Abstract
Women entrepreneurs consistently raise far less investor funding than men. In this study, we consider how women’s use of gender-similar language may influence investor decisions on venture pitches. Contrary to theories of communicative style and gender, we find women do not apply linguistic styles traditionally attributed to women in crafting their pitches. Instead, women entrepreneurs use language similar to their male counterparts when pitching to investors. Consistent with gender role congruity theory, we found that a masculine linguistic style is generally more effective in pitching situations, with limitations. Overly masculine language had a negative impact for both male and female entrepreneurs. Our findings suggest women entrepreneurs have a clear understanding of the power of the spoken language and the impact of the words they use when pitching investors for funding.
•Contrary to communicative style theory, women do not use linguistic styles traditionally attributed to women when pitching.•Findings suggest women entrepreneurs seem to recognize that “words matter” and avoid the use of gendered language.•Both masculine and feminine linguistic styles in pitches had negative influences on investor interest in the venture.•One masculine linguistic style, inspirational language, did increase investor interest.
