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Despite the important role of entrepreneurial implementation intentions for closing the intention-behavior gap, empirical evidence on their drivers and mechanisms is scant and inconclusive. In the case of college students’ technology-driven entrepreneurship, the objective of the present study is to examine whether implementation intentions are contingent on the university environment in which the progression from entrepreneurial intentions to subsequent actions unfolds. The sample for this study is composed of 299 Bulgarian STEM students, who reported technology-based entrepreneurial intentions. A binary logistic regression is applied to examine four specific mechanisms that facilitate or impede the students’ actual implementation intentions. Findings suggest that students enrolled in universities that provide greater concept development support are more likely to have formed specific implementation intentions, while students in more research-intensive universities are less likely to do so. Practitioner implications and recommendations for future research are provided.

This study aims to examine how entrepreneurship education influences intentions for starting a technology venture among science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students with particular attention to gender differences. This study builds on the model of entrepreneurial event and social role theory to assess the impact of entrepreneurship education on feasibility, desirability and intentions for technology entrepreneurship.

The hypotheses are tested with a sample of 879 Bulgarian science and engineering students from 15 universities. To test the models, this study uses ordinary least squares and logistic regressions with robust standard errors and Hayes mediation analysis with bootstrap bias-corrected confidence interval estimations for indirect effects. Two-stage Heckman regressions to control for sample selection bias and other robustness checks including propensity score matching were used.

Results show that entrepreneurship education, measured as participation in an entrepreneurship course, has a stronger impact on feasibility, desirability and intentions for technology entrepreneurship for female STEM students compared to their male counterparts. As such, this study supports the notion that entrepreneurship education could be part of a solution to counteract societal norms that position technology entrepreneurship as a less desirable and/or less feasible choice for women in STEM. However, attention should be paid to the operationalization of entrepreneurship education, as other measures of entrepreneurship education (role models, entrepreneurship education support) did not have a moderation effect with gender.

The authors assume a positive correlation between entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurial behavior. Future studies should include actual entrepreneurial behavior to paint a more complete picture of the effect of entrepreneurship education.

Little is known about the role of entrepreneurship education in the field of technology entrepreneurship, and even less about the potential gender differences in entrepreneurship education among STEM students. The study contributes to the literature by examining factors that could help close the persistent gender gap in technology entrepreneurship.

The research objective of the study is to investigate the gender effects on risk propensity, risk perception, and risk behaviour of entrepreneurs distinguishing between direct and indirect gender effects. The study seeks to address the gap in the knowledge of the link between risk taking, risk propensity, and risk perception in the context of women and risk (Brindley).

Based on Sitkin and Pablo's model of risk behaviour and the literature on cognitive factors as determinants of risk perception, the paper provides hypotheses about the link between gender, risk perception, risk propensity, and risk behaviour. The proposed hypotheses are tested on a sample of 382 Bulgarian entrepreneurs.

Although female and male entrepreneurs have similar risk perceptions, female entrepreneurs are likely to have a lower risk propensity than male entrepreneurs. Risk propensity mediates completely the effect of gender on risk behaviour. The effect of gender on risk propensity is mediated partially by risk preference, outcome history, and age. Gender has an indirect effect on risk perception via overconfidence and risk propensity.

The paper's ability to draw causal inferences is limited by the cross‐sectional nature of the study. The results may not be applicable to other countries and occupations.

The findings help to clarify the reasons for gender differences in risk behaviour and risk propensity of entrepreneurs and to design behavioural interventions.

This paper is an attempt to create a better understanding of the factors that account for gender differences in risk taking.