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The debt-equity financing decisions of U.S. startup firms

Author

Listed:
  • Susan Coleman
  • Carmen Cotei
  • Joseph Farhat

Abstract

We examine the debt-equity decisions of startup firms using the Kauffman Firm Survey, the largest database of U.S. startups launched in 2004. To control for sample selection bias and the correlation among financing decisions, we employ a Bivariate Probit-Tobit model. Our results show that several firm characteristics such as growth prospects, firm size, tangible assets, and selling products, as well as owner characteristics such as net worth, experience, education and ethnicity explain the debt-equity decisions in the startup year. In addition, for firms that use debt, we document traits that explain the use of a particular type of business versus personal debt. Larger firms use more business debt, whereas home-based and growth firms use more personal sources of debt. Immigrants, owners who lack work experience and those who invest more time in the business tend to rely more on personal sources of debt. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016

Suggested Citation

  • Susan Coleman & Carmen Cotei & Joseph Farhat, 2016. "The debt-equity financing decisions of U.S. startup firms," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 40(1), pages 105-126, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jecfin:v:40:y:2016:i:1:p:105-126
    DOI: 10.1007/s12197-014-9293-3
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    2. Hirsch, Julia & Walz, Uwe, 2019. "The financing dynamics of newly founded firms," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 261-272.
    3. Daniel Blaseg & Douglas Cumming & Michael Koetter, 2021. "Equity Crowdfunding: High-Quality or Low-Quality Entrepreneurs?," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 45(3), pages 505-530, May.
    4. Cappa, Francesco & Cetrini, Giorgio & Oriani, Raffaele, 2020. "The impact of corporate strategy on capital structure: evidence from Italian listed firms," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 379-385.
    5. Efstathios Kaloulis & Dimitrios Zarakovitis & Athina Lazakidou, 2019. "Mapping Start-up Businesses and Analyzing the Perspectives of Establishing a Greek Healthcare Start-up Company," Business & Entrepreneurship Journal, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 8(2), pages 1-1.
    6. Olga Guseva & Anastasia Stepanova, 2019. "Startups In Russia: Ownership Vs. Performance," HSE Working papers WP BRP 76/FE/2019, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    7. Rayenda Khresna Brahmana & Maria Kontesa, 2023. "‘No Better Fund Without Me!’ Do Narcissistic Start-up Entrepreneurs Succeed in Venture Funding?," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 32(3), pages 638-666, November.
    8. Kürşat Yalçiner & Murat Topcu, 2022. "BİST İmalat Sanayi Şirketleri Dolarizasyon Eğiliminin İşletme Finansman Politikaları Üzerine Etkileri," Journal of Research in Economics, Politics & Finance, Ersan ERSOY, vol. 7(2), pages 500-526.
    9. Mario Tirelli, 2021. "On the optimal investment finance of small businesses," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 1639-1665, April.
    10. Andrew A. MWAMPAGHALE & Crispin Mbogo, PhD, 2023. "Challenges Facing Accessibility of Agriculture Financing in Tanzania: A Case Study of TIB Development Bank Limited and CRDB Bank PLC," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(3), pages 1222-1242, March.
    11. Bashir Zahid & Rafique Zulqurnain Zeeshan & Toor Kashif Naseer, 2022. "How do dynamic financing decisions explain the behavior of dividend payout policies?: An Empirical Study of Listed Pakistani Manufacturing Firms," Financial Internet Quarterly (formerly e-Finanse), Sciendo, vol. 18(1), pages 1-15, March.
    12. HONJO, Yuji & IWAKI, Yunosuke & KATO, Masatoshi, 2024. "Outside or inside the firm? The impact of debt financing on the exit routes of start-up firms," TDB-CAREE Discussion Paper Series E-2023-02, Teikoku Databank Center for Advanced Empirical Research on Enterprise and Economy, Graduate School of Economics, Hitotsubashi University.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Debt-equity financing decisions; Startup financing; Business debt; Personal debt; G32; M13;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups

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