Summary: International Entrepreneurship
# Theme Core insight Key theories/models
1 Intro to IE IE = cross-border opportunity ● Offensive vs defensive internationalisation
behaviour; going global is ● Distance + context (incl. psychic distance; formal institutions)
offensive vs defensive and always ● Mindset = ability + willingness + Localists / Incrementalists /
involves distance + context Globalists taxonomy (Costa, 2022)
frictions. ● Born-global capability bundle (Isenberg, 2008): global purpose,
alliances, supply chain, multinational organisation
2 Business Advantage can be built through ● Foundational theories: Uppsala / Network / INV
modelling for internationalisation via learning + ● SEI (Autio, 2017): LO + BME + AE + NO as
international BM experimentation + “advantage-through-internationalisation” levers
ventures asymmetry exploitation + niche ● BM experimentation trade-off (Andries, 2013): focused
focus; under uncertainty, BM commitment vs simultaneous experimentation
design = iterate + experiment + ● Effectuation–causation dynamics (Reymen, 2015): scope as “gear
switch decision logics. stick” (narrow→causation; widen→effectuation)
3 Markets for Tech ventures can internationalise ● Appropriability regime × cospecialised assets (profiting logic;
technology and profit via IP/technology Pisano 2006 update: regimes can be strategically shaped)
markets (not only products). ● Licensing modes (Lichtenthaler, 2007): reactive “stick” vs
Choice = license vs produce, proactive; drivers extend beyond revenue (standards, learning, …)
driven by appropriability regime × ● Commercialisation strategy → international outcomes: product vs
cospecialised assets, and impacts IP vs hybrid; IP can reduce liabilities via IPR signalling/legitimacy
internationalisation costs/outcomes. (Symeonidou, 2017)
4 Global Internationalisation can be ● Spillovers: MAR vs Jacobs; evidence channelled via related
collaboration supply-side: optimise innovation variety (best “recombination” context)
& open inputs via regional spillovers, ● Related variety boosts innovation/entry but can show curvilinear
innovation openness, and alliances. Core effects when appropriation is high (Ejdemo, 2020)
trade-off: where spillovers ● Open innovation search (Laursen, 2006): breadth vs depth with
happen, how open to be, how to inverted-U returns
govern leakage. ● Alliance design (Oxley, 2004): manage leakage via scope
(R&D-only vs broader) + governance (contract vs equity JV)
5 Institutions & Institutions shape which ● Opportunity type lens (Young, 2018): stability-creating vs
political opportunities entrepreneurs pursue flexibility-creating institutions → Kirznerian (imitative) vs
uncertainty (imitative vs innovative) and Schumpeterian (innovative) outcomes.
whether experience protects/traps ● Political uncertainty split (Henisz, 2004): political hazards vs
firms under political change regime change; experience helps under hazards but can backfire
(hazards vs regime change). under regime change (embedded influence is regime-specific)
6 Policy & the Gov role goes beyond market ● Mission-oriented policy: directionality + organisational capacity +
entrepreneurial fixing: states can create markets, set evaluation + risk–reward sharing (Mazzucato, 2016)
state direction (missions/sovereignty), ● Gov VC roles typology: laissez-faire, nurturing, conditioning,
and mobilise finance. entrepreneurial + situational legitimacy (Vogelaar, 2026)
1
,Literature list
Week 1: Introduction to international entrepreneurship
- Costa et al. (2022). Pre-start-up internationalization mindsets trigger action.
- Isenberg (2008). The Global Entrepreneur. Harvard Business Review.
Week 2: Business modelling for international ventures
- Autio (2017). Strategic entrepreneurial internationalization: A normative framework.
- Andries et al. (2013). Simultaneous experimentation as a learning strategy: Business model
development under uncertainty.
- Reymen et al. (2015). Understanding dynamics of strategic decision making in venture
creation: a process study of effectuation and causation.
Week 3: Strategizing on innovation to exploit international opportunities
- Pisano (2006). Profiting from innovation and the intellectual property revolution.
- Lichtenthaler (2007). The drivers of technology licensing: An industry comparison.
- Symeonidou et al. (2017). Commercialization strategy and internationalization outcomes in
technology-based new ventures.
- Case study: Cameron Auto Parts (A).
Week 4: Using the global context to innovate new opportunities through collaboration
- Oxley et al. (2004). The scope and governance of international R&D alliances.
- Laursen et al. (2006). Open for innovation: the role of openness in explaining innovation
performance among UK manufacturing firms.
