How signal portfolios affect success in equity-based crowdfunding: Evidence from the Chinese hotel industry

Abstract

While most crowdfunding studies predominantly explore the success factors of reward-based crowdfunding, this research studies the efficacy of composite signal portfolios. Specifically, we investigate how bundles of substantive signals—comprising product- and firm-relevant information—and rhetorical signals—grounded in language-based information—affect the performance of equity-based hotel crowdfunding. By analyzing objective data from 512 equity crowdfunding projects within the Chinese hotel industry, our findings indicate that the combination of product- and firm-related substantive signals, such as price and team size, enhances both the amount and percentage of equity-based crowdfunding. Furthermore, our results unveil that the combination of product-related substantive (price) and rhetorical (emotional appeal) signals significantly contributes to equity-based crowdfunding success. These findings not only contribute to the existing literature on hotel crowdfunding but also offer strategic implications for equity-based crowdfunding managers in the hotel industry.