Startups' Strategies for ESG Funding Adoption

Abstract

This study examines how firms choose between ESG and profit-driven investors during the fundraising process within the startup--venture capital (VC) context. It employs real-stakes placement experiments with US startup founders, linking founders’ experimental behaviors with their real-world fundraising activities. While founders derive positive non-pecuniary utility from partnering with ESG VCs, VCs targeting environmental impact still struggle to attract startups due to financial reasons, particularly affecting lower-quality VCs. Founders believe such collaborations could hinder profitability and the likelihood of raising funding. Specifically, profit-driven startups, smaller startups, Republican founders, and startups in high-emission industries demonstrate less interest in adopting green funding.

Keywords: Climate Finance, ESG, Field Experiments, Preference Elicitation, Venture Capital

JEL Classification: Q01, Q56, C91, C93, G24, L26, M13