IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finlet/v82y2025ics1544612325007548.html

Fixed versus dynamic investment: Optimal contracting with competitive entrepreneurs

Author

Listed:
  • Wang, Liyuan
  • Ding, Chuan
  • Wang, Zhiyu
  • Zeng, Siyuan

Abstract

This study explores dynamic contracting in venture capital investment, where entrepreneurial compensation integrates absolute and relative performance. We identify a paradox in investment strategies based on startup efficiency: fixed capital suits efficient startups, while dynamic investment benefits inefficient ones. If the Venture Capitalist (VC) can switch strategies, starting with dynamic early-stage investment and transitioning to fixed allocation would enhance returns. We also examine the trade-off between equity and competition incentives, showing that competition incentives strengthen under high correlation and uncertainty, diverging from standard agency theory. These insights help balance effort, incentives and optimize VC financing strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Liyuan & Ding, Chuan & Wang, Zhiyu & Zeng, Siyuan, 2025. "Fixed versus dynamic investment: Optimal contracting with competitive entrepreneurs," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:82:y:2025:i:c:s1544612325007548
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2025.107495
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544612325007548
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.frl.2025.107495?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Li, Lu & Gan, Yufei & Bi, Shuochen & Fu, Haokai, 2025. "Substantive or strategic? Unveiling the green innovation effects of pilot policy promoting the integration of technology and finance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    2. Bergemann, Dirk & Hege, Ulrich, 1998. "Venture capital financing, moral hazard, and learning," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(6-8), pages 703-735, August.
    3. Huang, Qiongyu & Xu, Chuhong & Xue, Xiaolong & Zhu, Hui, 2023. "Can digital innovation improve firm performance: Evidence from digital patents of Chinese listed firms," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    4. Yuliy Sannikov, 2008. "A Continuous-Time Version of the Principal-Agent Problem," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 75(3), pages 957-984.
    5. Peter M. Demarzo & Michael J. Fishman & Zhiguo He & Neng Wang, 2012. "Dynamic Agency and the q Theory of Investment," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 67(6), pages 2295-2340, December.
    6. Elitzur, Ramy & Gavious, Arieh, 2011. "Selection of entrepreneurs in the venture capital industry: An asymptotic analysis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 215(3), pages 705-712, December.
    7. PETER M. DeMARZO & YULIY SANNIKOV, 2006. "Optimal Security Design and Dynamic Capital Structure in a Continuous‐Time Agency Model," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 61(6), pages 2681-2724, December.
    8. Zhang, Yuqian & Yang, Zhaojun, 2024. "Dynamic incentive contracts for ESG investing," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    9. Holmstrom, Bengt & Milgrom, Paul, 1987. "Aggregation and Linearity in the Provision of Intertemporal Incentives," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 55(2), pages 303-328, March.
    10. He, Shan & Li, C. Wei, 2016. "Human Capital, Management Quality, and the Exit Decisions of Entrepreneurial Firms," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 51(4), pages 1269-1295, August.
    11. André Hanelt & René Bohnsack & David Marz & Cláudia Antunes Marante, 2021. "A Systematic Review of the Literature on Digital Transformation: Insights and Implications for Strategy and Organizational Change," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(5), pages 1159-1197, July.
    12. Martijn Cremers & Ankur Pareek & Zacharias Sautner, 2020. "Short-Term Investors, Long-Term Investments, and Firm Value: Evidence from Russell 2000 Index Inclusions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(10), pages 4535-4551, October.
    13. Alok R. Saboo & Anindita Chakravarty & Rajdeep Grewal, 2016. "Organizational Debut on the Public Stage: Marketing Myopia and Initial Public Offerings," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(4), pages 656-675, July.
    14. Gao, Yuan & Cheng, Xiaoke & Zhang, Wenyu & Shen, Haomin, 2024. "Individual investors’ dividend taxes and managerial myopia," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PB).
