This book focuses on various types of crowdfunding and the lessons learned from academic research. Crowdfunding, a new and important source of financing for entrepreneurs, fills a funding gap that was traditionally difficult to close. Chapters from expert contributors define and carefully evaluate the various market segments: donation-based and reward-based crowdfunding, crowdinvesting and crowdlending. They further provide an assessment of startups, market structure, as well as backers and investors for each segment. Attention is given to the theoretical and empirical findings from the recent economics and finance literature. Furthermore, the authors evaluate relevant regulatory efforts in several jurisdictions. This book will appeal to finance, entrepreneurship and legal scholars as well as entrepreneurs and platform operators.

Crowdfunding: Fundamental Cases, Facts, and Insights presents fundamental knowledge about a maturing economic field. Assembling and arranging datasets, case analyses, and other foundational materials on subjects associated with crowdfunding, it systematically, comprehensively, and authoritatively provides access to a consistent body of crowdfunding research. With the crowdfunding industry now consolidated, this core reference can serve as the basis for research projects and applied work. Acclaim for Crowdfunding "This book provides insightful cases and statistics from around the world on how rewards and equity crowdfunding markets work. It also includes useful information on marketplace lending. It is a great resource for entrepreneurs and investors, as well as for policymakers, academics, and students." - Craig Asano, Founder and CEO, National Crowdfunding and Fintech Association "Crowdfunding offers detailed analyses of rewards and equity crowdfunding markets using statistical methods and case studies. I recommend it for academics, practitioners, and policymakers who seek a rigorous look at crowdfunding markets around the world." - Jay Ritter, Joseph B. Cordell Eminent Scholar Chair, Warrington College of Business, University of Florida

Industrial Organization: Markets and Strategies provides an up-to-date account of modern industrial organization that blends theory with real-world applications. Written in a clear and accessible style, it acquaints the reader with the most important models for understanding strategies chosen by firms with market power and shows how such firms adapt to different market environments. It covers a wide range of topics including recent developments on product bundling, branding strategies, restrictions in vertical supply relationships, intellectual property protection, and two-sided markets, to name just a few. Models are presented in detail and the main results are summarized as lessons. Formal theory is complemented throughout by real-world cases that show students how it applies to actual organizational settings. The book is accompanied by a website containing a number of additional resources for lecturers and students, including exercises, answers to review questions, case material and slides.

In recent years, crowdfunding has become important and it has been enthusiastically used not only by commercial organizations but also by the public sector. This alternative source of financing in times of constrained government budgets enables citizens to vote with their dollars online to bring ideas into reality. This book sheds light on the developing concept of crowdfunding in the public sector, with an overview of current academic discussions and best practices on crowdfunding in the public sector. The volume approaches crowdfunding in the public sector from an integrated perspective, addressing the dearth of publications on the subject. The book gathers a wealth of theoretical information, ideas, best practices and lessons learned in the context of executing concrete crowdfunding projects, and assess methodological approaches to integrating the topic of crowdfunding in public organizations curricula. The book provides definitions, insights and examples of this managerial perspective resulting in a theoretical framework of crowdfunding in the public sector. The contributors also explore different crowdfunding applications in public sectors such as local government, higher education, schools, arts & culture organizations, healthcare, energy sector, and police services, which are presented in several case studies. This is a unique book in the field that points the way forward both for policymakers and for the research community in terms of thinking about crowdfunding in the public sector and the complex issues surrounding its development.

This open access book presents a comprehensive and up-to-date collection of knowledge on the state of crowdfunding research and practice. It considers crowdfunding models and their different manifestations across a variety of geographies and sectors, and explores the perspectives of fundraisers, backers, platforms, and regulators. Gathering insights from a wide range of influential researchers in the field, the book balances concepts, theory, and case studies. Going beyond previous research on crowdfunding, the contributors also investigate issues of community, sustainability, education, and ethics. A vital resource for anyone researching crowdfunding, this book offers readers a deep understanding of the characteristics, business models, user-relations, and behavioural patterns of crowdfunding.

An introductory, non-technical overview of what economics adds to our understanding of entrepreneurship. Identifies issues that can be resolved using economic analysis, presents the models that form the foundations of the economics of entrepreneurship, and reviews theoretical contributions and empirical findings consistent with these models.

Crowdfunding for SMEs: A European Perspective provides a valuable insight into this new source of capital. In particular, the authors focus on financial return crowdfunding, which repays the crowd either through debt or equity. This source of capital might play a significant role in the future becoming an alternative or a complement to traditional funding sources. It is therefore of the uttermost importance to understand what has boosted its exponential growth in recent years, as well as the key drivers of success of P2P lending and equity crowdfunding campaigns on both the funders and the fundraisers side. Due to the financial nature of the return provided to the crowd, financial return crowdfunding has been the object of recent waves of regulation, although the European Union still lacks a set of common rules. The aim of regulation should be twofold, to protect investors and, at the same time, to favor the financing for SMEs. In this book, the authors explore such issues and the regulatory policies, while looking to the future of financial return crowdfunding as an evolving source of capital.

This book discusses the concepts, types, models, and patterns of crowdfunding to provide a comprehensive portrait of this newly developed market-based financial tool. In addition, it examines a number of economic theories to help readers understand the proliferation of crowdfunding, reviews empirical works to find gaps in the literature, and outlines future research directions. A unique feature of this book is that it discusses Japan’s crowdfunding approach, which is somewhat different from that of the Western countries, by highlighting a specific crowdfunding platform (Music Securities) and a crowdfund-backed firm (SABAR restaurant). Further, it explores the suitability of Japan’s crowdfunding approach for addressing the financial needs of SMEs in developing countries,using Bangladesh as a representative case. Finally, the book identifies some lessons learned from crowd funding so as to advance research into this phenomenon, and to make it efficient and sustainable. As such, the book will benefit novices, academics, researchers, and policymakers interested in crowdfunding technology.

Do you know where your money is? More importantly, do you know what your money is doing? Most of us feel confident that we know what money is. But few of us feel confident in taking responsibility for what our money does. We hand over the power of money to banks and mainstream finance with real, often damaging, consequences for people and planet. A unique collaboration between an academic and a practitioner, this book tells the story of money, from ancient Athens to the Bitcoin revolution, to explain how crowdfunding is the way for people to reclaim the power of their money in pursuit of a fairer and greener society.

Digital platforms controlled by Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Tencent and Uber have transformed not only the ways we do business, but also the very nature of people's everyday lives. It is of vital importance that we understand the economic principles governing how these platforms operate. This book explains the driving forces behind any platform business with a focus on network effects. The authors use short case studies and real-world applications to explain key concepts such as how platforms manage network effects and which price and non-price strategies they choose. This self-contained text is the first to offer a systematic and formalized account of what platforms are and how they operate, concisely incorporating path-breaking insights in economics over the last twenty years.