, due to its large financial sector. The study also finds that ecosystem sub-sectors have developed by applying technology to the dominating business sectors in New York. The study also identifies a “reverse internationalisation”, whereby companies founded abroad relocate to New York at earlier stages in their development, as the growth of the New York ecosystem has increased its attractiveness to foreign founded companies. While the empirical results confirm an increasing interest for cross-border investing, the increased supply of early stage investment opportunities (U.S. and foreign founded) creates a strong incentive for a local investment strategy. Further, the study finds that venture capitalists mitigate the risks associated with cross-border investments by establishing funds in specific regions of interest, and by coinvesting with local partners.