Equity Crowdfunding i Sverige : Finansieringskälla eller marknadsföringsverktyg?

Sammanfattning: Entrepreneurs have a hard time raising enough capital to be able to reach their targeted growth. The access to external capital is limited because of factors like a lack of cash flow, information and other assets. There is a gap between supply and demand that the traditional financing methods do not fill. Crowdfunding is a financing method where a collective pool their assets together to contribute to certain businesses’ continued growth. Crowdfunding has seen a significant growth over the past years, where the latest category is equity crowdfunding.   This qualitative study sets out to examine why Swedish entrepreneurs use equity crowdfunding to raise capital and what factors are behind a successful campaign in Sweden. The purpose of the study is to add to the relatively unexplored field that is equity crowdfunding in Sweden by using existing theories regarding entrepreneurship and crowdfunding. The goal is that the result will be of help to entrepreneurs that are planning to raise capital. To achieve this, seven semi-structured interviews have been conducted, summarized and analyzed to finally lead to a conclusion. To gain different perspectives of the subject, all three parties involved in equity crowdfunding have been heard. Five of the respondents are entrepreneurs whom have gone through a successful round of equity crowdfunding, one respondent is from a crowdfunding platform and one is an investor.    The study showed that there are a number of reasons why entrepreneurs choose equity crowdfunding as their method to raise capital. The method is available to companies in earlier stages than other, traditional, methods are. Other than gaining the capital that comes from a successful campaign the company will gain plenty of attention, mainly from its investors whom have a tendency to act as ambassadors for the company. These ambassadors generate a large marketing effect through their social networks. The main factors behind a successful campaign have proven to be active communication, the ability to present the business in a pedagogic matter, a substantial social network and the support of friends and family in the early stages.