Start-ups' Internationalization: The Impact of Business Owners' Management Experience, Start-up Experience and Professional Network on Export Intensity

摘要

This study investigates the influence of business owner experience (management/start-up) and professional networking on start-up export intensity. In addition, we assume networking to mediate the experience - export intensity relationship. Flemish start-ups form this study's empirical setting. Our results indicate that start-up export intensity is directly driven by professional networking. Management experience is a positive antecedent of networking while start-up experience is negatively related to professional networking. All in all, management and start-up experience connect only indirectly to export intensity, fully mediated by networking. Implications and opportunities for future research are suggested.