Bio
Professor Sorensen conducts research in the areas of entrepreneurial finance, venture capital, and private equity and focuses on understanding the behavior, performance, and economic effects of venture capital and private equity in individual transactions and in the broader economy. His studies have investigated the risks, returns, and illiquidity inherent in venture capital, private equity, and other alternative investments; the effects of private equity and venture capital investments on individual companies and for industries; and the role of management in venture capital and buyout deals. His research has been presented at numerous universities and conferences, has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, Bloomberg, CNBC, and BusinessWeek, and has been published in leading academic journals.
Current Research Topics
- Risk and return of private equity investments
- Optimal portfolio allocations to alternative investments
- Management of private equity-owned companies
Professional Activities
Academic positions
- Paul E. Raether T'73 Faculty Fellow, Tuck School of Business, 2022-23
- Associate Professor of Finance, Tuck School of Business, 2020–present
- Professor of Finance, Copenhagen Business School, 2014–20
- Adjunct Associate Professor of Finance and Economics, 2014; Daniel W. Stanton Associate Professor of Finance and Economics, 2009–14; Associate Professor of Finance and Economics, 2008–14; Academic director of Private Equity Program, 2009–14; Columbia Business School
- William S. Fishman Scholar, 2007–08; Assistant Professor of Finance, 2005–08, University of Chicago
Nonacademic positions
- Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), 2023–present
- Board Member (2019–20), Research Fellow (2018–20), Executive Director (2018–19), Danish Finance Institute (DFI)
- Research Fellow, Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), 2015–20
- Codirector, FiRL Research Lab, 2015–19
- Research Affiliate, Swedish House of Finance (SHoF, fka SIFR), 2007–18
- Faculty Research Fellow, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), 2007–15
- Faculty Research Fellow, American Finance Association (AFA), 2007–15
Referee
Referee: American Economic Review; Asian Development Review; Economic Journal; Econometrica; Economica; European Economic Review; Finance Research Letters; Financial Analysts Journal; Games and Economic Behavior; Journal of Banking and Finance; Journal of Business & Economic Statistics; Journal of Business Venturing; Journal of CorporateFinance; Journal of Economics & Management Strategy; Journal of Empirical Finance; Journal of Finance; Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis; Journal of Financial Economics; Journal of Financial Intermediation; Journal of Financial Services Research; Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking; Journal of Political Economy; Kauffman Junior Faculty Fellowship; Management Science; National Science Foundation (and various other research grants); Quarterly Journal of Economics; Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance; RAND Journal of Economics; Research Policy; Review of Corporate Finance Studies; Review of Economic Studies; Review of Finance; Review of Financial Studies
Board memberships
Danish Finance Institute, 2019–20
Awards
- Sapere Aude Forskningsleder Grant, 2014–19
- Netspar Grant, 2011–14
- Dean’s Office Columbia Business School, Summer Research Assistance Program, 2012
- Fama-Miller Center Grant, 2012
- Institutional Limited Partner Association (ILPA) Global Research Initiative Grant, 2012
- Eugene M. Lang Support Fund Supplemental Research Grant, 2011
- Kauffman Foundation Grant, 2005–06
- Kapnick Fellow at SIEPR, 2003–04
- Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Stanford University, 2003
- Candidacy Paper Prize, Stanford University, 2001
- Forman Fellowship, Stanford University, 2000–01
- Danish Research Academy Fellowship, 1999–02
Selected Publications
- With S. Kaplan, A. Zakolyukina, "What Is CEO Overconfidence? Evidence from Executive Assessments,” Journal of Financial Economics, forthcoming
- With S. Kaplan, "Are CEOs Different?" Journal of Finance, 2021
- With A. Korteweg, “Skill and Luck in Private Equity Performance,” Journal of Financial Economics, 124(3), 2017
- With S. Bernstein, J. Lerner, and P. Strömberg, “Private Equity and Industry Performance,” Management Science, 63(4), 2017
- With A. Korteweg, “Estimating Loan-to-Value Distributions,” Real Estate Economics, 1, 2016
- With R. Jagannathan, “The Public Market Equivalent and Private Equity Performance,” Financial Analysts Journal, 71(4), 2015
- With N. Wang and J. Yang, “Valuing Private Equity,” Review of Financial Studies, 27(7), 2014
- With A. Ang, “Investing in Private Equity,” Alternative Investment Analyst Review, 2(1), 2013
- With J. Lerner and P. Strömberg, “Private Equity and Investment in Innovation: Evidence from Patents,” Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, 25(2), 2013
- With S. Kaplan and M. Klebanov, “Which CEO Characteristics and Abilities Matter?” Journal of Finance, 67(3), 2012
- With A. Ang, “Risk, Returns, and Optimal Holdings of Private Equity: A Survey of Existing Approaches,” Quarterly Journal of Finance, 2(3), 2012
- With J. Lerner and P. Strömberg, “Private Equity and Long-Run Investment: The Case of Innovation,” Journal of Finance, 66(2), 2011
- With N. Polson, “A Simulation-based Approach to Stochastic Dynamic Programming,” Applied Stochastic Models in Business and Industry, 27, 2011
- With A. Korteweg, “Risk and Return Characteristics of Venture Capital-Backed Entrepreneurial Companies,” Review of Financial Studies, 23(10), 2010
- With J. Lerner and P. Strömberg, “What Drives Private Equity Activity and Success Globally?”, The Global Economic Impact of Private Equity Report, 2, 2009
- "How Smart is Smart Money: A Two-Sided Matching Model of Venture Capital,” Journal of Finance, 62, 2007