The effects of business experience and gender on academic entrepreneurial intention

Abstract

Academic entrepreneurship is crucial in the development of human society. Considering the current landscape of academia and business, academic entrepreneurial attempts can be risky, especially for female scientists. Prior knowledge from business experience can be a valuable input in the information process of entrepreneurial intention. Using the information-processing-based Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF), we conducted Bayesian analysis on a dataset of 1027 scientists in Chile. The results show that male scientists likely have higher entrepreneurial intentions than female scientists. In general, experiences of company creation enhances the likelihood of academic entrepreneurial intention, whereas experiences of company failure have no clear effect. However, when considering the interaction with the gender factor, it was found that males have a stronger positive effect from experiences of company creation, and experiences of company failure have a positive effect on entrepreneurial intention in males. The gender differences may be due to inequalities in academia and entrepreneurship, as well as a higher tendency of risk aversion in females. In the modern world where technology is rapidly advancing, more opportunities for academic entrepreneurs are opening up, and at the same time, female scientists can be better empowered, especially in low- and middle-income countries.