Elective affinities: exploring the matching between entrepreneurs and investors in equity crowdfunding

Purpose: The authors investigate whether matchings in equity crowdfunding are more likely to happen if homophily exists between investors and investees. They focus on gender, age and geographical proximity as crucial dimensions of similarity among individuals and thus of homophily. Furthermore, they investigate whether the effect of homophily depends on the risk of opportunism, which investors allegedly attribute to proponents basing on their area of residence. Design/methodology/approach: The authors analyze a hand-collected database of 13 equity crowdfunding campaigns launched by Italian innovative start-ups from January 2013 to June 2016, which includes information about 384 equity crowdfunding investments carried out by 361 different investors. Findings: The authors find a significant effect of geographical proximity and age similarity in explaining the probability that an investor finances a campaign. Moreover, these effects are particularly relevant if the proponent is located in areas characterized by a high risk of opportunistic behavior. Interestingly enough, they do not detect any significant effect related to gender. Originality/value: In this paper, the authors have the unique opportunity to analyze a whole market (the Italian market) during three years, from inception (2013–2016), and to collect the identities of the investors in all successful campaigns.