Equity Crowdfunding in the U.S.

Abstract

We assess the impact of the 2012 JOBS Act equity crowdfunding legislation that allows U.S.non-accredited investors to invest in private small businesses through online portals. The goals of new regulation were to spur small business growth and democratize investment in private startups by increasing access to capital. We find that the evidence is mixed:on the one hand, crowdfunding seems to expand access to finance to small business by targeting firms that are not usually served by institutional investors like angel and venture capital. Furthermore, having a successful crowdfunding campaign has a causal positive effect on future firm performance relative to a failed campaign. On the other hand, the equity crowdfunding market faces severe adverse selection that limit the expansion of this new form of business financing. Moreover, relative to angel-backed firms, successfully crowdfunded firms are less likely to progress through the financing funnel and thus provide exit to investors.

Keywords: Crowdfunding, JOBS Act

JEL Classification: G24,G18