How entrepreneur's personality and network relationships help international new ventures to overcome constraints to rapid internationalization: the case of french firms

Firms that have both gone abroad from inception and have actively achieved a presence in lead industry markets are called international new ventures (INVs) or born-globals (BGs). The speed and international market presence lie in notably through an international network established by the entrepreneur and his or her team. Based on six in-depth case studies of young firms located in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, our study focuses on the founders' capabilities in detecting opportunities and in creating an international business network. The results clearly show that entrepreneurs build upon their skills and prior professional experience to mobilize international networks during the start-up phase in order to drive the firm's activities.