We propose a taxonomy of cybercrime on the Ethereum blockchain and examine how cybercrime impacts victims’ risk-taking and returns. Our difference-in-differences analysis of a sample of victims and matched non-victims suggests that victims increase their long-term total risk-taking and earn lower risk-adjusted returns in the post-cybercrime period. Victims’ long-term total risk-taking increases because they increase …
What role does the selection of an investor and the timing of financing play in initial coin offerings (ICOs)? We investigate the operating and financial performance of ventures conducting ICOs with different types of investors at different points in the ventures’ life cycle. We find that, relative to purely crowdfunded ICO ventures, institutional investor-backed ICO …
New Venture Teams’ (NVTs’) collective emotions impact startup valuations through their intensity and diversity. I identify NVTs’ affective traits with artificial emotional intelligence by tracking 2,520 individuals across 165 NVTs during their Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). The level of NVTs’ negative affects correlates with lower valuations, while within-NVT emotional diversity has a value-increasing effect. Intuitively, …
Crypto funds (CFs) represent a novel investor type in entrepreneurial finance. CFs intermediate Decentralized Finance (DeFi) markets by pooling contributions from crowd investors and investing in tokenized startups, combining venture- and hedge-style investment strategies. We compile a unique dataset combining token-based crowdfunding (Initial Coin Offering, ICO) data with proprietary performance data of CFs. CF backed …
Decentralized Finance, Crypto Funds, and Value Creation in Tokenized Firms Read More »
This paper examines the efficiency of the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) market through a search theoretical lens. Search intensity associated with the process of identifying valuable startups is increasing in market granularity. Blockchain technology increases market granularity because asset tokenization lowers entry barriers. Lower-end entrants, however, increase aggregate search intensity but may lack search skills. …