In the present study, we conduct a discourse analysis on a set of longitudinal observations of government venture capitalists' decisions to identify how gender stereotypes are socially constructed and activated when assessing entrepreneurs' potential in the financial distribution of venture support. The present study finds that female entrepreneurs risk receiving significantly less venture capital, which is caused by the language and rhetoric used that relates to gender differences when funding decisions are made. We consider and discuss the implications of our results for related research about distributing venture capital and the social constructions of female and male entrepreneurs.

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This study shows how the repertory grid methodology can be used to understand entrepreneurs' cognitive construction of business models and evidence of entrepreneurs' differential cognition of high-profit and low-profit business models. We show that entrepreneurs are more cognitively complex and more nuanced in constructing high-profit business models than low-profit business models. Furthermore, although they are perceived as meaningful, low-profit business models are characterized by relatively less clear cognitive constructions. This study suggests that the repertory grid technique may be useful for future research and entrepreneurship practice to understand the entrepreneurial cognition of business models.

Collaborations in innovation work between competitors have become a common practice in the information and communication technology sector (ICT), and substantial investments are made in such collaborations. Significant rationales for these collaborations include the high expectations placed on rapid and front-edge technology development and business exploitation. However, there is often a failure to reach the expected outcomes of such collaborations. This may be explained not only by the challenges and obstacles in technology development but also by the social relations within the collaborations. The purpose of this study is to explore the role of social exchange in the outcomes of early-stage innovation collaborations. More specifically, we explore the social facilitators of exchange and how such facilitators may influence collaboration outcomes. Social exchange theory is used for this purpose. This longitudinal study is based on a 3-year collaboration project for innovation using qualitative methods (29 interviews, observations of 7 project meetings). Three phases of social exchange in the collaboration are empirically identified: the dating phase, brainstorming phase, and decision phase. Three social facilitators of social exchange within these phases are conceptualized: trust, commitment, and congruence. Further, direct contacts are conceptualized as a social accelerator fueling these social facilitators. This study advances understanding of social facilitators in social exchange and their significance with regard to success/ failure outcomes. Risks of lock-in situations in collaborations for innovation are outlined in a knowledge exchange paradox.

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