Entrepreneurship plays a pivotal role in driving economic growth and innovation, yet female entrepreneurs face persistent challenges rooted in gender stereotypes. Applying the lens of the role congruity theory of prejudice against female leaders, this study examines how the gender composition of founder-CEO teams influences company communication strategies. Using textual analysis of 152’337 company descriptions on Crunchbase from 2004 to 2024, we investigate whether gender diversity affects the use of agency, communion, and uncertainty in these narratives. The findings reveal that companies with higher female representation in founder-CEO teams employ comparable levels of agency-related language, significantly more communion-related language, and no additional uncertainty-related language compared to companies with lower female representation. This research extends the role congruity theory to entrepreneurial contexts, demonstrating how gender-specific communication patterns affect perceptions of entrepreneurial ventures, offering practical insights for entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers to foster equitable and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems. By addressing gendered biases in company communication, the study contributes to advancing understanding of how founders navigate social and professional role expectations in entrepreneurship.
