Title
Copreneurial women in start-ups: Growth-oriented or lifestyle? An aid for technology industry investors
Other title
[Mujeres coemprendedoras en start-ups : ¿Crecimiento del negocio o estilo de vida? Apoyo a inversionistas en la industria tecnológica]
Date Issued
01 January 2016
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago
Publisher(s)
Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.
Abstract
PurposeLatin 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. Design/methodology/approachA 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. FindingsCopreneurial 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. Practical implicationsThis 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. Originality/valueAlthough 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.
Start page
181
End page
197
Volume
29
Issue
2
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Negocios, Administración Economía
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84977139280
Source
Academia Revista Latinoamericana de Administracion
ISSN of the container
10128255
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus