The influence of venture capital on innovation in Brazilian startups

Abstract

This work verifies the influence of venture capital on the propensity of Brazilian startups to innovate. The central argument lies in the theoretical indication that venture capital is one of the best financing mechanisms to stimulate business innovation. The study adopted a quantitative approach to define the dimensions that were explored qualitatively in a second stage. The research applied questionnaires to companies that received funding from a venture capital fund, and then selected some of the respondents for interviews. The results indicate that the venture capital invested aim mainly at the commercial insertion of technologies that investees already developed or are in development process. This type of funding fails to prioritize research and development, which would allow the creation of new technologies to expand the investees’ competitiveness in the future.

Keywords:
Venture Capital; Innovation; Ambidexterity