%0 Journal Article
%J Small Business Economics
%D 2017
%T How does agency workforce diversity influence Federal R&D funding of minority and women technology entrepreneurs? An analysis of the SBIR and STTR programs, 2001–2011
%A Joshi,Amol
%A Inouye,Todd M
%A Robinson,Jeffrey A
%K Strategy & Entrepreneurship
%X U.S. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs provide Federal research and development (R&D) grants to technology ventures. We explore how grantor demographic diversity explains why demographically diverse grantees experience different odds for successfully transitioning from initial to follow-on R&D grants. We empirically analyze 52,126 Phase I SBIR/STTR awards granted by 11 Federal agencies (2001-2011). We find a positive association between agency workforce diversity and Phase II funding for Phase I grantees, but minority and women technology entrepreneurs are less likely to receive this funding than their non-minority and male counterparts. Agencies valuing workforce ethnic diversity or leveraging gender homophily positively influence the likelihood of women technology entrepreneurs obtaining Phase II funding. We discuss evidence-based implications for policy and practice.
%B Small Business Economics
%V 50
%P 499-519 (Winner of the Best Paper Prize for the Special Issue on Minority Entrepreneurship)
%8 2017
%G eng
%2 a
%4 142903508992
%$ 142903508992