För många företag är det av intresse att kommunicera med ett flertal olika intressenter och för framförallt yngre bolag, som befinner sig i en tillväxtfas, kan det vara av stor vikt att kommunicera och nå ut till omvärlden på rätt sätt för att kunna växa och utvecklas i en positiv riktning. Just ett företags kommunikation med dess finansiella intressenter brukar benämnas investerarrelationer (IR), vilket till största del inbegriper att informera företagets intressenter om dess verksamhet och marknadsföra bolaget mot kapitalmarknaden. Även om det finns ett tydligt syfte till varför ett företag bedriver ett aktivt IR-arbete, kan det vara svårt att följa upp och utvärdera om arbetet har resulterat i de effekter som eftersträvas. För många företag saknas därför ofta en tydlig strategi och målbild för IR-arbetet samtidigt som det kan vara något som inte prioriteras på grund av begränsade ekonomiska och tidsmässiga resurser. Genom att undersöka de effekter som företag upplever av IR-arbete, skapas därför en bredare förståelse för hur arbetet bör prioriteras. Med detta som bakgrund är syftet med den här studien att undersöka och analysera vilka effekter svenska tillväxtbolag kan uppleva av strategiskt IR-arbete. Därtill syftar studien till att undersöka och analysera vilka specifika IR-aktiviteter som kan härledas till de upplevda effekterna samt vilka avvikelser som råder mellan upplevda effekter och IR-arbetets avsikter. Strategiskt IR-arbete definieras som det arbete relaterat till investerarrelationer som utförs utöver det lagen kräver av noterade företag. För att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar genomförs individuella intervjuer med svenska noterade små och medelstora tillväxtföretag samt IR-rådgivare. Totalt intervjuades åtta noterade företag och tre rådgivare. De upplevda effekter som har identifierats som följd av ett strategiskt IR-arbete består av ökad förståelse, ökat förtroende, ökat intresse och starkare relationer. Ingen koppling mellan specifika aktiviteter och specifika effekter observerades men vissa aktiviteter nämndes som särskilt betydelsefulla, vilka inkluderar investerarträffar, uppdragsanalys samt publicerande av information och förtydligande aktiviteter. De främsta avsikterna med IR-arbetet identifierades som ökad aktiehandel, bredare ägarbas, institutionellt ägande, uppfattas som ett seriöst bolag och rättvis värdering. Resultatet visar på en relativt tydlig överensstämmelse mellan IR-arbetets avsikter och de upplevda effekterna från arbetet. Dock föreligger en viss avvikelse i hur konkret intervjuobjekten resonerar kring IR-arbetets avsikter i förhållande till dess effekter. / For many companies, it is of interest to communicate with several different stakeholders. Especially for less mature companies who are in a growth phase, it can be of great importance to communicate and reach out to as many stakeholders as possible to grow and develop in an efficient manner. A company's communication with its financial stakeholders is usually referred to as Investor Relations (IR), which mainly consists of informing stakeholders about the company's operations and marketing the company towards the capital market. Even if there is a clear purpose to practice IR, it can be difficult to follow up and evaluate whether the IR has achieved the effects that are aimed for. Therefore, many companies lack a clear strategy and target for their IR and it may not at the same time be an activity that has high priority, as a result of limited resources. By examining the effects that companies experience from IR, a broader understanding of how IR should be prioritized, compared to other issues within a company, will be obtained. With this background, the purpose of this study is to investigate and analyze which effects Swedish growth companies can experience from strategic IR. In addition, this study aims to investigate and analyze which effects that can be derived from different IR activities and which deviations that exist between the intentions of IR and the perceived effects. Strategic IR is defined as all work related to IR that exceeds what is legally mandatory for publicly listed companies. To fulfill the purpose of the study, semi-structured individual interviews will be conducted with Swedish listed small and medium-sized growth companies as well as IR advisors. A total of eight listed companies and three advisors were interviewed. The perceived effects that have been identified are increased understanding, increased trust, increased interest, and stronger relationships. No link between specific activities and specific effects has been observed, although certain activities have been mentioned as of especial importance which includes investor meetings, commissioned research, and publication of information and clarifying activities. The main intentions of IR have been identified as increased stock liquidity, broader ownership base, institutional ownership, being perceived as a serious company, and fair valuation. The result shows a relatively distinct connection between the intentions of IR and the perceived effects. However, there is a certain deviation in how explicit the interview subjects reason about the intentions of IR in relation to its effects.

Equity crowdfunding, which has primarily been developed by private operators, is considered as an alternative financing form where capital is raised from a group of individuals through digital platforms. In the absence of formal regulations and existing high information asymmetries between businesses and crowd-investors, businesses need to build up legitimacy and trust through social actions. In this way, knowing the main participants and developing good relationships with them, become key factors for crowdfunding success. The purpose of this thesis is to examine equity crowdfunding and its context by identifying and describing stakeholders that interact there. In particular, this thesis aims to describe relationships that are being developed between businesses and their crowd-investors. The data has been collected through interviews with both businesses and investors that have experience in using equity crowdfunding in a Swedish context. The interview data have been analysed by using the stakeholder theory. This has helped us to identify and characterise several stakeholders that exist in the context of equity crowdfunding. Especially, two stakeholder management approaches – arm length- and fairness approach - have been chosen as the analytical tools for this thesis. These categories have primarily been used to analyse relationships that are being developed between businesses and crowd-investors. Our discussion highlights equity crowdfunding as a new and alternative type of capital market, where participants act more cooperatively and have versatile roles. As a financial tool, equity crowdfunding opens up possibilities for closer interaction between businesses and investors. As a consequence of high information asymmetries, developing relationships and creating a transparent environment through active communication, become particularly important for businesses. However, our data has shown us that in reality the collaborative relationship depends on how much businesses allow to be influenced by investors as well as how much the investors request participation.