How high‐performance outliers affect relative entrepreneurial entry on competing crowdfunding platforms

Abstract

Research SummaryEntrepreneurs have increasingly entered digital crowdfunding platforms as a viable option for acquiring capital. This paper examines how high‐performance outliers—projects that raised substantial amounts of capital—affect other entrepreneurs' decisions to enter crowdfunding. The present study focuses on the two largest rewards‐based crowdfunding platforms, Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Results indicate that, following outliers, entry was relatively higher on the platform with less restrictive, entrant‐friendly governance (i.e., Indiegogo). This effect was more pronounced among low‐quality entrants and moderated by projects in categories that have higher capital requirements. The findings suggest that differences in platform governance influence how subsequent entrepreneurial entrants behave.Managerial SummaryEntrepreneurs use crowdfunding as a viable source of capital. This paper looks at how outliers—projects that raise substantial capital—affected subsequent entry decisions by other entrepreneurs onto the two largest platforms, Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Outliers led to relatively more projects joining Indiegogo, but those projects were disproportionately of low quality. Projects in categories that typically seek more money disproportionately joined Kickstarter. When considered in the context of platform competition, not only does platform governance affect levels of entry on a platform, it also alters the relative mix of entrants that join each platform.