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Financing innovation in Italy: an analysis of venture capital and private equity investments

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  • Valerio Vacca

    (Bank of Italy)

Abstract

Using a unique data set, this paper describes the main features of the venture capital industry in Italy. Operations by Italian specialised venture capitalists are only in part devoted to small, young firms from advanced industries, have a rather short duration and are weakly focused on a few firms or sectors. Furthermore, young innovative firms receiving private-equity capital � from both �venture-capital� funds and other private-equity funds � are usually also financed by banks, both at the start and the end of the investment, and the fund�s commitment tends to reduce the cost of credit to only a limited extent. Overall, an �equity-then-credit� sequence does not clearly emerge in the financing strategies of young and high-tech Italian firms, suggesting that funds play a weak signalling or scouting role vis-�-vis the banking system.

Suggested Citation

  • Valerio Vacca, 2013. "Financing innovation in Italy: an analysis of venture capital and private equity investments," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 209, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    • Handle: RePEc:bdi:opques:qef_209_13
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    File URL: https://www.bancaditalia.it/pubblicazioni/qef/2013-0209/QEF_209.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ghinami, Francesca & Montresor, Sandro, 2023. "Tangible and intangible proximities in the access to Venture Capital: evidence from Italian innovative start-ups," SocArXiv hqrj7, Center for Open Science.
    2. Marco Taboga, 2022. "Cross-country differences in the size of venture capital financing rounds: a machine learning approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 62(3), pages 991-1012, March.
    3. Ascani, Andrea & Bettarelli, Luca & Resmini, Laura & Balland, Pierre-Alexandre, 2020. "Global networks, local specialisation and regional patterns of innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(8).
    4. Francesco Manaresi & Carlo Menon & Pietro Santoleri, 2021. "Supporting innovative entrepreneurship: an evaluation of the Italian “Start-up Act” [The effects of entry on incumbent innovation and productivity]," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 30(6), pages 1591-1614.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    venture capital; SMEs; innovation financing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage

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