Yes, good example!
Probably, the author has to make his project more attractive.
How can it be interesting (not even in sens getting profit) for investors? Not only because of a dinner
It brings to mind MillionDollarHomePage, but in that case, investors received some PR.
But it is about success

...
I think this is a psychological trick based on human curiosity and interest in everything unusual. It seems like "let's invest, just for fun. Let's see what will happen next." If the amount of each investment is insignificant, they have nothing to lose. And the authors count on this.