Research

Publication and Paper Under Review

  1. Chatman, J., Chen, Y, Choi V., & Gelfand M. Organizational Culture and Firm Performance under Volatility: Evidence from Glassdoor. (Forthcoming at Academy of Management Discoveries)

  2. Ingram, P., and Chen, Y. Paradox of Concealment: Incidence and Consequences of Concealing Lower-Class Identities. (Second-round R&R at American Journal of Sociology)

  3. Chen, Y., Hwang K, Ponce de Leon, R. Entrepreneurial Storytelling and Audience Evaluation among Stigmatized Entrepreneurs. (Under Review at Strategic Management Journal)

  4. Doering, L., Sterling A., and Chen, Y., Gender, Feedback, and Persistence (Under Review at American Sociological Review)

Job Market Paper

Misfit or Maverick? Stigma Disclosure and Audience Evaluation of Neurodivergent Entrepreneurs

  • Finalist, Organization Science/INFORMS Dissertation Proposal Competition (2026)

When can revealing a stigmatized identity give a founder an evaluative advantage, rather than triggering a penalty? Scholars have long documented the penalties associated with stigmatized identities, yet less is known about when and how such identities might confer advantages in contexts that reward differentiation. I answer this question in the case of neurodivergent entrepreneurs, including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, and dyslexia, who are seeking early-stage investment. Drawing on a survey of 150 neurodivergent founders and three pre-registered written and video-vignette experiments with 1681 prospective investors, I find that although most neurodivergent entrepreneurs view disclosure as risky, revealing neurodivergence can unexpectedly improve investor evaluations and willingness to fund. Across experiments, founders who reveal neurodivergence receive higher investment allocations than non-neurodivergent founders. This premium is mediated by perceptions of founder distinctiveness, rather than competence or tenacity. At the same time, the disclosure premium is strongest among investors who are more willing to embrace uncertainty. These findings advance research on entrepreneurial resource acquisition and social evaluation by identifying when and how a stigmatized identity can become a source of distinction in entrepreneurial evaluation.