Female high technology entrepreneurs: an exploration of their pre-entrepreneurial careers and motivations for venture creation

The changing business environment and its growing acceptance of women have influenced the motivations of women to consider entrepreneurship as an alternative career path. Women are well-represented as entrepreneurs in some sectors; however, they remain heavily underrepresented in areas such as science, engineering and technology (SET). While studies have been conducted amongst female entrepreneurs in traditionally female sectors, such as retail and personal services, little attention has been paid the motivations and pre-entrepreneurial careers of women who establish ventures in technology-based areas. The pre-entrepreneurial career is important in influencing an entrepreneur’s social, human and financial capital which plays a pivotal role in shaping the start-up venture and growth. Greater understanding of the motivations and pre-entrepreneurial pathways of women in technology might help identify ways of encouraging more women to consider taking that career-path. Research reported here addresses the gap in the literature by exploring the pre-entrepreneurial careers and start-up motivations of 18 female technology entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland, using data collected through an exploratory, interview-based study. Implications for theory, policy and practice are explored.