3. Individual Problems 21-5 Venture capital (VC) firms are pools of private capital that typically invest in small, fast-growing companies that can't raise funds through other means. In exchange for this financing, VCs receive a share of a company's equity, and the founders of the firm typically stay on and continue to manage the company. The incentive conflict is between the managers, who are the , and venture capitalists, who are the VC investments have two typical components: (1) managers maintain some ownership in the company and often earn additional equity if the company performs well; (2) VCs demand seats on the company's board. Placing VCs on the company's board serves to decision-making authority