All in Good Time? Founders' Age, Gender, and Patenting in New Technology Ventures

Seemantini Madhukar Pathak, Brandon Ofem, Ikenna Stanley-Paschal Uzuegbunam

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Prior research has documented demographic differences in patenting within scientific and academic sectors, but limited scholarship has explored how founders’ age and gender composition affect patenting in the context of technology entrepreneurship, a setting where the formation and protection of intellectual property is of critical strategic importance. In this study, we investigate the age-related and gender mechanisms that underpin differences in patenting for technology entrepreneurs. We theorize that there is a curvilinear association between founders’ age and patenting, with distinct generational effects based on gender composition of the founding team. Leveraging a global sample of 2851 new technology ventures across several industries, our analysis supports our hypotheses and provides empirical evidence of the powerful role of gender heterogeneity in understanding the complex relationship between new venture team characteristics and innovation.
Original languageAmerican English
JournalAcademy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings
Volume2018
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2018

Disciplines

  • Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Education

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