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    • Value Creation through Active and Responsible Ownership (ARO)
    • Venture Capital and Private Equity in a Global Economy
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Global Networks in the Finance of Innovation (GFI)

The importance of global networks in the finance of innovation has increased during the recent years. This project will create new knowledge on the role and importance of global networks in the finance of innovation as well as strategies for entrepreneurs, investors and policy makers in small innovative economies like Finland. This new knowledge helps to increase the impact of Finnish innovation finance and the success of Finnish growth companies and their investors in the global economy.

The new knowledge created in the project will be based on an in-depth and extensive analysis of the networks of Finnish and European financiers of innovation with a particular attention being paid to venture capitalists. However, the project will cover many types of financiers of innovation including e.g. publicly funded technology programs as well as business angels. For all segments, a common question is: what are the optimal global networking strategies under different circumstances and how do different global networking strategies influence the short and long term value creation both for the investors and for the performance and sustainability of the focal companies?

Addressing these questions of importance for the Finnish innovation policy and for investors and other stakeholders, we build on the latest research on global networks and on our extensive existing research program in this area at Aalto University. The project seeks to produce several publications in top tier journals in the field as well as produce valuable insights for practitioners including investors and policymakers thereby improving their effectiveness and performance in the global economy. This project will contribute to a better understanding of the role and importance of global networks in the finance of innovation as well as strategies for entrepreneurs, investors and policy makers in small innovative economies like Finland.

The project is funded by Tekes the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation and Helsinki Institute of Science and Technology (HIST). The project has started in the beginning of 2011 and will last until the end of 2012.

Contact Information

Professor Markku Maula
Project Leader