Blockchain Beyond Borders: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Evolving Legitimacy in ICO-Driven Entrepreneurship
Muhammad Nauman Shahid
National University of Singapore (Singapore) ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2024.32248407
How is blockchain changing both research and entrepreneurship? This thesis examines how blockchain research has evolved across disciplines and how blockchain ventures build legitimacy when seeking funding in uncertain, rapidly changing markets. It shows how the way ventures present themselves, communicate online, and differentiate their ideas can shape how investors and other stakeholders evaluate them.
This doctoral thesis investigates the evolution of blockchain scholarship and the institutional processes through which blockchain-based ventures establish legitimacy and acquire resources. It combines large-scale bibliometric analysis and computational topic modeling of 35,604 publications with empirical investigation of entrepreneurial narratives, online media, and legitimacy in ICO markets. The thesis develops an interdisciplinary account of blockchain research and examines how venture distinctiveness and media-mediated perceptions influence legitimacy and resource acquisition in decentralized entrepreneurial ecosystems.