%0 Journal Article %J Technology Innovation Management Review %D 2016 %T Crowdfunding: Finding the Optimal Platform for Funders and Entrepreneurs %A David Gedda %A Billy Nilsson %A Zebastian Såthén %A Klaus Solberg Søilen %K crowdfunding %K crowdfunding models %K crowdfunding platforms %K financing %K payout models %X As a steadily expanding source of venture capital, crowdfunding has become an alternative to traditional funding sources, such as banks and financial investors. The phenomenon of crowdfunding is represented by a growing number of Internet sites, here called crowdfunding platforms, devoted to the service. In this article, we investigate crowdfunding and their payout models, which are standard components on crowdfunding platforms. We consider the perspectives of both entrepreneurs and funders to determine the most attractive combination of models found on crowdfunding platforms. Our findings indicate that the most popular crowdfunding platforms, at the time of this study, reflect the preferences of entrepreneurs. The funders’ favoured crowdfunding model, which we call the equity model, is not currently found, in combination with the often-grouped, non-financial crowdfunding models of pre-order, sponsoring, or reward, on any of the top platforms. Thus, the research identifies a new market for crowdfunding platforms. %B Technology Innovation Management Review %I Talent First Network %C Ottawa %V 6 %P 31-40 %8 03/2016 %G eng %U http://timreview.ca/article/973 %N 3 %1 Halmstad University David Gedda is a Master's student with a specialization in Marketing at Halmstad University, Sweden,. His research interests include crowdfunding platforms for entrepreneurs and corporate management success factors in a business-to-business context. Alongside his studies, he works in sales. %2 Halmstad University Billy Nilsson is a Master's student with a specialization in Marketing at Halmstad University, Sweden, where he is currently writing his thesis on competitive intelligence on Web 2.0 platforms. He is also a touring musician in the band Strucky Likes, a partner in the record label VÅRØ, and a concert promoter at Tillsammans Sessions. %3 Halmstad University Zebastian Såthén is a Master's student with a specialization in Marketing at Halmstad University, Sweden, where he is also studying to become a real estate agent. He currently works as a real estate assistant in his hometown of Smögen. %4 Halmstad University Klaus Solberg Søilen is Professor of Management at Halmstad University, Sweden. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Intelligence Studies in Business (JISIB) and Senior Editor of the International Journal of Innovation Science (IJIS). He has published half a dozen books and more than thirty scientific articles on a wide area of management and marketing topics. %R http://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/973