Date of Conferral
2018
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
School
Business Administration
Advisor
Dr. Erica Gamble
Abstract
Less than 1% of minority women receive venture capital funding for technology enterprises. The purpose of the multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by Black female entrepreneurs to obtain venture capital funding for their technology businesses in the United States. The conceptual framework for the study was the social network theory of entrepreneurship. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 5 Black female entrepreneurs who founded technology ventures in the United States. Journaling before and after each interview aided the methodological triangulation, which ensured validation. Yin's data analysis process was used, and the data were reviewed, codes determined, emerging themes noted, and iterative explanation building undertaken. The main themes emerging from the analysis of the data were the participation in pitch competitions, the importance of networks, and communication. The findings may contribute to social change because other minority female, technology entrepreneurs can use the strategies of the participants as a model in their quest to receive venture capital funding. An increase in the number of minority women who receive venture capital funding and engage in high-growth entrepreneurship may result in an improved standard of living for the women and their families. Society could also benefit from a more diverse pool of technological innovations.
Recommended Citation
Browne, Tamu Petra, "Strategies of Minority Female Technology Entrepreneurs to Obtain Venture Capital Funding" (2018). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 6177.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6177
