This book covers the major ideas of crowdfunding, including learning market demand (“crowd wisdom”), online signalling, and network benefits. It also covers the most recent developments, such as the role of behavioural finance in crowdfunding, the links between crowdfunding and spot sales strategies, and crowdfunding regulation. It explores the role of asymmetric information and agency problems in crowdfunding and explores why many crowdfunding campaigns fail, and why many of them are subjects of fraud. Additionally, the book looks at crowdfunding as a part of financing for small companies, a very important topic in recent years. It explores the different types of crowdfunding and the historical aspects of crowdfunding development, including the JOBS act of 2012. It analyzes the role of crowdfunding in fintech area and compares crowdfunding with other innovative ways of financing including token issues. It combines theoretical results with examples, exercises, and applications, and will be of interest to students, researchers, and policymakers of entrepreneurial finance and financial technology.
