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Entrepreneurship ecosystems and women entrepreneurs: a social capital and network approach

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Abstract

This study investigates the effects of venture typology, race, ethnicity, and past venture experience on the social capital distribution of women entrepreneurs in entrepreneurial ecosystems. Social network data from two municipal ecosystems in Florida, USA (Gainesville and Jacksonville), suggest that network connectivity and the distribution of social capital are significantly different for men and women entrepreneurs. This difference is contingent on the venture type. Male entrepreneurs show higher comparative scores of bridging social capital in aggressive- and managed-growth venture networks, while women entrepreneurs surpass their male counterparts’ bridging capital scores in lifestyle and survival venture networks. Lastly, experienced women entrepreneurs that self-identified as white showed a higher degree of network connectivity and bridging social capital in the entrepreneurial ecosystem than less experienced non-white female entrepreneurs. Implications for entrepreneurship practice and new research paths are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Jamie Kraft and Dr. Michael Morris at the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center at the University of Florida for helpful feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript and access to stakeholders in the municipal entrepreneurship ecosystems that we selected for our study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA

    Xaver Neumeyer

  2. Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, USA

    Susana C. Santos

  3. Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL), Lisbon, Portugal

    Susana C. Santos & António Caetano

  4. Applied Psychology Research Center Capabilities & Inclusion (APPsy), Lisbon, Portugal

    António Caetano

  5. University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, USA

    Pamela Kalbfleisch

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  1. Xaver Neumeyer
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Correspondence to Xaver Neumeyer.

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Neumeyer, X., Santos, S.C., Caetano, A. et al. Entrepreneurship ecosystems and women entrepreneurs: a social capital and network approach. Small Bus Econ 53, 475–489 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-018-9996-5

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