Title: Opportunity recognition by international high-technology start-up and growth photonics firms

Authors: Sophie Veilleux; Nancy Haskell; Donald Béliveau

Addresses: Faculty of Business Administration, Université Laval, Pavillon Palasis-Prince, 2325, rue de la Terrasse, Quebec (Quebec) G1V 0A6, Canada ' Faculty of Business Administration, Université Laval, Pavillon Palasis-Prince, 2325, rue de la Terrasse, Quebec (Quebec) G1V 0A6, Canada ' Faculty of Business Administration, Université Laval, Pavillon Palasis-Prince, 2325, rue de la Terrasse, Quebec (Quebec) G1V 0A6, Canada

Abstract: For high-technology firms that depend on foreign markets from the outset, identifying opportunities is a matter not only of business development but of survival. This study contributes to the opportunity recognition literature by exploring the paths taken by these international entrepreneurs to find opportunities in foreign markets. Moreover, it examines the paths of firms at different lifecycle stages. Based on in-depth interviews with five start-ups and five growth firms in Canada specialised in photonics, this research delves into both the personal characteristics of the entrepreneurial teams and the methods they use to find international opportunities. The sources they use as well as the actions undertaken are examined and compared. The practical goal is to identify path components which may be adjusted in start-up firms to improve the probability of finding and developing fruitful opportunities.

Keywords: opportunity recognition; international business development; high-tech SME; start-up; growth firm; international entrepreneurship; network; prior knowledge; previous experience; alertness; activeness; spin-off.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEIM.2018.089715

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2018 Vol.22 No.1/2, pp.126 - 151

Received: 08 Apr 2015
Accepted: 23 Nov 2015
Published online: 08 Feb 2018 *

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