Morten Rask

The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of models used to depict infant firms that operate internationally right from or close to inception, so-called international new ventures (INVs) or born global firms that emerged in the literature in the early 1990s up until today. The purpose with this article was to give a comprehensive overview of models used to describe and explain the establishment and development of international new ventures. Based upon a diverse platform of types of research and types of models we have developed three eclectic meta-models of international entrepreneurship. The eclectic matrix meta-model defines types of international entrepreneurial firms. The eclectic multi-stimuli meta-model explains how the external environment factors and the internal organizational and managerial factors influence the international entrepreneurship strategies. The eclectic stimuli-response metal-model explains the antecedents/drivers of moderators in and performance by international entrepreneurship. Managers in international entrepreneurial
firms and students in international business and entrepreneurship can use the models as framework for understanding international entrepreneurship. A call for more research on cross-country comparative aspects together with more focus on products and business opportunities in relation to international entrepreneurship finalize the paper.