Int. J. Technology Intelligence and Planning, Vol. 12, No. 3, 2019 273 Copyright © 2019 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. Finding the pot of gold: leveraging social capital in international new ventures Paul Kirwan* Department of Management, California State University, San Bernardino 5500 University Parkway, CA 92407-2318, USA Fax: 909-537-7177 Email: pkirwan@csusb.edu *Corresponding author Tiago Ratinho IÉSEG School of Management, 1 Parvis de La Défense, 92044 Paris, La Défense Cedex, France Email: t.ratinho@ieseg.fr Peter van der Sijde Department of Organizational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands Email: p.c.vander.sijde@vu.nl Aard Groen University of Groningen Centre of Entrepreneurship, University College Groningen, Nettelbosje 2, 9747 AE Groningen, The Netherlands Email: a.j.groen@rug.nl Joris Heuven School of Finance and Accounting, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, P.O. Box 70.000, 7500 KB Enschede, The Netherlands Email: j.m.j.heuven@saxion.nl Abstract: The authors seek to advance the understanding of social capital in the acquisition of other types of capital in the early stages of international new ventures (INVs). International technology-based new ventures are important for the growth of an abundant economy, yet little is known about how these firms utilise social capital to develop the resources required to initiate these firms.