The early development of Born Global firms in the software industry

This paper explores the early development of five Finnish Born Globals in the software industry, including the characteristics of Born Globals at and post-inception. Results show that Born Globals are not always founded by entrepreneurs with a global mindset and international business experience. Instead founders often resemble the entrepreneurs of the classical start-up development models and are technology-minded with limited knowledge of planning or marketing techniques. As a result, it is not unusual for the venture capitalist investors of Born Globals to push for the installation of an internationally experienced manager as firm CEO once product development is complete.