Prerequisites for the creation of social capital and subsequent knowledge acquisition in corporate venture capital

Abstract

Past research has largely treated inter-organizational social capital as an exogenously determined asset. In this paper, the authors build and test a model on the effects of the initial conditions for the creation and leveraging of social capital in corporate venture capital v - v portfolio firm dyads. Using contemporary survey data from US portfolio firms, it is shown that complementarities and financial incentives constitute important initial conditions for the creation of social interaction and subsequent knowledge acquisition. While extending the understanding of social capital formation, the findings also have important practical implications for technology-based new firms planning their growth and financing strategies.