The influence of human and relational capital on the rapid internationalization of firms

<jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title><jats:p>The purpose of this paper is to compare the influence of entrepreneurs’ human and relational capital on the rapid internationalization of their firms from two economically different contexts.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title><jats:p>This study was developed using data that were collected from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor of Spain and Chile. A logistic regression analysis was used to examine and compare the influence of some elements of entrepreneurs’ human and relational capital on the likelihood of their firms’ rapid internationalization.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title><jats:p>The results revealed that Chilean entrepreneurs rely more on their formal education or experience to rapidly internationalize their firms. In contrast, Spanish entrepreneurs complement their formal education with their relational capital to conduct international entrepreneurial activities.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Research limitations/implications</jats:title><jats:p>The implications of this study are related to the role that public policies play in promoting these types of entrepreneurial initiatives.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title><jats:p>This study presents several contributions. First, it advances the understanding of entrepreneurial internationalization in emerging economic contexts. Second, it provides a comparative study regarding entrepreneurial internationalization, which is considered a fundamental current in the field of international entrepreneurship. Finally, this comparative study improves our understanding of the influence of different economic contexts on entrepreneurial internationalization.</jats:p></jats:sec>