The internationalisation of new technology-based firms from emerging markets

Abstract

This paper offers an analysis of the factors influencing the accelerated internationalisation of new technology-based firms (NTBFs) from emerging economies. This type of firm is typically called 'born global', and they have been reported primarily in high-tech sectors. Existing international business (IB) theories have focused consistently on NTBFs from developed countries, however NTBFs from emerging markets remain under-studied. A survey was applied to small Brazilian NTBFs. The results indicate that NTBFs that have an entrepreneur, or a group of executives with international management skills, are more likely to have an accelerated internationalisation. In contrast to previous research in the field, the results demonstrate that NTBFs that take more than five years to enter the international market capitalise on their competence for innovation and abilities in international marketing, in the internationalisation process. Therefore, this research contributes new perspectives on studies on NTBFs from emerging markets.