    15. Aifan Ling & Jianjun Miao & Neng Wang, 2021. "Robust Financial Contracting and Investment," NBER Working Papers 28367, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Xu, Jing, 2022. "Competition and equilibrium effort choice," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    17. Antonio E. Bernardo & Hongbin Cai & Jiang Luo, 2009. "Motivating Entrepreneurial Activity in a Firm," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(3), pages 1089-1118, March.
    18. Antonio E. Bernardo & Hongbin Cai & Jiang Luo, 2009. "Motivating Entrepreneurial Activity in a Firm," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(3), pages 1089-1118.
    19. Gerald Garvey & Todd Milbourn, 2003. "Incentive Compensation When Executives Can Hedge the Market: Evidence of Relative Performance Evaluation in the Cross Section," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(4), pages 1557-1582, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhang, Yuqian & Yang, Zhaojun, 2025. "Dynamic incentive contracts with controllable risk," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    2. Szydlowski, Martin, 2019. "Incentives, project choice, and dynamic multitasking," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 14(3), July.
    3. Zhang, Yuqian, 2025. "Optimal contract design and securities implementation with dynamic investment and learning," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    4. Yaoyao Wu & Jinqiang Yang & Zhentao Zou, 2018. "Ambiguity sharing and the lack of relative performance evaluation," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 66(1), pages 141-157, July.
    5. Yu Huang & Nengjiu Ju & Hao Xing, 2023. "Performance Evaluation, Managerial Hedging, and Contract Termination," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(8), pages 4953-4971, August.
    6. Ronald Anderson & Cecilia Bustamante & Stéphane Guibaud & Mihail Zervos, 2018. "Agency, Firm Growth, and Managerial Turnover," Post-Print hal-03391936, HAL.
    7. Mayer, Simon, 2022. "Financing breakthroughs under failure risk," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(3), pages 807-848.
    8. Eduardo Abi Jaber & Stéphane Villeneuve, 2025. "Gaussian agency problems with memory and linear contracts," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 143-176, January.
    9. Patrick Bolton & Neng Wang & Jinqiang Yang, 2019. "Optimal Contracting, Corporate Finance, and Valuation with Inalienable Human Capital," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 74(3), pages 1363-1429, June.
    10. Villeneuve, Stéphane & Abi Jaber, Eduardo, 2022. "Gaussian Agency problems with memory and Linear Contracts," TSE Working Papers 22-1363, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    11. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/2iclr3ojhv9ko9ord4mpg9odaj is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Jianjun Miao & Alejandro Rivera, 2016. "Robust Contracts in Continuous Time," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 84, pages 1405-1440, July.
    13. Cetemen, Doruk & Feng, Felix Zhiyu & Urgun, Can, 2023. "Renegotiation and dynamic inconsistency: Contracting with non-exponential discounting," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    14. Bruno Biais & Hans Gersbach & Jean-Charles Rochet & Stéphane Villeneuve, 2026. "Dynamic Efficiency With Private Information," Working Papers hal-05551104, HAL.
    15. Li, Rui, 2017. "Dynamic agency with persistent observable shocks," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 74-91.
    16. Eduardo Abi Jaber & Stéphane Villeneuve, 2022. "Gaussian Agency problems with memory and Linear Contracts," Post-Print hal-03783062, HAL.
    17. Zhang, Yuqian & Yang, Zhaojun, 2024. "Dynamic incentive contracts for ESG investing," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    18. Eduardo Abi Jaber & St'ephane Villeneuve, 2022. "Gaussian Agency problems with memory and Linear Contracts," Papers 2209.10878, arXiv.org.
    19. Hiroshi Osano & Keiichi Hori, 2015. "A Dynamic Agency Theory of Investment and Managerial Replacement," KIER Working Papers 921, Kyoto University, Institute of Economic Research.
    20. Zhiguo He & Bin Wei & Jianfeng Yu & Feng Gao, 2017. "Optimal Long-Term Contracting with Learning," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 30(6), pages 2006-2065.
    21. Patrick Bolton & Neng Wang & Jinqiang Yang, 2016. "Liquidity and Risk Management: Coordinating Investment and Compensation Policies," 2016 Meeting Papers 1703, Society for Economic Dynamics.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:82:y:2025:i:c:s1544612325007548. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/frl .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.