Background:  As the world is getting more and more globalized, the internationalization of companies has become an important way to achieve growth and competitiveness. Companies expand globally to find growth opportunities, compete with worldwide competitors, assist global consumers, get access to global competence, as well as improve their efficiency. Due to the changing business landscape and the lowered barriers for firms to internationalize, small companies, among them many startups, now also have the opportunity to take their operations to countries outside their home market. However, they often lack the resources and competencies that are necessary to successfully globalize their operations, which is exactly where business incubators come in.

Purpose: This study explores how business incubators affect startup internationalization. More specifically it looks at how business incubators influence the internationalization process of startups who are part of the incubator program. This contributes to the scarce literature that is available on the topic of incubator influence on startup internationalization and it provides startup founders and incubators with valuable insights and recommendations on this topic.

Method: In this study, a qualitative multiple case study was conducted, where we collected data through 15 semi-structured interviews with business coaches and startup founders from four different business incubators as well as complimentary secondary data about the case incubators and startups. The data was then analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.

Conclusion: Based on the analysis that was conducted, it was found that incubators influence the internationalization process in four key ways. Namely, those are influences through networks, knowledge, financial aid as well as programs and events. Additionally, it was found that the business coaches themselves also have a direct influence on how the startups they support internationalize. Lastly, it was recognized that some startup-specific factors moderate the amount to which business incubators influence the internationalization process of these firms.