PhD Researcher · BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg
Lara Hitgen
Democratizing fundraising, one network at a time.
I study how gender shapes access to angel and venture capital through networking. My research shows why the same strategy yields different outcomes for women and men, and what that means for how we build the next generation of founders.
FGF Best Entrepreneurship Research Newcomer Award 2025 for research on networking and gendered access to funding
About
I am a PhD student at the Chair of General Business Administration (especially Investment and Financing) at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, working under Prof. Dr. Katharina Scheidgen.
My work looks at how serendipitous, calculated, and trusted networking strategies shape access to angel and venture capital. A central question running through my research is why the same strategy produces unequal outcomes for women and men.
I use qualitative comparative case study methods across 52 cases, and I conduct international fieldwork, including a longitudinal project in Portugal.
Research Focus
Gender and entrepreneurial networking · Angel and VC access · Qualitative comparative case study · Fundraising inequality · AI in fundraising
Methods
Qualitative comparative case study (52 cases) · International fieldwork · In-depth interviews with founders and investors
Interview Partners
Top-tier founders and VCs across Europe, including alumni of EWOR, Y Combinator, and unicorn-stage companies
Research
Working papers, awards, and ongoing studies
The role of gender in entrepreneurs' investor networking strategies
Co-Authors: Scheidgen, K. and Vongswasdi, P.
How do serendipitous, calculated, and trusted networking strategies shape access to angel and VC funding, and why do women face structural disadvantages even when using the same strategies as men? This paper, presented at multiple international conferences, is currently under journal review.
Reinforcing (dis)advantage in entrepreneurs' networking strategies: Gender differences in efficiently networking with investors
Co-Authors: Scheidgen, K. and Vongswasdi, P.
28. Interdisziplinare Jahreskonferenz zu Entrepreneurship, Innovation und Mittelstand (G-Forum), Stuttgart, 17. to 19. September 2025
Whom You Know Beats Who You Are: Gendered (Dis-)Advantages in Entrepreneurs' Networking
Co-Authors: Scheidgen, K. and Kraft, P.
The 85th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (AOM 2025), Copenhagen, Denmark, 25. to 29. July 2025
AOM ProceedingsAI in Fundraising
Third study in the dissertation series. Looks at how founders use AI tools to navigate investor networks and what that means for who gets funded.
Academic Journey
Education and institutional affiliations
Bachelor · 2018 to 2022
B.Sc. International Business Administration and Entrepreneurship
Leuphana University Luneburg
Master · 2022 to 2024
M.Sc. Entrepreneurship
WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management
Grade: 1.2
Exchange · Jul to Nov 2023
Exchange Semester, Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The University of Queensland
Grade: 6.5/7
PhD · Sep 2025 to present
Doctoral Candidate, Entrepreneurial Finance
BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg
Chair of Investment and Financing · Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Katharina Scheidgen
Visiting PhD · Feb 2026 to present
Visiting PhD Researcher
NOVA School of Business and Economics
Lisbon · On-site fieldwork
Fieldwork and Interview Partners
80+ in-depth interviews with founders and investors across Europe
5+
Unicorn Founders
30+
General Partners
40+
Analysts
Portugal, 60+ interviews
Concentrated in Lisbon · Longitudinal fieldwork at NOVA
Germany, 20+ interviews
Concentrated in Berlin and Munich
Including interview partners from
Get in Touch
Interested in the research, open to collaboration, or want to talk about entrepreneurial ecosystems? Feel free to reach out.