Beyond the prototype: Unpacking the intersectional identity and image work of female minority founders in a startup context.
研究女性少数族裔创始人在初创企业中的多重身份（性别、族裔、移民身份、社会阶层）如何影响其创业经历，发现结构性障碍和形象差异，并揭示她们如何通过身份与形象工作应对挑战。
It is well documented that female minority founders (FMFs) face disadvantages in starting and scaling their ventures. However, the causes of these disadvantages-as well as how FMFs navigate these challenges-are less understood. Our article adopts an intersectionality lens, which allows us to focus on and examine the multiple intersecting dimensions of FMFs (such as gender, ethnicity, migrant status, and social class) and how they influence their entrepreneurial experiences. Drawing upon an inductive study of FMFs operating in Berlin, we build a theory on intersectional identity and image work in startup contexts. We found key structural barriers that serve to sustain inequality and continue to favor more prototypical founders. However, we also identified sources of penalties and privileges that exacerbate (or mitigate) inequality and result in founder image discrepancy. Our analysis demonstrates how founder image discrepancy can prompt FMFs to engage in a progression of intersectional identity and image work that shapes their founder identity. These findings advance entrepreneurship and identity research by extending our understanding of how intersectional identity challenges and opportunities manifest and can be managed within startup contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).