Investment Decisions under Uncertainty: Corporate Venture Capital as a Real Option

This paper aims to assess the role of corporate venture capital (CVC) as option-creating investments and how corporate investors practice CVC options in their investment decisions. Using a sample of 4206 US firms between 1998 and 2019, our results show that sector fit and geographic fit reduce uncertainty and impact investors’ decisions on CVC investments. When exogenous uncertainty is mitigated, CVC-backed companies experience higher investment amounts than independent venture capital funds (IVC)-backed ones. The results evidence that follow-on investments motivate IVC-backed companies to exit via IPOs. At the same time, a prolonged duration for the organizational learning option leads CVC-backed companies to exit via acquisition. This study helps investors to reduce uncertainty surrounding investments and improve the usefulness of their real options. We also provide implications for how policymakers target and develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem.