Do Technology Startups Replicate Internationalization Patterns From Big Companies? Evidence From Latin America

Abstract

This article discusses the internationalization of technology startups in Latin America. The study analyzed 121 startups from five countries using a quantitative approach and data was collected from the Crunchbase platform. Results indicate that Argentinean, Chilean, and Colombian startups have faster internationalization trajectories than their Brazilian and Mexican counterparts, which tend to remain local during initial stages following the Uppsala model pattern. Our study on startup internationalization in Latin America yielded comparable results to big tech companies from these countries. However, we noticed that Mexican startups have better access to financial support receiving double the investment compared to other organizations. These finding provide valuable insights into promotive international entrepreneurship in emerging countries and can inform public policy accordingly.