This paper presents a review of the literature on internationalisation of new ventures, Twith particular focus on the factors explaining why new ventures internationalise at inception. The paper draws together findings from the most-cited publications most closely associated with factors explaining new venture internationalisation across various industry sectors. The paper draws on theoretical push and pull constructs to organise and classify the most recurrent findings across extant studies driving the early and rapid internationalisation of new firms. What emerges as central to understanding these firms is the role of the entrepreneur, who can act as a pivotal force in the decision-making process and who also represents an intermediating factor between push and pull forces in a new firm's decision to internationalise.