Tenex Greenhouse Investors Net Present Value (NPV) / MBA Resources

Introduction to Net Present Value (NPV) - What is Net Present Value (NPV) ? How it impacts financial decisions regarding project management?

NPV solution for Tenex Greenhouse Investors case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Tenex Greenhouse Investors case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by John W. Glynn Jr., Janet Feldstein. The Tenex Greenhouse Investors (referred as “Angel Investing” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Innovation & Entrepreneurship. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Financial management, Innovation, Joint ventures, Venture capital.

The net present value (NPV) of an investment proposal is the present value of the proposal’s net cash flows less the proposal’s initial cash outflow. If a project’s NPV is greater than or equal to zero, the project should be accepted.

NPV = Present Value of Future Cash Flows LESS Project’s Initial Investment

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Case Description of Tenex Greenhouse Investors Case Study

Protagonist Frank Ruderman evolved from entrepreneur to traditional angel investor and later to innovative angel or hybrid investor. Ruderman's investing group, Tenex Greenhouse, was created as a hybrid investing fund that brought together Ruderman's angel network with two institutional partners. At the outset of the case, Ruderman is in conversation with an entrepreneur/CEO who is seeking funding from the Greenhouse. Prepared for a class on venture capital, the case can serve as an introduction to angel investing and new innovations in angel investing. The fund in question has developed new techniques for fundraising (institutional partners) and investing (a narrow but deep focus).

Case Authors : John W. Glynn Jr., Janet Feldstein

Topic : Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Related Areas : Financial management, Innovation, Joint ventures, Venture capital

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Tenex Greenhouse Investors Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10027839)	-10027839	-	-
Year 1	3445755	-6582084	3445755	0.9434	3250712
Year 2	3964283	-2617801	7410038	0.89	3528198
Year 3	3948865	1331064	11358903	0.8396	3315543
Year 4	3245961	4577025	14604864	0.7921	2571105
TOTAL			14604864		12665558

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2637719

In isolation the NPV number doesn't mean much but put in right context then it is one of the best method to evaluate project returns. In this article we will cover -

Different methods of capital budgeting

What is NPV & Formula of NPV,
How it is calculated,
How to use NPV number for project evaluation, and
Scenario Planning given risks and management priorities.

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Capital Budgeting Approaches

Methods of Capital Budgeting

There are four types of capital budgeting techniques that are widely used in the corporate world –

1. Internal Rate of Return
2. Net Present Value
3. Profitability Index
4. Payback Period

Apart from the Payback period method which is an additive method, rest of the methods are based on Discounted Cash Flow technique. Even though cash flow can be calculated based on the nature of the project, for the simplicity of the article we are assuming that all the expected cash flows are realized at the end of the year.

Discounted Cash Flow approaches provide a more objective basis for evaluating and selecting investment projects. They take into consideration both –

1. Magnitude of both incoming and outgoing cash flows – Projects can be capital intensive, time intensive, or both. Angel Investing shareholders have preference for diversified projects investment rather than prospective high income from a single capital intensive project.
2. Timing of the expected cash flows – stockholders of Angel Investing have higher preference for cash returns over 4-5 years rather than 10-15 years given the nature of the volatility in the industry.

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Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of Tenex Greenhouse Investors

NPV = Net Cash In Flowt1 / (1+r)t1 + Net Cash In Flowt2 / (1+r)t2 + … Net Cash In Flowtn / (1+r)tn
Less Net Cash Out Flowt0 / (1+r)t0

Where t = time period, in this case year 1, year 2 and so on.
r = discount rate or return that could be earned using other safe proposition such as fixed deposit or treasury bond rate. Net Cash In Flow – What the firm will get each year.
Net Cash Out Flow – What the firm needs to invest initially in the project.

Step 1 – Understand the nature of the project and calculate cash flow for each year.
Step 2 – Discount those cash flow based on the discount rate.
Step 3 – Add all the discounted cash flow.
Step 4 – Selection of the project

Why Innovation & Entrepreneurship Managers need to know Financial Tools such as Net Present Value (NPV)?

In our daily workplace we often come across people and colleagues who are just focused on their core competency and targets they have to deliver. For example marketing managers at Angel Investing often design programs whose objective is to drive brand awareness and customer reach. But how that 30 point increase in brand awareness or 10 point increase in customer touch points will result into shareholders’ value is not specified.

To overcome such scenarios managers at Angel Investing needs to not only know the financial aspect of project management but also needs to have tools to integrate them into part of the project development and monitoring plan.

Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 15%

After working through various assumptions we reached a conclusion that risk is far higher than 6%. In a reasonably stable industry with weak competition - 15% discount rate can be a good benchmark.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 15 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10027839)	-10027839	-	-
Year 1	3445755	-6582084	3445755	0.8696	2996309
Year 2	3964283	-2617801	7410038	0.7561	2997567
Year 3	3948865	1331064	11358903	0.6575	2596443
Year 4	3245961	4577025	14604864	0.5718	1855889
TOTAL					10446208

The Net NPV after 4 years is 418369

(10446208 - 10027839 )

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 20%

If the risk component is high in the industry then we should go for a higher hurdle rate / discount rate of 20%.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 20 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10027839)	-10027839	-	-
Year 1	3445755	-6582084	3445755	0.8333	2871463
Year 2	3964283	-2617801	7410038	0.6944	2752974
Year 3	3948865	1331064	11358903	0.5787	2285223
Year 4	3245961	4577025	14604864	0.4823	1565375
TOTAL					9475034

The Net NPV after 4 years is -552805

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9475034 - 10027839 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Angel Investing to discount cash flow at lower discount rates such as 15%.

Acceptance Criteria of a Project based on NPV

Simplest Approach – If the investment project of Angel Investing has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Angel Investing can ACCEPT the project, otherwise they can reject the project. This means that project will deliver higher returns over the period of time than any alternate investment strategy.

In theory if the required rate of return or discount rate is chosen correctly by finance managers at Angel Investing, then the stock price of the Angel Investing should change by same amount of the NPV. In real world we know that share price also reflects various other factors that can be related to both macro and micro environment.

In the same vein – accepting the project with zero NPV should result in stagnant share price. Finance managers use discount rates as a measure of risk components in the project execution process.

Sensitivity Analysis

Project selection is often a far more complex decision than just choosing it based on the NPV number. Finance managers at Angel Investing should conduct a sensitivity analysis to better understand not only the inherent risk of the projects but also how those risks can be either factored in or mitigated during the project execution. Sensitivity analysis helps in –

What will be a multi year spillover effect of various taxation regulations.

What are the key aspects of the projects that need to be monitored, refined, and retuned for continuous delivery of projected cash flows.

What can impact the cash flow of the project.

Understanding of risks involved in the project.

What are the uncertainties surrounding the project Initial Cash Outlay (ICO’s). ICO’s often have several different components such as land, machinery, building, and other equipment.

Some of the assumptions while using the Discounted Cash Flow Methods –

Projects are assumed to be Mutually Exclusive – This is seldom the came in modern day giant organizations where projects are often inter-related and rejecting a project solely based on NPV can result in sunk cost from a related project.

Independent projects have independent cash flows – As explained in the marketing project – though the project may look independent but in reality it is not as the brand awareness project can be closely associated with the spending on sales promotions and product specific advertising.

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Negotiation Strategy of Tenex Greenhouse Investors

References & Further Readings

John W. Glynn Jr., Janet Feldstein (2018), "Tenex Greenhouse Investors Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.