Crowdfunding and Entrepreneurship in the Western Balkans

Luca Sabia, Robin Bell, David Bozward

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Western Balkans are former communist countries which have made the transition to capitalist economies. As part of this, they continue to develop their entrepreneurial ecosystems to support private business and innovation. The region overall has a relatively high level of entrepreneurship, which has led the Western Balkans to be labelled the next frontier of start-ups in Europe. However, previous research has identified that challenges in obtaining finance, the need for high collateral and high interest rates and banks’ inexperience of lending to start-ups has been a constraining factor in the region. Such a scenario provides potential for crowdfunding to be a useful tool to support the financing of entrepreneurship in the region. In the light of such potential, this chapter reviews the business and entrepreneurship data in the region and explores the limitations within the current crowdfunding ecosystem in the region to find how the Western Balkans can utilize crowdfunding to continue and sustain economic development by supporting the financing of entrepreneurial start-ups. This chapter posits that whilst crowdfunding could provide valuable support to start-ups in the region, the platforms operating in the region and the ecosystem are currently underdeveloped.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEntrepreneurial Finance, Innovation and Development
Subtitle of host publicationA Research Companion
EditorsVi Dung Ngo, Duc Khuong Nguyen, Ngoc Thang Nguyen
PublisherRoutledge
Chapter3
Number of pages19
Edition1
ISBN (Electronic)9781003134282
ISBN (Print)9780367681036
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Nov 2021

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Crowdfunding and Entrepreneurship in the Western Balkans'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this