Entrepreneurial financing strategy focusing on crowdfunded startups with novel ideas

Abstract

This thesis explores startups' fundraising and development strategies that started from novel ideas to sustainable companies through crowdfunding. From the stage of persuasion by presenting novel ideas to subsequent business development, the study analyzes the factors that enable startups to grow successfully through crowdfunding and accordingly reveals what an effective action strategy from the entrepreneur's point of view is. The purpose of the thesis is to understand the cycle of the campaign, value delivery, and subsequent development while focusing on the strategic perspective of entrepreneurs using crowdfunding as an entrepreneurial fundraising tool. First, at the fundraising point, which is the beginning of crowdfunding startups, the study focuses on indicators that can measure an idea's novelty and explore the behavioral strategies of founders during crowdfunding campaigns according to the degree of novelty. This study proposes a machine learning-based methodological measurement to understand the novelty and presents a behavioral strategy using the method. The study demonstrates that the novelty of an idea is a crucial element in changing the direction project founders must act for successful fundraising in reward-based crowdfunding. The second study proposes a framework for a satisfactory crowdfunding experience for reward-based crowdfunding participants. Through the framework of utilitarian-hedonic value delivery borrowed from consumer research, the study finds the determinants of how founders deliver value to crowdfunding participants after realizing business ideas. This study explores the post-campaign idea implementation and satisfaction delivery process, taking preliminary steps to broadly understand the subsequent business processes after fundraising. The third study examines the differences in characteristics of crowdfunding startups that have attracted follow-up venture funds. In particular, the study analyzes how the timing and valuation of follow-up venture financing are affected by the characteristics of the crowdfunding campaign process. This study in-depth finds the relationship between the process of crowdfunding and long-term sustainable startups.