Entrepreneurial finance: an overview of the issues and evidence

This article provides an overview of the rapidly growing, entrepreneurial finance literature. The studies reviewed in the article focus on four primary areas of inquiry: (i) alternative sources of capital, (ii) financial contracting issues, (iii) public policy, and (iv) the dynamics of private equity returns: Although much has been learned in each area, this survey highlights several areas in which our understanding of the issues remains incomplete. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.