- Ejdemo et al. (2020). Related variety as a driver of regional innovation and entrepreneurship:
A moderated and mediated model with non-linear effects.
Week 5: Formal and informal institutions governing international opportunities
- Henisz et al. (2004). Information or influence? The benefits of experience for managing
political uncertainty.
- Young et al. (2018). Stability vs. flexibility: The effect of regulatory institutions on
opportunity type.
- Case study: StayFilm: From a Brazilian digital startup to a global scaleup.
Week 6: Policymaking for fruitful entrepreneurial ecosystems
- Mazzucato (2016). From market fixing to market-creating: A new framework for innovation
policy.
- Vogelaar et al. (2026). Toward an entrepreneurial state? A novel typology of government roles
in venture capital.
- Case study: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (2024). National Technology
Strategy.
2
, Week 1: Introduction to international entrepreneurship
🧠 Core idea
● International entrepreneurship (IE) = discovering, enacting, evaluating, and exploiting
opportunities across national borders (behaviour-focused, not actor-focused).
● Going global is both opportunity-seeking (offensive) and necessity-driven (defensive)—but
always comes with cross-border frictions you must manage.
📘 Key lecture insights
What IE is (definition + scope)
● IE emphasises exploration + exploitation across borders, requiring innovativeness,
risk-taking, and proactivity. 
● Applies to born globals, SMEs, and corporates; common challenges are shared across types.
Why IE emerged / why it matters
● Post-WWII globalisation expanded cross-border opportunity spaces, shaping the emergence
of IE as a field. Even “successful” international ventures remain exposed to shocks (e.g.,
currency/import cost effects). 
Offensive vs defensive IE
Angle What it means Typical driver
Defensive Go global to stay competitive Access cost efficiencies, capital, talent, inputs
Offensive Go global to capture opportunity Opportunities span multiple countries
Core challenges of “seizing international opportunities”
● Distance: physical/time differences + psychic distance (culture, political systems, religion).
● Context: cross-country variation in political/judicial/tax/labour systems (formal institutions).

Competencies needed
● Articulate a global purpose: why internationalisation is essential to the business model. 
● Alliance building: partnerships are often needed due to resource constraints. 
● Supply-chain creation + multinational management: operational complexity management. 
● Mindset: ability + willingness shape whether international intent becomes action. 
3
# Theme Core insight Key theories/models
1 Intro to IE IE = cross-border opportunity ● Offensive vs defensive internationalisation
behaviour; going global is ● Distance + context (incl. psychic distance; formal institutions)
offensive vs defensive and always ● Mindset = ability + willingness + Localists / Incrementalists /
involves distance + context Globalists taxonomy (Costa, 2022)
frictions. ● Born-global capability bundle (Isenberg, 2008): global purpose,
alliances, supply chain, multinational organisation
2 Business Advantage can be built through ● Foundational theories: Uppsala / Network / INV
modelling for internationalisation via learning + ● SEI (Autio, 2017): LO + BME + AE + NO as
international BM experimentation + “advantage-through-internationalisation” levers
ventures asymmetry exploitation + niche ● BM experimentation trade-off (Andries, 2013): focused
focus; under uncertainty, BM commitment vs simultaneous experimentation
design = iterate + experiment + ● Effectuation–causation dynamics (Reymen, 2015): scope as “gear
switch decision logics. stick” (narrow→causation; widen→effectuation)
3 Markets for Tech ventures can internationalise ● Appropriability regime × cospecialised assets (profiting logic;
technology and profit via IP/technology Pisano 2006 update: regimes can be strategically shaped)
markets (not only products). ● Licensing modes (Lichtenthaler, 2007): reactive “stick” vs
Choice = license vs produce, proactive; drivers extend beyond revenue (standards, learning, …)
driven by appropriability regime × ● Commercialisation strategy → international outcomes: product vs
cospecialised assets, and impacts IP vs hybrid; IP can reduce liabilities via IPR signalling/legitimacy
internationalisation costs/outcomes. (Symeonidou, 2017)
4 Global Internationalisation can be ● Spillovers: MAR vs Jacobs; evidence channelled via related
collaboration supply-side: optimise innovation variety (best “recombination” context)
& open inputs via regional spillovers, ● Related variety boosts innovation/entry but can show curvilinear
innovation openness, and alliances. Core effects when appropriation is high (Ejdemo, 2020)
trade-off: where spillovers ● Open innovation search (Laursen, 2006): breadth vs depth with
happen, how open to be, how to inverted-U returns
govern leakage. ● Alliance design (Oxley, 2004): manage leakage via scope
(R&D-only vs broader) + governance (contract vs equity JV)
5 Institutions & Institutions shape which ● Opportunity type lens (Young, 2018): stability-creating vs
political opportunities entrepreneurs pursue flexibility-creating institutions → Kirznerian (imitative) vs
uncertainty (imitative vs innovative) and Schumpeterian (innovative) outcomes.
