Collection, Exploration and Analysis of Crowdfunding Social Networks

Miao  Cheng; Anand  Sriramulu; Sudarshan  Muralidhar; Boon Thau  Loo; Laura  Huang; Po-Ling  Loh

Article | Proceedings of the International Workshop on Exploratory Search in Databases and the Web

Collection, Exploration and Analysis of Crowdfunding Social Networks

by Miao Cheng, Anand Sriramulu, Sudarshan Muralidhar, Boon Thau Loo, Laura Huang and Po-Ling Loh

Abstract

Crowdfunding is a recent financing phenomenon that is gaining wide popularity as a means for startups to raise seed funding for their companies. This paper presents our initial results at understanding this phenomenon using an exploratory data driven approach. We have developed a big data platform for collecting and managing data from multiple sources, including company profiles (CrunchBase and AngelList) and social networks (Facebook and Twitter). We describe our data collection process that allows us to gather data from diverse sources at high throughput. Using Spark as our analysis tool, we study the impact of social engagement on startup fund raising success. We further define novel metrics that allow us to quantify the behavior of investors to follow and make investment decisions as communities rather than individuals. Finally, we explore visualization techniques that allow us to visualize communities of investors that make decisions in a close-knit fashion vs looser communities where investors largely make independent decisions. We conclude with a discussion on our ongoing research on causality analysis and new community detection algorithms.

Format: Electronic

Find at Harvard

Citation:

Cheng, Miao, Anand Sriramulu, Sudarshan Muralidhar, Boon Thau Loo, Laura Huang, and Po-Ling Loh. "Collection, Exploration and Analysis of Crowdfunding Social Networks." Proceedings of the International Workshop on Exploratory Search in Databases and the Web 3rd (2016): 25–30.

Founded in 2010, CredEx has been a fast and constant innovator in the microfinance industry in China. Tang Xia, CEO and co-founder of CredEx, has led the company through a number of profound business model innovations in response to external environment changes, which transformed the company from an offline, operation heavy micro lending company to an online, data driven FinTech company. This case describes CredEx’s business model transformation process since its founding and explores the drivers and challenges in different stages of business model innovation and transformation. Ultimately, the case highlights the key capabilities needed to digitize a traditional finance business as well as the organizational changes needed to enable the digitization.

Career Karma is a startup focused on helping individuals looking to transition careers into computer engineering roles or similar fields by preparing them for formal technical training programs, or “coding bootcamps,” that would lead to a successful career pivot upon graduating from the program. The platform also encouraged users to engage with each other in “squad” support groups and paired users with mentors (other users who successfully transitioned careers through Career Karma). This case explores the journey of Career Karma’s three founders and navigating growth through an unexpected recession caused by a global pandemic.

Faculty & Research

Collection, Exploration and Analysis of Crowdfunding Social Networks

Abstract

Citation:

About the Author

More from the Author