Performance of VC/PE-backed IPOs: New Insights from India

This article explores long-term equity and operating performance of Indian firms issuing initial public offerings (IPOs) backed by venture capital/private equity (VC/PE) funding. Using data for 173 IPOs backed by VC/PE funding during 2000–2016, the article shows that equity market performance of VC/PE-backed IPOs is unimpressive post issue, compared to their peers. This is not only due to market perception but also associated with a declining operating performance. However, information asymmetry, mispricing and ‘timing the market’ by issuing firms do not seem to be the reasons for such long-term underperformance. We argue that it may be a case of too much money chasing too few winners for Indian IPOs and individual rent-seeking activities by managers. The observation raises the question of effectiveness of the monitoring role of venture capitalists or PE funders post the IPO in an Indian context. This is substantiated by our additional finding that sustained monitoring and hand-holding by venture capitalists and PE funders post the IPO cause an improvement in performance. The findings of this study can have significant implications for all stakeholders, particularly common investors in the Indian equity market.