Founders’ Prior Shared International Experience, Time to First Foreign Market Entry, and New Venture Performance

We examine the influence of founders’ prior shared international experience on timing their new ventures’ first entry into foreign markets. propose that this experience, which is gained by founders working concurrently for same firm to founding current company, provides them with knowledge and routines they can use enter markets time earlier in venture’s life. Further, we diversity strengthens relationship, because diverse groups have a broader range knowledge, skills, perspectives, facilitates adaptation venture setting. This likely further reduce it takes time. also argue industry dynamism weakens relationship between market entry, type become obsolete rapidly changing environment. Finally, hypothesize early internationalizers enjoy higher performance than late internationalizers. test these predictions using sample Swedish ventures. Our results contribute literatures internationalization.