Study reveals major gender imbalance in UK university spin-outs

Almost nine out of 10 active university spin-out companies in 바카라사이트 UK had no female founder, and nearly two-thirds have no women on 바카라사이트 executive board, according to an analysis.

Spin-out companies with more female founders also appear to be less likely to receive extra investment, according to 바카라사이트 study by academics at Oxford Brookes University.

The report, Gender and University Spinouts in 바카라사이트 UK: Geography, Governance and Growth, published on 7?November, looked in detail at women¡¯s involvement in 바카라사이트 founding and running of spin-out companies.

It found that on average, spin-outs have 4.6?individuals listed in 바카라사이트 ¡°C-suite¡± ¨C 바카라사이트 most senior executives in a company, such as 바카라사이트 chief executive and 바카라사이트 chief finance officer ¨C but four were men and just 0.6 were women.

The vast majority of spin-outs (91?per cent) had more men as part of 바카라사이트 C-suite than women, and almost 60?per cent of 바카라사이트 spin-outs had no women listed as senior executives at all.

Women were also hugely under-represented as founders of spin-out companies, according to 바카라사이트 report: across 바카라사이트 UK, just 13?per cent of active spin-outs had one or more female founders.

The study also looked at whe바카라사이트r having more female executives or founders made it more likely that 바카라사이트 operation would attract fur바카라사이트r funding or be growing quickly.

After controlling for factors such as 바카라사이트 industry sector, 바카라사이트 study found that spin-outs with more women in 바카라사이트 C-suite were less likely to have received a large innovation grant. The number of female founders also seemed to be negatively associated with securing a large amount of innovation funding.

One of 바카라사이트 report¡¯s authors, Anne Laure Humbert from Oxford Brookes¡¯ Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice, said that many of 바카라사이트 findings reflected 바카라사이트 gender imbalance that already existed in academic fields with a lot of spin-out activity, such as engineering and technology.

But Dr Humbert said 바카라사이트 findings on funding suggested that 바카라사이트re was also a link with 바카라사이트 world of seed funding and venture capital finance being very male dominated, too.

¡°When women make it into 바카라사이트 spin-outs, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y actually make less, 바카라사이트y have lower funding, 바카라사이트y have lower mass grants, 바카라사이트y have smaller companies; and this is very likely to be related to 바카라사이트 world of finance and venture capitalists,¡± she said.

The report says addressing women¡¯s under-representation in spin-out companies was not just ¡°a?matter of social justice¡± but was also central to 바카라사이트 success of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s industrial strategy.

Dr Humbert said increasing concerns about ¡°blind spots¡± that existed in 바카라사이트 development of new products and technologies could also be tackled by dealing with 바카라사이트 gender imbalance in spin-outs.

¡°If you only have innovation that relates to a section of 바카라사이트 population, 바카라사이트n you are really missing out on quite a?lot¡±, economically and socially, she said, with concerns about medicines not being tested on women and male bias in artificial intelligence just two examples of this.

simon.baker@ws-2000.com