This study examines how Born Global (BG) firms navigate institutional complexities and leverage entrepreneurial orientation and capabilities to achieve early and sustainable internationalization. Building on institutional change, complexity, and ambidexterity theories, this in-depth analysis identifies how BG firms navigate regulatory voids, cultural diversity, and fragmented institutional logic through innovative and ambidextrous practices. Drawing on qualitative data from four Latin American firms—Rappi, Platzi, Bitso, and Nubank— this research examines their entrepreneurial orientation, dynamic capabilities, and the collective actions they engage in to align with and reshape institutional norms. A process-oriented framework links multilevel mechanisms that drive BG firms’ success. At the individual level, entrepreneurial behavior and institutional entrepreneurship enable firms to adapt to or transform foreign institutional frameworks. At the organizational level, ambidextrous strategies balance exploration and exploitation, fostering agility and innovativeness. At the inter-organizational level, BG firms prompt collective actions, leveraging networks and ecosystems to overcome institutional voids and achieve rapid internationalization. BG firms thrive in emerging markets by forging strategic partnerships, creating value through adaptability, and embedding themselves in local entrepreneurial ecosystems. This research expands the comprehensive perspective on BG firms’ entrepreneurial behavior, emphasizing the dynamic institutional and organizational processes in volatile global contexts.
