Department of Management, Society and Communication

Sustainable entrepreneurs and small start-ups face a myriad of challenges in terms of pursuing their sustainably-oriented ventures not least the locked-in nature of the current regime which they inhabit and intend to change. These lock-ins consequently also translate into constrained funding opportunities for these "niche innovators", especially in the early "seed funding" stage as they often perceived as a less attractive investment compared to traditional entrepreneurial ventures.

The emergence of crowdfunding could, however, signal a shift in financing opportunities for these small sustainable innovators brought on by a shift in prospective financiers of innovation from professional investors to now ordinary citizens (i.e. crowdfunders). Especially since the early literature on crowdfunding has found that rather than focusing on economic gains and feasibilities, the crowdfunders put much more emphasis on the core values and legitimacy of a project (Lehner & Nicholls 2014). Leading some scholars to suggest that crowdfunders are more likely to invest in sustainable ventures (see Lehner 2013; Calic & Mosakowski 2016; Vassallo 2016) others, however, question this contention instead noting that there is no positive connection between for example environmental orientation and crowdfunding success (Hörisch 2015).

My research strives to examine what, if any, potential role the "crowd" could have in driving, financing and enabling sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation. Seeking to uncover what role the consumer could have in enabling and financing sustainable innovation.

I am a member of the Consumer and Behavioural Insights Group (CBIG) at the CBS Sustainability centre.

Introducing Kristian Roed Nielsen: