When launching their ventures, the majority of entrepreneurs are married. Yet, our understanding of the spousal influence on the entrepreneurial process remains limited. This is surprising considering the spouse represents one of the most influential figures in an individual's life. Through an inductive qualitative analysis of 18 spouse-entrepreneur pairs, we explore the interactive nature of venture-related roles between the spousal couple and how these spousal roles evolve over the course of the venture. Our study shows that the dynamic alignment between entrepreneurial roles and spousal roles allows the venture to progress through various stages of firm innovation, creation, and growth. Thus, our paper extends the broader literature on roles during the venturing process as we illuminate the “not-so-silent role” of spouses in entrepreneurship.

在创业时，大多数企业家都已婚。然而，我们对配偶对创业过程的影响的理解仍然有限。考虑到配偶代表个人生活中最有影响力的人物之一，这是令人惊讶的。通过对 18 对配偶-企业家的归纳定性分析，我们探讨了配偶之间风险相关角色的互动性质，以及这些配偶角色如何在风险投资过程中演变。我们的研究表明，企业家角色和配偶角色之间的动态对齐允许企业在公司创新、创造和成长的各个阶段取得进展。因此，