Title: Does social innovation promote the crowdfunding of technological projects?

Authors: Caroline Blais; Raymond K. Agbodoh-Falschau; Audrey Boisvert

Addresses: Business School, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, J1K 2R1, Canada ' Business School, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, J1K 2R1, Canada ' Business School, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, J1K 2R1, Canada

Abstract: Promoters increasingly turn to crowdfunding platforms to finance and realise their projects. These platforms are an interesting alternative to traditional bank financing. Studies show that certain characteristics of the projects submitted, and their promoters influence the success of a crowdfunding campaign (target amount obtained or exceeded), particularly when the project is associated with social innovation. Based on data from 103 technological projects financed on the Kickstarter platform, our study shows that the number of contributors positively influences funding. However, our results reveal that technological projects associated with social innovation are less funded than those unrelated to it, suggesting that projects aimed at addressing social issues and generating positive community impact are perceived as less interesting by potential contributors. The results of this study provide further insights into the financing discourse of technological projects qualified as social innovation through crowdfunding.

Keywords: technological project; crowdfunding; innovation; social innovation; Kickstarter.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMED.2025.145146

International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development, 2025 Vol.24 No.2, pp.152 - 176

Received: 13 Aug 2024
Accepted: 19 Nov 2024
Published online: 21 Mar 2025 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article