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Are Sustainability-Oriented Investors Different? Evidence from Equity Crowdfunding

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  • Lars Hornuf
  • Eliza Stenzhorn
  • Tim Vintis

Abstract

In this article, we examine how investor motives affect investment behavior in equity crowdfunding. In particular, we compare the investment behavior of sustainability-oriented with ordinary crowd investors on six leading equity crowdfunding platforms in Austria and Germany and investigate whether they suffer from a default shock that was recently identified by Dorfleitner et al. (2019). In general, we find evidence of a default shock in equity crowdfunding that occurs immediately after the event or if investors experience more than two insolvencies. Moreover, we find that sustainability-oriented investors pledge larger amounts of money and invest in more campaigns than ordinary crowd investors. The results also suggest that sustainability-oriented crowd investors care about non-financial returns, as they react more sensitively after experiencing a default in their equity crowdfunding portfolios, which indicates that they suffer beyond the pure financial loss. These findings contribute to recent literature on equity crowdfunding, socially responsible investing, and how individual investment motives and personal experiences affect investment decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Lars Hornuf & Eliza Stenzhorn & Tim Vintis, 2020. "Are Sustainability-Oriented Investors Different? Evidence from Equity Crowdfunding," Bremen Papers on Economics & Innovation 2011, University of Bremen, Faculty of Business Studies and Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:atv:wpaper:2011
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.26092/elib/94
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    Cited by:

    1. Cumming, Douglas & Meoli, Michele & Rossi, Alice & Vismara, Silvio, 2024. "ESG and crowdfunding platforms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 39(1).
    2. Subhan Shahid & Ioanna Liouka & Ioanna Deligianni, 2024. "Signaling sustainability: Can it entice business angels' willingness to invest?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 2832-2848, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Equity crowdfunding; Individual investor behavior; Entrepreneurial finance; Social; ethical; and environmental investing; Socially responsible investing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
    • K22 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Business and Securities Law
    • M1 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration

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