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Women in entrepreneurship can have a significant impact on economic and social development globally and particularly in developing countries. But the challenges entrepreneurial women face are unique and multiple, pressing the need for research and policies to maximize impact. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the challenges women start-up founders face to secure funding in the technology industry. The tech industry was selected because it is a non-traditional industry for women with high potential for role models to bridge an existing gap in information on women start-up founders to secure capital financing to attain business sustainability. It covers venture capital investors’ role, Latin American cultural reasons, and gender.

This study is based on an inductive, qualitative approach and in-depth interviews with 20 women entrepreneurs and start-up founders from Latin American countries who received support from the Chilean Government sponsored accelerator “Start-Up Chile.”

The analysis uncovered ten aspects that impact entrepreneurial women founders’ access to capital in three categories: capital needs, networks, and individual characteristics.

This study identifies factors that affect women entrepreneurs in raising capital and in facing the following challenges: first, working in a non-traditional field for women as it is the technology industry, and second assuming a leadership role as start-up founders. The results offer recommendation with potential to drive public policies in Latin America, which may be scalable to other developing and also to developed countries where market systems prevail. The findings show that women entrepreneurs, but also men, seeking start-up financing and alternatives are a viable source of employment and economic sustainability to mitigate the effects of increasing levels of unemployment worldwide.

Latin American investors are commonly suspicious of investing in copreneurial ventures (a male and female couple, integrated as a working team) and show even higher levels of uncertainty when the start-ups are led by a female founder. The purpose of this paper is to address issues related to women as leaders in copreneurial tech ventures and analyses whether these ventures are growth-oriented or conform to limited partnerships aimed primarily to meet their living standards.

A qualitative, inductive and constructive approach was required for addressing the research question. Three copreneurial women and two divorced copreneurs were interviewed. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze data and emerging themes.

Copreneurial teams that work in the technology industry have similar and complementary levels of education and skills development. After three years working together, each partner becomes well aware of mutual skills and strengths. This allows them to define their respective roles. Both divide work and family, and have developed a level of mutual trust and commitment that is essential to move forward. Commonly they show workaholic tendencies with a high rational underpinning. All of these factors strengthen collaboration and in many instances this business liaison can remain intact despite a breakdown in the partners’ sentimental relationship. Additional findings show that their growth orientation takes multiple structures.

This study provides information that can help investors make decisions to support copreneurial teams that optimize from the use of diverse talents of female and male partners.

Although representing an increasingly common type of start-up team, copreneurship in technology has not yet capture much attention of scholars as case study in family business research.

Inversionistas latinoamericanos usualmente prefieren no invertir en negocios de coemprendedores (parejas en una relación amorosa y de negocio) y sienten incertidumbre cuando esos equipos están liderados por mujeres. Este artículo aborda los asuntos relacionados a mujeres que lideran equipos coemprendedores en negocios tecnológicos y analiza si ellas buscan el crecimiento de su negocio o se limitan a sustentar el estilo de vida.

Responder a la pregunta de investigación requirió una aproximación cualitativa e inductiva. Tres coemprendedoras y dos coemprendedoras divorciadas fueron entrevistadas. Se analizaron los datos y crearon temas emergentes siguiendo la teoría fundamentada.

Equipos coemprendedores en la industria tecnológica tienen niveles de educación y habilidades similares y, a la vez, complementarios. Luego de tres años trabajando juntos, ya conocen las habilidades y fortalezas de la pareja. Esto los ayuda a definir mejor sus roles. Ambos tienen un estilo segmentador que divide trabajo y familia.

Desarrollaron un alto nivel de confianza y compromiso que es esencial para seguir adelante.

Son normalmente equipos trabajólicos y muy racionales. Todos estos factores fortalecen la colaboración y permite incluso que el negocio persista por sobre la relación amorosa.

Además, estos equipos están orientados al crecimiento, y de diversas maneras.

El estudio incluye información dirigida a facilitar la toma de decisiones de inversionistas respecto a cómo invertir apoyando a los equipos coemprendedores para optimizar la diversidad de talentos de la pareja.

A pesar que es cada vez más común ver coemprendedores como configuración de equipo de start-up, el tema no ha recibido mayor atención de académicos como estudio de casos en la investigación en empresas familiares tecnológicas.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief history of the evolution of the Diana Project and the Diana International Research Conference. The authors examine the impact of the publications, conferences and research contributions and consider key factors in the success of this collaborative research organization. They discuss the ongoing legacy, suggesting ways to extend this into the future.

This paper uses an historical narrative and a citation analysis.

The Diana Project was founded by five women professors in 1999 with the purpose of investigating women’s access to growth capital. Following a series of academic articles, and numerous presentations, the first Diana International Conference was held in Stockholm, Sweden. At this convening, 20 scholars from 13 countries shared their knowledge of women’s entrepreneurship, venture creation and growth, culminating in the first volume of the Diana Book Series. Since then, 14 international conferences have been held, resulting in 10 special issues of top academic journals and 11 books. More than 600 scholars have attended or participated in Diana conferences or publications.

Contributions from the Diana International Conferences’ special issues of journals and books have advanced theory across topics, levels, geographies and methods. Articles emerging from Diana scholars are some of the top contributions about women’s entrepreneurship and gender to the field of entrepreneurship. Future research directions are included.

This analysis demonstrates the success of a unique woman-focused collaborative research initiative and identifies key success factors, suggesting how these might be expanded in the future.

To date, more than 600 scholars have participated in the Diana International Conferences or publications. Diana is the only community dedicated to rigorous and relevant research about gender and women’s entrepreneurship. Going forward, efforts to expand work on education for women’s entrepreneurship, women entrepreneurship faculty and careers, and women entrepreneurs, gender and policy will take place to extend this legacy.

The paper is unique in that it is the first to show the substantial legacy and impact of the Diana project since its inception in 1999. Further, it demonstrates how a feminist approach to entrepreneurial principles can yield insights about this unique research initiative and collaborative organization.