Regional crowdfunding and high tech entrepreneurship

•Crowdfunding in entrepreneurial categories precedes an increase in high tech firm starts in a region•Crowdfunding in entrepreneurial categories precedes a decrease in low tech firm starts in a region•Crowdfunding is more likely in highly educated and urban regions•Despite the greater frequency of crowdfunding in highly educated and urban regions, the impact of a crowdfunding campaign on high tech firm starts is greater in poor regions