The determinants and performance of early internationalizing firms: A literature review and research agenda

•This paper seeks to systematically review and synthesize extant research on the determinants and performance of early internationalizing firms.•The authors critically assess and examine 167 articles that have appeared in 28 academic journals over the last three decades.•This study contributes to extant literature by highlighting the determinants of early internationalizing firms and their performance.•An integrative framework has been developed to account for the relationships among determinants, early internationalization, and outcomes.•This paper reveals some significant gaps to advance an important research agenda for future research. As scholars have examined the antecedents, processes, and performance of early internationalizing firms in the past three decades, the domain has become a full-fledged research field. However, extant reviews have not yet provided a comprehensive picture of the determinants of early internationalizing firms and their performance although it is a relevant topic in the literature. In response, this paper seeks to systematically review and synthesize extant research on the determinants and performance of early internationalizing firms. The authors critically assess and examine 167 articles that have appeared in 28 academic journals over the last three decades. This study contributes to extant literature by highlighting the determinants of early internationalizing firms and their performance with a focus on the entrepreneur, firm, and environment factors. Furthermore, an integrative framework has been developed to account for the relationships among determinants, early internationalization, and outcomes. Finally, this paper reveals some significant gaps to advance an important research agenda for future research.