Venture capital (VC) is an important driver of the U.S. economy, spurring both economic growth and employment. But traditional VC rewards shareholder profit over shared prosperity, accumulating the benefits of that economic growth in just very few hands. Instead, can we leverage the upside of VC financing to fight poverty where economic growth and employment are most needed both at home and abroad? Some of us think that we can.

How much does VENTURE CAPITAL drive the U.S. economy?

This is the question that two scholars set out to answer. They quantified the long-term impact of venture capital in the economy of the United States, considering only publicly traded companies — those for which reliable information is available.

As of 2013, VC-b...