Crowdfunding success in sustainability-oriented projects: An exploratory examination of the crowdfunding of 3D printers

Despite the significant accumulation of research on crowdfunding in general, much less attention has been paid to understanding the relationship between crowdfunding and sustainable innovations in particular. This is a significant oversight given the number of sustainability-oriented projects launched through crowdfunding platforms. Given the limited insight into what factors contribute to the success of crowdfunding sustainablity-oriented campaigns, we embarked upon an exploratory examination of this topic in the context of a sustain-able innovation: 3D printers. We examined several factors that prior research had found to lead to crowdfunding success and ascertain their effectiveness in contributing to successful crowdfunding campaigns for sustainability-oriented projects. We also observed some notable institutional trends, suggesting that future research may want to shift its focus from primarly addressing variance questions, to also begin investigating more process-oriented questions in order to unpack the role and temporal ordering project creators, backers, and platforms may play in building broader ecosystems that support sustainability-oriented projects within the domain of crowdfunding.

Automated summary

Despite the extensive research on crowdfunding, little attention has been paid to the relationship between crowdfunding and sustainable innovations. This study explores the factors contributing to the success of crowdfunding campaigns for sustainability-oriented projects, focusing on 3D printers as an example of sustainable innovation. The study also highlights some institutional trends and suggests shifting research focus towards process-oriented questions, in order to understand the role and temporal ordering of project creators, backers, and platforms in supporting sustainability-oriented crowdfunding projects.