Prioritising crowdfunding benefits: a fuzzy-AHP approach

The current research aims to explore and prioritize the key benefits that influence the acceptance of crowdfunding as a fund-raising tool, either directly or indirectly. The study utilized a multidisciplinary approach to find out the varied benefits of crowdfunding. The study also prioritized the benefits by applying the buckley fuzzy-AHP technique. The results indicate the various benefits of crowdfunding. The study's results suggest fund-raising (FR), venture viability (VV), cost structure (CS), customer relationships (CR), demand building (DB), general strategy (GS), market intelligence (MI), personal sphere (PS), business ecosystem (BE), team development (TD) and product lifecycle (PL) are the benefits associated with the crowdfunding process. The findings also suggest that the topmost benefit of crowdfunding is FR. But our study has not categorized the benefits according to different types of crowdfunding, and the study's findings cannot be generalized as the study was conducted in India. The study highlighted the critical financial and non-financial benefits of crowdfunding which can help the entrepreneurs to have more insightful knowledge of the potential benefits of crowdfunding. Studying the financial and non-financial benefits of crowdfunding can further help the entrepreneurs utilize crowdfunding platforms, depending on the need, to provide the right solution to their requirements. This research is the first study to apply the buckley fuzzy-AHP technique to prioritize the multidisciplinary benefits of crowdfunding, thereby widening the knowledge base of academicians and entrepreneurs.