How Resilient is Venture-Backed Innovation? Evidence from Four Decades of U.S. Patenting

Abstract

By comparing patenting among VC-backed firms to the universe of U.S. patents over the period 1976-2019, we document that while patents led by VC-backed firms are of significantly higher quality and economic importance than the average patent, VC-backed innovation is substantially more procyclical than innovation in the broader economy. This is driven early-stage startups, whose innovation in recessions is relatively less cited, less original, less general, and less related to fundamental science. Our findings are most consistent with frictions in capital supply playing an important role, leading VCs to change their investment focus during downturns towards less innovative startups.