International responsiveness of entrepreneurial new ventures from three leading emerging economies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to answer the question, “How do international new ventures (INVs) from emerging economies become responsive to the demands of their international customers?” Design/methodology/approach – The authors propose a model of international responsiveness that incorporates founding team experience, international firm experience, international strategic orientation, and investment in international supply chain and test the model using data from 293 INVs from three leading emerging economies: China, India, and South Africa. Findings – Results show that for INVs from emerging economies international strategic orientation mediates the relationship between international firm experience, investment in international supply chain, and international responsiveness. In addition, the authors identify a significant difference in the effects of international strategic orientation on international responsiveness among subgroups of INVs. Practical implications – Given the specific context of the sample, this study provides unique managerial insights for entrepreneurs planning to internationalize their new ventures from emerging economies. Originality/value – The paper adds originality and value by extending research on international responsiveness, bridging two disciplines, and using a unique international, multi‐country sample.