Digital innovation in the United States: Spatial determinants of transformation as exemplified by Kickstarter campaigns

Abstract

Digital transformation is reshaping innovation processes and capital allocation models, fostering the emergence of alternative financing mechanisms such as crowdfunding platforms. This study investigates the spatial determinants of digital innovation development using Kickstarter campaigns in the United States as a case study. Empirical data were preprocessed and classified into digital and traditional categories. Advanced AI methods, including Deep Autoencoders and Self-Organizing Maps (SOM), revealed spatial clusters of digital innovation in crowdfunding. Cluster visualizations exposed geographic concentration patterns and links to local infrastructure. AI uncovered latent ties between campaign structure and regional context, underscoring the role of AI and crowdfunding in decentralized, localized digital transformation.