‘Diana Project’, Patricia G. Greene, Candida Brush – Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship, Babson University, Myra M. Hart, Harvard Business School, Nancy M. Carter, Catalyst, Inc., Elizabeth J. Gatewood, Wake Forest University.

The Diana Project is named after the goddess of hunt.  It is multiyear and multi university study of female business owners and business growth activities and investigates the apparent disconnect between opportunities and resources in equity funding for high growth women owned businesses.   The project has determined that women-led ventures in the United States are underrepresented in equity capital distribution and has documented that the many explanations for this are myths.  The next phase puts a spotlight on high-growth women led ventures around the world. 

Diana Project objectives are:
Women Seek Financing (Demand Side)
To raise awareness and expectations of women business owners to grow their firms, educate women business owners about the characteristic of equity-funded businesses and to provide detailed information on how the equity funding process works.

The Venture Capital Industry (Supply Side)
To educate equity capital providers about opportunities for enhanced portfolio diversification and new investment possibilities through investment in women owned businesses.

More Information on the Diana Project:
http://www.esbri.se/dianae.asp

Reports:
- Diana Project International:  Research on Growth of Women –owned Businesses, 2006
- Gatekeepers of Venture Growth:  The Role of Women in the Venture Capital Industry (2004)
- Women Business Owners and Equity Capital:  The Myths Dispelled (2003)

Books:
- Growth Oriented Women Entrepreneurs and Their Businesses:  A Gobal Research Perspective (2006), Edward Elgar Publishers
- Women Entrepreneurs:  Classics and New Directions (2006,) Edward Elgar Publishers
- Clearing the Hurdles:  Women Building High Growth Businesses (2004), Financial Times-Prentice Hall
- Women Entrepreneurs, Their Ventures and the Venture Capital Industry:  An Annotated Bibliography (2002), ESBRI

Full Report:  http://www.womens-forum.com/documents/diversitytrophy/TBWAresearch%20summary.pdf

 
How Does Life at Work, Work?  Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society / TBWA, 2006
 
Exploring the conventions of working life as experienced by employees both men and women and observations and thoughts on issues facing women in the workforce from senior businesswomen leaders.
 
Full Report: http://www.womens-forum.com/documents/diversitytrophy/TBWAresearch%20summary.pdf
 

Women in Business, A Demographic Review of Women Business Ownership, Ying Lowrey, Office of Economic Research, Office of Advocacy, US Small Business Administration, 2006
 
Focuses on characteristic of women owned business and women’s economic well being in the U.S.A.  Includes a demographic review and statistics. 
 
http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs280tot.pdf
 

The Representation of Women on Management Boards and Governing Bodies, Ricol Lasteyrie &Associates, Christian&Timbers, Capitalcom, 2006
 
An international study of the 300 top-listed companies worldwide.
 
In Europe and Asia women represent less than 5% of Executive Committee members of the largest companies.   There are 10% on Boards of Directors on European companies, the figure is less than 5% in Asia.  North America has 15% and 16 % of female presence in these two structures respectively
 
Full Report: http://www.womens-forum.com/documents/diversitytrophy/5voletsUK.pdf
 

Report on Women and Entrepreneurship, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Maria Minniti, Elaine Allen, Nan Langowitz, 2005
 
Second in a series of reports undertaken to provide a comprehensive and up to date study of the role played by women involved in entrepreneurial activity in the world economy.  Two broad categories are identified, start–up and established.  Regardless of the country more men are involved in entrepreneurial activity than women.  The number of male opportunity entrepreneurs and their presence in transforming industries is greater than women.  Early stage women entrepreneurs tend to be 25-34 years and established businesses are 35 to 54. Women entrepreneurs are more confident in their own skills, are more likely to know other entrepreneurs and are more alert to the existence of unexploited opportunities than non-entrepreneurial women. 
 
Full Report: http://www.gemconsortium.org/download/1166231657984/GEM_Womens_Report.pdf
 

High-Expectation Entrepreneurship, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Mazars, 2005
 
It is a global survey of the high-expectation entrepreneurial activity, defined as all start-ups and newly formed businesses which expect to employ at lest 20 employees within five years. High-expectation entrepreneurial activity and the characteristics pf high expectations entrepreneurs relative to low-expectation entrepreneurs are reviewed.  
 
Summary Report:http://www.gemconsortium.org/download/1166234064593/18436%20GEM%20summary.pdf
 
Full Report: http://www.gemconsortium.org/download/1166233161000/18276%20GEM%20full%20report.pdf
 
 

Executive Report, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Maria Minniti, William Bygrave, Erkko Autio, London Business School, U.K., Babson College, U.S.A., 2005
 
Seventh annual global survey of entrepreneurship in 35 countries worldwide including Canada.  The scope of entrepreneurship activities, entrepreneurship capacity and policy implications are included.
 
http://www.gemconsortium.org/download/1166234224578/GEM_2005_Report.pdf