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Venture capital affiliation in decentralized finance: evidence from ICOs in blockchain ecosystem

Author

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  • Francisca Duarte Camelo

    (University of Porto)

  • Fábio Dias Duarte

    (University of Porto)

Abstract

Initial coin offerings (ICOs) have emerged as a new form of digital and decentralized finance. They have the potential to disrupt conventional finance sources and expand capital-raising alternatives. However, their decentralized nature, lack of regulation, and market complexity, along with fraud events, have led to a crisis of trust. This crisis jeopardizes firms' fundraising success. This study examines the role of specialized venture capitalists (VCs) in overcoming transparency issues and restoring trust in the market and ICO issuers. Based on data from 191 ICOs, our results show that VC-backed firms have higher ICO success. This success is more pronounced for firms affiliated with VCs specializing in blockchain technologies, especially if ICO issuers are opaque and riskier. Specialist VC affiliation leads investors to buy more tokens. This effect increases with additional affiliations with other specialized VCs. For early-stage firms with a product/service, generalist VC affiliation also plays a certification role, enhancing the probability of ICO success.

Suggested Citation

  • Francisca Duarte Camelo & Fábio Dias Duarte, 2025. "Venture capital affiliation in decentralized finance: evidence from ICOs in blockchain ecosystem," Financial Markets and Portfolio Management, Springer;Swiss Society for Financial Market Research, vol. 39(2), pages 195-223, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:fmktpm:v:39:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s11408-024-00465-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11408-024-00465-2
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Initial coin offerings; Early-stage firms; Venture capitalists; Specialization; Certification hypothesis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General
    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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