TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION MANAGEMENT Conference Paper Abstracts

The article addresses the question of how the patent portfolios of startup companies are evaluated by venture capital firms (VCs). Evidence indicates that VCs often do assess these values accurately. Studies are cited which demonstrate that VC financing and valuation correlate with patent rates and protection. The question of whether the industry affiliations of VCs affect their valuations is addressed. Whether the amount of financing obtained by startups depends on the number of their patents which involve core technological specialties is also discussed. Such issues are examined using examples drawn from the field of nanotechnology.