A large-scale study in Europe of funding decisions finds that VCs evaluate male and female entrepreneurs by different standards. Savvy entrepreneurs can anticipate potentially biased responses to their pitches and plan accordingly. Certain tactics keep audiences engaged and confident of the idea’s potential, positioning the petitioner to succeed.

Biases related to gender and other demographic factors creep into decisions about which projects to fund with venture capital. Data-driven approaches can help tease out those biases and limit their impact. Algorithmic methods identify potential instances of discrimination and increase transparency, making it easier to find and fix problems. Aversion to algorithms can be tempered by letting decision makers retain some subjective control over the data-driven process.

The must-reads MIT SMR editors are reading this week, including: How working couples are hacking inequality at home, the future of work won’t be utopian, and why you should kill your favorite meeting.

The hidden obstacle to women who want to found B2B startups is often rooted in the way they are mentored and advised in the business world. Where men are more often coached in strategy and business tactics, women are more likely to be taught how to avoid internal politics and “fit in” culturally. This difference in mentoring leaves women at a disadvantage with respect to entrepreneurship.

A new book examines the challenges — and potential benefits — of government programs designed to foster entrepreneurship.

When venture capitalists are more tolerant of failure, the successful companies in their portfolio tend to be more innovative.

A new study explores the relationship between venture capitalists’ location and their investments — and finds some quite intriguing results.

Before investing in China, venture capitalists and private equity investors need to take the time to understand the differences between Eastern and Western business practices.

Entrepreneurs can learn to maintain discipline while pursuing an opportunity and manage — rather than ignore or avoid — the uncertainty that comes with the territory.