whether experience protects/traps ● Political uncertainty split (Henisz, 2004): political hazards vs
firms under political change regime change; experience helps under hazards but can backfire
(hazards vs regime change). under regime change (embedded influence is regime-specific)
6 Policy & the Gov role goes beyond market ● Mission-oriented policy: directionality + organisational capacity +
entrepreneurial fixing: states can create markets, set evaluation + risk–reward sharing (Mazzucato, 2016)
state direction (missions/sovereignty), ● Gov VC roles typology: laissez-faire, nurturing, conditioning,
and mobilise finance. entrepreneurial + situational legitimacy (Vogelaar, 2026)
1
,Literature list
Week 1: Introduction to international entrepreneurship
- Costa et al. (2022). Pre-start-up internationalization mindsets trigger action.
- Isenberg (2008). The Global Entrepreneur. Harvard Business Review.
Week 2: Business modelling for international ventures
- Autio (2017). Strategic entrepreneurial internationalization: A normative framework.
- Andries et al. (2013). Simultaneous experimentation as a learning strategy: Business model
development under uncertainty.
- Reymen et al. (2015). Understanding dynamics of strategic decision making in venture
creation: a process study of effectuation and causation.
Week 3: Strategizing on innovation to exploit international opportunities
- Pisano (2006). Profiting from innovation and the intellectual property revolution.
- Lichtenthaler (2007). The drivers of technology licensing: An industry comparison.
- Symeonidou et al. (2017). Commercialization strategy and internationalization outcomes in
technology-based new ventures.
- Case study: Cameron Auto Parts (A).
Week 4: Using the global context to innovate new opportunities through collaboration
- Oxley et al. (2004). The scope and governance of international R&D alliances.
- Laursen et al. (2006). Open for innovation: the role of openness in explaining innovation
performance among UK manufacturing firms.
- Ejdemo et al. (2020). Related variety as a driver of regional innovation and entrepreneurship:
A moderated and mediated model with non-linear effects.
Week 5: Formal and informal institutions governing international opportunities
- Henisz et al. (2004). Information or influence? The benefits of experience for managing
political uncertainty.
- Young et al. (2018). Stability vs. flexibility: The effect of regulatory institutions on
opportunity type.
- Case study: StayFilm: From a Brazilian digital startup to a global scaleup.
Week 6: Policymaking for fruitful entrepreneurial ecosystems
- Mazzucato (2016). From market fixing to market-creating: A new framework for innovation
policy.
- Vogelaar et al. (2026). Toward an entrepreneurial state? A novel typology of government roles
in venture capital.
- Case study: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (2024). National Technology
Strategy.
2
, Week 1: Introduction to international entrepreneurship
🧠 Core idea
● International entrepreneurship (IE) = discovering, enacting, evaluating, and exploiting
opportunities across national borders (behaviour-focused, not actor-focused).
● Going global is both opportunity-seeking (offensive) and necessity-driven (defensive)—but
always comes with cross-border frictions you must manage.
📘 Key lecture insights
What IE is (definition + scope)
● IE emphasises exploration + exploitation across borders, requiring innovativeness,
risk-taking, and proactivity. 
● Applies to born globals, SMEs, and corporates; common challenges are shared across types.
Why IE emerged / why it matters
● Post-WWII globalisation expanded cross-border opportunity spaces, shaping the emergence
of IE as a field. Even “successful” international ventures remain exposed to shocks (e.g.,
currency/import cost effects). 
Offensive vs defensive IE
Angle What it means Typical driver
Defensive Go global to stay competitive Access cost efficiencies, capital, talent, inputs
Offensive Go global to capture opportunity Opportunities span multiple countries
Core challenges of “seizing international opportunities”
● Distance: physical/time differences + psychic distance (culture, political systems, religion).
● Context: cross-country variation in political/judicial/tax/labour systems (formal institutions).

Competencies needed
● Articulate a global purpose: why internationalisation is essential to the business model. 
● Alliance building: partnerships are often needed due to resource constraints. 
● Supply-chain creation + multinational management: operational complexity management. 
● Mindset: ability + willingness shape whether international intent becomes action. 
3
