Title: The role of the entrepreneur's characteristics to be a born global firm

Authors: Carlos-Javier Prieto-Sánchez; Fernando Merino

Addresses: National Distance University Education (UNED), Calle de Bravo Murillo, 28015 Madrid, Spain ' Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Murcia, Campus del Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain

Abstract: This paper examines how some key features of an entrepreneur lead Early-Stage Firms (ESF) to become Born Global (BG). Specifically, it focuses on human capital, the scope and novelty of the product and the opportunities of the business environment in the early stages of a firm. It contributes to the literature by focusing on some characteristics of the entrepreneur as a possible determinant. We apply logistic regression techniques to a sample obtained from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for the period 2007-2014. The results reveal that the relationship with other entrepreneurs that are becoming aware of good opportunities to start a business and commitment and exploratory innovation contributes to a higher probability of being a BG. Meanwhile, some of the professional skills of the entrepreneur as well as the exploitative innovation in which it operates are not determinants for an ESF to be a BG.

Keywords: born global; international entrepreneurship; global entrepreneurship monitor; GEM; internationalisation; Spain; international new ventures.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2022.123227

European Journal of International Management, 2022 Vol.17 No.4, pp.536 - 563

Received: 22 Sep 2019
Accepted: 22 Jun 2020
Published online: 06 Jun 2022 *

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