Young ventures, internationalization and barriers to growth

The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on the determinants of rapid growth of firm start-ups. We consider both firm external and internal perspectives in a multilevel framework, and empirically test notions advocated by the theory of the firm, industrial economics, and economic geography. Our findings suggest that new venture growth is associated to early internationalization and the learning process of firms that are born small and grow fast. Contesting RBV premises, industry productivity growth and location economies seem to be a favorable environment for those firms that struggle to surmount the growth barriers they face.