Bridge building in venture capital-backed acquisitions

We compare three potential mechanisms for alleviating the asymmetric information between the public acquirers and private venture capital-backed targets. First, because venture capitalists repeatedly sell their portfolio companies through acquisitions, venture capitalists may be able to certify the quality of the assets that an outside party is buying because they are "staking their reputation" on not selling overvalued assets. Second, personal and professional relationships may "bridge" the asymmetric information. This bridge may be particularly strong if both firms were financed by the same venture capital firm. Third, geographic proximity may also reduce the asymmetric information between a target and an acquiring firm.