Until recently, only the United States had an active venture capital market. This is changing rapidly as many other countries have experienced rapid growth in venture capital financing over the past five years. This book contains new scientific articles showcasing the latest research on venture capital and private equity in Europe. Venture capital investment remains a hot topic with portfolio managers, individual investors and academics worldwide. This book examines in detail all the major issues regarding venture capital investment: contracting, financing, regulation, valuation, etc., and identifies new trends in the venture capital and private equity areas. . . .