Equalizing networking opportunities
How women can leverage incubators in entrepreneurship
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21284972 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Francesca Nannetti (0000-0001-9708-288X, NEOMA Business School, corresponding author), Elisa Operti (0000-0002-4788-5534, École Supérieure des Sciences Économiques et Commerciales) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 167 |
| Pages | 104233 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Vocational Behavior (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0001-8791 • E-ISSN: 1095-9084 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jvb.2026.104233 |
| OpenAlex | W7152505493 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 82 |
Entrepreneurship remains a male-dominated field, with women facing persistent disparities in areas such as representation and innovation. This paper examines whether and how incubators contribute to reducing the gender gap in entrepreneurial innovation. Using a mixed-methods approach—combining large-scale quantitative data with qualitative interviews—we find that women-led ventures benefit more from incubator participation, which helps them close the innovation gap. Women tend to engage with incubators more strategically across three dimensions: strengthening individual resources (e.g., confidence and expertise), building relationships with key stakeholders, and accessing role models and mentors who help them navigate gendered expectations. In contrast, men are more likely to use incubators in a targeted, transactional way, primarily to acquire technical or business knowledge. These findings suggest that incubators can serve as equalizing spaces that offer women critical support to overcome barriers and enhance innovation outcomes
Career development · Entrepreneurship · Leverage (statistics) · Work (physics) · Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences · Mentoring and Academic Development · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy
Education and Entrepreneurship Selection and Performance
Entrepreneur‐mentality, gender and the study of women entrepreneurs
From Creativity to Innovation
Gender Differences in Patenting in the Academic Life Sciences
The Entrepreneurial Propensity of Women
The Role of Gender Stereotypes in Perceptions of Entrepreneurs and Intentions to Become an Entrepreneur
Gender gap in entrepreneurship
Why Research on Women Entrepreneurs Needs New Directions
Incubation or Induction? Gendered Identity Work in the Context of Technology Business Incubation
Gender Differences in Creativity
Embedded entrepreneurship in the creative re- construction of place
Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders.
Social Capital, Intellectual Capital, and the Organizational Advantage
The college-to-career transition in STEM
The development of explicit occupational gender stereotypes in children
Schooling, Capital Constraints, and Entrepreneurial Performance
Network-building behavioral tendencies, range, and promotion speed
Running in the family
Equal pay behind the “Glass Door”? The gender gap in upper management in a male‐dominated industry
Evolutionary Psychology and Feminism
Some Effects of Proportions on Group Life
Analysing Women's Substantive Representation
Self-promotion as a risk factor for women
Gender stereotypes stem from the distribution of women and men into social roles
Dis)respecting versus (Dis)liking
Respondent-Driven Sampling
Getting a Job
The Focused Organization of Social Ties
| Highly cited | No |
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