Venture capital (VC) firms are pools of private capital that typically invest in small, fast-growing companies, which usually can’t raise funds through other means. In exchange for this financing, the VCs receive a share of the company’s equity, and the founders of the firm typically stay on and continue to manage the company. 1 a. Describe the nature of the incentive conflict between VCs and the managers, identifying the principal and the agent. b. 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. Discuss how these two components help address the incentive conflict.