About Gender Gaps in Entrepreneurial Finance

Gender disparity is not only pronounced in the likelihood of entrepreneurship and success but also in venture funding Given that access to capital is one of the detrimental factors in a venture’s survival and success, the gender gap in funding potentially contributes to the loss of innovative new ideas and economic growth. The purpose of this dissertation is to help to settle the established debate about the potential relevant mechanisms behind the gender gap in access to financial resources. Using multiple experimental approaches, the three studies that constitute this dissertation intend to advance our understanding of the role that investors’ beliefs about female entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs' capital-seeking behavior, and investor-entrepreneur gender dynamics play in driving the observed gap.