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This paper investigates the intersectionality of entrepreneurial masculinity within the context of venture accelerators. As such, it aims to shed light on how intersecting factors influence the construction and expression of masculinity among male entrepreneurs in venture accelerators.

This research is based on an in-depth analysis of four distinct accelerator cohort groups, employing a semi-structured interview approach. Interviewees were conducted with four accelerator managers and 52 male accelerator participants across four distinct accelerator cohort groups. Such a methodological choice is deemed instrumental in unravelling the nuanced dynamics within accelerator environments and their implications on hegemonic masculinity.

This study elucidates the nuanced ways in which men navigate the venture accelerator landscape. The findings revealed that the accelerator environment facilitated the reinforcement of traditional masculine behaviours. Whilst diversity was ostensibly valued, its acceptance decreased if it posed a challenge to male dominance or stereotypical masculine traits. Indeed, there was marginalisation of nontraditional expressions of masculinity, leading to a sense of “othering”.

By integrating intersectionality theory into the examination of masculine dynamics within venture accelerator contexts, this study expands current understanding of venture accelerator environments and their effects on both traditional and nontraditional forms of hegemonic masculinity. In particular, we highlight the impact of non-intersectional institutional norms on male entrepreneurs who deviate from traditional stereotypes. As such, we advance the understanding of venture accelerators by examining how they perpetuate and reinforce traditional masculine norms, even in environments that strive for diversity.

This study aims to investigate the contribution of higher education institutions (HEIs) to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and propose strategies to cultivate a culture centred on the SDGs in HEIs.

The methodology used encompassed an integrative literature review, combining bibliographic analysis on how HEIs incorporate the SDGs into their practices, adopting a qualitative approach for the analysis and categorization of the results.

The multifaceted contributions of HEIs in promoting the SDGs stand out, through their roles in teaching, research, management and integration and communication between university and society.

While influencing policies at various levels, HEIs encounter challenges in the effective integration of SDGs into their strategies. This underscores the need for contextualized governance, understanding students’ perspectives on sustainability and active external collaboration in policy formulation.

There is an urgent need to integrate SDGs into academic programmes, emphasizing the importance of redesigning curricula, actively involving teachers, researchers and students, establishing partnerships and promoting research applied to SDGs.

The social relevance of the study lies in the emphasis on an SDG-centred culture, involving teaching, research, outreach, community engagement and governance practices.

The study’s uniqueness lies in identifying persistent challenges during the transition to an SDG-centred culture, necessitating multisectoral collaboration and educational programmes that integrate sustainability principles into the strategy of HEIs.

Designing effective business analytics (BA) platforms that visualise data, provide deep insights and support data-driven decision-making is a challenging task. Understanding the elements shaping BA platform design is crucial for success. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of visualisation on usability (UI) and user experience (UX) while emphasising the importance of insights understanding in BA platform design.

This paper presents a case study following a startup’s journey as it undergoes two redesign phases for its BA platform. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods is used to assess UX/UI and insights understanding of the platform. Indicatively this included semi-structured interviews, observations, think-aloud techniques and surveys to monitor runtime per task, number of errors, users’ emotions and users’ understanding.

Our findings suggest that modifications in aesthetics and information visualisation positively influence overall usability, UX, and understanding of platform insights – a critical aspect for the success of the startup.

Our goal is not to make a methodological contribution, but to illustrate how companies, constrained by time and pressure, navigate platform changes without meticulous design and provide learnings on important elements while designing BA platforms.

This paper concludes with suggested methods for assessing BA platforms and recommends practical practices to follow. These practices include recommendations on important elements for BA platform users, such as navigation and interactivity, user control and personalisation, visual consistency and effective visualisation.

This study contributes to practice as it presents a real-life case and offers valuable insights for practitioners.