Abstract
We propose a randomized experiment examining how an entrepreneur’s expressed humility affects venture capitalists’ willingness to support the venture. While high humility is often associated with effective leadership and constructive behavior, it may also inhibit entrepreneurial action and generative behavior. Our findings show that early-stage investors perceive that humble entrepreneurs have higher constructive qualities and are more compatible with investors than non-humble entrepreneurs. Expressed humility has an overall positive effect on investors’ evaluations of the venture’s likelihood of success and their willingness to support the venture. This study extends knowledge on which aspects of entrepreneurial personality favor resource acquisition in early-stage ventures and contributes to the growing literature on the role of leaders’ humility in the formation of firm performance.