Gender differences of business owners in technology-based firms

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to disclose the commonalities and differences among business owners of technology-based firms in Germany. The paper addresses both single entrepreneurs as well as entrepreneurial teams regarding gender.Design methodology approach - The paper examines firm characteristics and firm success variables in light of gender. Data were sourced from 593 firms in very-high-tech-manufacturing, 886 firms in high-tech manufacturing, and 4.822 firms in technology-based service industries.Findings - Results confirm the supposed gender gap in the technology industry. Whereas firm characteristics such as firm size, number of employees, and revenues are correlated to gender, firm success appears to be independent of these.Research limitations implications - This paper focuses on the analysis of firm characteristics and gender variables. Due to the data sample, it contributes to the understanding of gender, as well as firm success and characteristics of German technology-based firms.Originality value - The quantitative nature of this study contributes to reducing the scarcity of existing studies in the field of women entrepreneurship in technology-based industries in Germany. It offers insights into the gender and entrepreneurial team characteristics of these firms.