This paper examines the crowdfunding platform Sellaband, which connects artists with funders. Despite the platform's efforts to reduce distance-related frictions, local and distant funders exhibit different funding patterns. Local funders are less responsive to information about the cumulative funds raised by an artist, which is attributed to their social relationships with the artist ("friends and family"). However, this social effect does not persist beyond the first investment, suggesting that it may be driven by search rather than monitoring. The findings highlight the importance of interpersonal relations in early-stage finance and indicate that while crowdfunding platforms can reduce distance-related costs, they do not eliminate all frictions, particularly those related to information held by socially connected individuals.This paper examines the crowdfunding platform Sellaband, which connects artists with funders. Despite the platform's efforts to reduce distance-related frictions, local and distant funders exhibit different funding patterns. Local funders are less responsive to information about the cumulative funds raised by an artist, which is attributed to their social relationships with the artist ("friends and family"). However, this social effect does not persist beyond the first investment, suggesting that it may be driven by search rather than monitoring. The findings highlight the importance of interpersonal relations in early-stage finance and indicate that while crowdfunding platforms can reduce distance-related costs, they do not eliminate all frictions, particularly those related to information held by socially connected individuals.