While high-growth enterprises (HGEs) are known to play a major role in driving innovation, productivity and economic growth, the impact of funding gaps on their investment and growth remains underexplored.
By analysing a large dataset of UK-based HGEs, we demonstrate that firms facing equity gaps make significantly fewer investments, with the effect being more pronounced among those with fewer tangible assets or more concentrated ownership structures as well as those with reportedly greater capital expenditure constraints. The sensitivity of investment to the funding gap persists both before and after key macroeconomic events, such as Brexit and COVID-19, and remains evident even among firms receiving government grants.
Regional disparities also emerge, with firms headquartered in London experiencing less severe impacts. Furthermore, equity gaps exacerbate firms’ under-investment tendencies and hinder employment growth, underscoring their detrimental effects on HGEs’ performance. Our findings highlight the economic consequences of capital market frictions for these companies, offering critical insights into government policies and corporate strategies aimed at fostering growth.
Authors Viet A. Dang, Ning Gao, Ruicong Liu