Signaling in joint venture capital: a social network perspective

Abstract

Purpose

Based on the theory of social networks, it is crucial to enhance information superiority through joint venture capital (VC). The purpose of this paper is to explore the impacts of different roles’ structural and relational embeddedness on the information superiority of joint VC alliances.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors design the multiple linear regression models to investigate the leader’s investment ratio from a network embeddedness perspective. Panel data analysis and robustness tests are adopted based on the data from Chinese VCs Database.

Findings

The results show that VC leaders enjoy information search advantages because of their better network positions, while their followers lack this superiority. Information sharing among investors and investees may enhance the influences of structural embeddedness on investors’ information search advantages. Joint VC’s scale and its number of leaders could also increase VC alliances’ information superiority.

Originality/value

This research provides a more holistic understanding of the formation of joint VC alliances’ information superiority from a social network perspective. Both VC managers and social planners can seek guidance from this study to implement better strategies and policies to promote information symmetry in the VC market.

Citation

Wu, J., Li, H., Zheng, H. and Xu, Y. (2017), "Signaling in joint venture capital: a social network perspective", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 117 No. 10, pp. 2340-2363. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-09-2016-0359