Global Start-Ups and Born Global Spin-Offs: A Multiple Case Study

Abstract

The paper aims to identify and analyze the major critical success factors at the base of the rapid internationalization of three different types of Born Global (BG) firms, namely start-up, academic spin-off and company spin-off. Based on a case study analysis, the findings show that the entrepreneurs’ dynamic capabilities, their passion and propensity to take risks, previous international experiences, language skills, the presence of an experienced staff, the ability to nurture relationships and networks based on mutual trust and on the transfer of know-how represent the major key factors for internationalization. This study intends to strengthen the literature focused on the BG phenomenon. However, the empirical analysis was conducted on an exiguous number of enterprises, operating in the high-tech sectors and founded few years ago. In order to obtain more generalizable results, future research should also focus on companies active in the low-tech sectors and founded in less recent years.
Classification-JEL:
Keywords: Born global; Global Start-up; Born Global Academic spin-off; Born Global Entrepreneurial Spin-off; non-linear internationalization process; multiple case study