{"id":41528,"date":"2023-10-20T15:14:37","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/do-tech-accelerators-have-a-sexism-problem-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:14:37","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:14:37","slug":"do-tech-accelerators-have-a-sexism-problem-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/do-tech-accelerators-have-a-sexism-problem-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Do tech accelerators have a sexism problem? – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
Airbnb, Dropbox and Reddit are all companies that emerged out of tech accelerators. These incubators of talent have been a crucial component in turning tech start-ups into businesses that can stand on their own two feet. As well as giving needy new companies financial support and office space, they play an important role in helping them develop through mentoring.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So it\u2019s good news that the number of accelerator programmes is set to increase in the UK, to support what is one of the world\u2019s most dynamic start-up clusters and the most prominent start-up ecosystem in Europe. But, as this takes place, there\u2019s a huge need to address the industry\u2019s gender imbalance. My research into tech accelerator programmes has found many (often unwittingly) cater for men over women.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
You only need to take a quick look at any accelerator participant list to see that women lack status, visibility and voice within these programmes. The US accelerator Y Combinator, for example, has invested in more than 700 start-ups (including Dropbox, Airbnb and Reddit). Just 13% of these have been led by women.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The situation in Europe is even bleaker. Some figures show that women hold a mere 5 to 10% share of accelerator programmes. This therefore begs the question as to whether accelerators offer equal access to women entrepreneurs, despite accelerators claiming to be \u201copen to all\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The well-rehearsed counter-argument to this imbalance is that this is merely a reflection of engineering and technology entrepreneurship \u2013 women just don\u2019t feature prominently in the industry and the numbers in accelerator programmes reflects this. The evidence, however, indicates that within Europe women own around 15% of all science engineering and technology ventures. So, where are all the women when it comes to accelerators? Their minority status in the sector does not satisfactorily explain their absence from this important support mechanism.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fighting stereotypes<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
Research I\u2019ve carried out with my colleague Susan Marlow indicates that the absence of women is due to their perception that they are not the stereotypical accelerator candidate. This is intriguing given that it is assumed that these programmmes are free from prejudice, with the focus on the commercial potential of the venture and not the owner\u2019s personal characteristics.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n