This book examines the adverse effects of complexity, information asymmetries, transaction costs, and uncertainty on investors' decision making. It suggests mitigating those effects using appropriate and matching signals, and analyzes a sample of 903 German startups to quantitatively highlight the distinct financing patterns and characteristics of high-tech startups. It then investigates the reasons for these patterns on the basis of a qualitative study that includes 34 interviews with investors and entrepreneurs in the US and Germany and an international expert panel. Lastly, it presents a framework that matches complexity factors with appropriate productive signals.

Robin P. G. Tech is a researcher at the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society in Berlin. He is the principal investigator of a research group that focuses on the entrepreneurial exploitation of the 'internet of things'. Prior to this, Robin studied Economics and Corporate Management at Zeppelin University (BA),Technology, Sociology, & Management (MSc) in Stockholm, and completed his MBA in Hong Kong. In his non-academic life, Robin is the co-founder of AtomLeap, a high-tech focused startup. He also worked in venture capital (2007), held a consulting position at the curating office Buro17 in Moscow (2009), worked for AUDI on inductive charging systems (2010-2011) and at the European Commission's EIT Labs (2012-2013) in the field of business modeling for renewable energies.