Cross-Border Venture Capital and New Venture Internationalization : An Isomorphism Perspective

Many of the fastest growing global ventures are backed by cross-border venture capitalists. However, the role of foreign investors in internationalization has not been examined in prior research. To address this gap, we carried out a multiple case study to produce a grounded theory of the effects of foreign investors in new venture internationalization. Our findings suggest that foreign venture capitalists located in a venture's target market of internationalization can be valuable for the venture by legitimizing the unknown new venture in that market. However, foreign investors tend to drive portfolio companies towards their home markets, and the benefits may turn into disadvantages if the target market differs from the home markets of the foreign investors