Crowdfunding

: exploring the link between projects and reward mechanisms

Abstract

Crowdfunding is a recent organizational phenomenon for which there is little academic research. More than just offering a categorization of the crowdfunding reality, the aim of this study is to unveil the ways in which projects and rewards are linked across the global crowdfunding scenario. For the purpose of this study, several crowdfunding platforms were reviewed, with the focus of analyzing project characteristics such as owners, type and intent and finding a connection between the referred variables and the reward schemes which were commonly associated with them. The findings pointed out significant differences and clear reward preferences among the different project owners’ profiles and even among the different types of projects categories present in the crowdfunding platforms. Ultimately, the reader will be able to understand the links between project features and reward mechanisms and how they play out in the crowdfunding scenario. Moreover, they will be able to identify what type of rewards they may expect from a specific project type. This can be of great relevance for seekers and backers, since it clarifies what rewards a platform will offer taking into account the projects it promotes. So when seekers’ are looking for a specific platform to post their projects, they will be able to know that they will have to offer a certain type of reward. Same way for backers, if they want to receive a specific reward they will be able to know where to find it just from the types of projects that the platform hosts.

Date of Award	11 Jul 2013
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Juan Andrei Villarroel Fernandéz (Supervisor)