How Female Founders Can Combat Bias
Inc.|November 2018

Research shows that investors put female founders on the defensive more than they do their male counterparts. Now theres a strategy to turn the conversation around.

Kimberly Weisul
How Female Founders Can Combat Bias

There are investor pitches that go well. There are the flat-out disasters. And then there are the ones “where two guys spend the whole time picking apart your business,” says Lynn Loacker, who runs a series of boot camps for women entrepreneurs under the banner of Project W, and is a partner at the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine.

The outcome of that last scenario— which doesn’t generally result in a check—is at least somewhat determined by an entrepreneur’s gender, according to research from Columbia Business School’s Dana Kanze that was recently published in Academy of Management Journal. By analyzing video of 189 pitch sessions at TechCrunch Disrupt, Kanze, along with co-authors Laura Huang, Mark A. Conley, and E. Tory Higgins, found that investors ask men different types of questions than they ask women. When men respond directly to the questions they’re asked, they get to expound on their grand ambitions. When women respond directly to the questions they’re asked, they seem cautious and conservative.

The result: Investors walk away telling themselves that women want to play it safe and men want to take over the world.

Kanze’s advice to women entrepreneurs? Be less direct. (Seriously.)

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2018-Ausgabe von Inc..

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2018-Ausgabe von Inc..

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS INC.Alle anzeigen
Karen Dillon
Inc.

Karen Dillon

I moved my wedding to attend a company offsite. It was a terrible decision, but a vital lesson on balance.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Winter 2024/2025
The Ultimate Home-Based Business
Inc.

The Ultimate Home-Based Business

Thirty years since her breakout on Friends, Courteney Cox is taking on a new role-entrepreneur.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
Winter 2024/2025
An Uphill Battle
Inc.

An Uphill Battle

Zwift has been through layoffs and a leadership change in 2024, but co-founder and CEO Eric Min says he's learned that building a startup, like cycling, is an endurance test.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Winter 2024/2025
The GLOW UP
Inc.

The GLOW UP

How Glossier broke free from DTC, survived the skeptics, and finally achieved profitability.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
Winter 2024/2025
The Snack That Gives Back
Inc.

The Snack That Gives Back

With a new partnership, SkinnyDipped is supporting women founders worldwide.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
Winter 2024/2025
A New Path to SuCCESS
Inc.

A New Path to SuCCESS

AllTrails may have achieved the impossible-an app that truly helps you get away from it all.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
Winter 2024/2025
The Back-lash Survivors
Inc.

The Back-lash Survivors

Don't challenge Elizabeth Gore and Carolyn Rodz to a game of highs and lows. The Hello Alice co-founders will win-by a long shot.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
Winter 2024/2025
The Spa Surge
Inc.

The Spa Surge

Prime IV Hydration & Wellness has successfully weathered stormy waters.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
Winter 2024/2025
Riding the Waves
Inc.

Riding the Waves

With Beehiiv, Tyler Denk built a buzzy newsletter platform and a brash online persona. Both are lucrative.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
Winter 2024/2025
Home Economics
Inc.

Home Economics

How Chairish brought the circular economy to furniture.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
Winter 2024/2025