• Received the Best Paper Award at the 2024 New Zealand Finance Meeting for “Measuring and Mitigating Racial Bias in Large Language Model Mortgage Underwriting”

This paper examines startups’ positioning within technological cycles. We use patent text to measure whether innovation pertains to a technological area that is rapidly evolving or stable. We show that innovation in rapidly evolving areas (i.e., early in the cycle) substitute for existing technologies, whereas innovation in stable areas (i.e., later in the cycle) complement them. Our new measure is distinct from existing characterizations of innovation and is economically important. We find that startups in rapidly evolving areas tend to exit via IPO, thus remaining independent, consistent with technological substitution. In contrast, startups in stable areas tend to sell-out, consistent with technological complementarity and synergies.

We study the diffusion of techniques designed to identify causal relationships in corporate finance research. We estimate the diffusion started in the mid-nineties, lags twenty years compared to economics, and is now used in the majority of corporate finance articles. Consistent with recent theories of technology diffusion, the adoption varies across researchers based on individuals’ expected net benefits of adoption. Younger scholars, holders of PhDs in economics, and those working at top institutions adopt faster. Adoption is accelerated through networks of colleagues and alumni and is also facilitated by straddlers who cross-over from economics to finance. Our findings highlight new forces that explain the diffusion of innovation and shape the norms of academic research.

We provide causal evidence on the effects of board independence mandates by exploiting quasi-exogenous variation in compliance strategies. We compare firms reclassifying existing directors as independent to firms replacing them with independent directors, with reclassification eligibility largely predating the mandates. Using a triple-difference framework, we find non-reclassifying firms perform worse post-mandate, consistent with optimal pre-mandate board composition. In particular, boards of non-reclassifying firms retain fewer former employees, highlighting the value of firm-specific knowledge and advisory services. We rule out alternative explanations, such as director co-option. Our study highlights the value of directors and the negative consequences of board mandates.

Patent acquisition, investment, and contracting

(SSRN link)

Best Paper in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the Ed Snider Center for Entrepreneurship and Markets, 2017

Numerous works have examined the finance-related implications of intellectual property that is generated internally or acquired through M&A activity. The transfer of intellectual property via the secondary market for patents has received less attention. This paper fills that gap by asking how patent acquisitions interact with firm investment policy. I find that patent acquirers subsequently invest in more R&D, increase internal patenting, and eventually make new investments in CAPX. Firms with more technological expertise and investment opportunities acquire more patents. Patent sales are the dominant type of contract and maximize investment incentives; patent licenses frequently contain royalties, which induce underinvestment problems. Nevertheless, licensing can be explained in part by financial and strategic considerations. Licensing is more likely when buyers become financially constrained, when revenue can be shifted to low tax sellers, and when the buyer is a competitor acquiring rights to a valuable patent. Overall, these results suggest patent acquisitions are motivated by the pursuit of investment synergies, rather than innovation substitution, commercialization motives, or legal threats.