What's Gender Got to Do with It? Entrepreneurial Learning & Gender in a Venture Accelerator Context

Abstract

Previous research has shown that entrepreneurial learning is critical to business growth and longevity (Smilor, 1997; Harrison and Leitch, 2005). Despite these findings, the role of gender in entrepreneurial learning processes lacks investigation. This paper applies a social feminist perspective and uses qualitative research methodology to examine the early-stage female founder learning experience within a venture accelerator context. Bandura’s (1977) self-efficacy framework is used to analyze study data in the areas of: vicarious learning, mastery learning, social persuasion, and the reduction of stress. Initial findings show that although women benefit from participation in an entrepreneurial cohort common to the accelerator model, there are ways that their learning experience is negatively impacted by a male-dominated learning environment, normative startup culture and bias within the mentoring process.