SMEs in high-technology industries, such as life sciences, face a fundamental challenge. On the one hand, i.a. high product development costs push firms to early-stage internationalization to speed up the amortization of those investments. On the other hand, a number of factors constitute hinders to internationalization, such as insufficient endowments with financial resources and the need to adapt to local regulations, which differ between countries. To date, little is known about how SMEs in practice master this challenge. Based on a longitudinal, in-depth case study of a young company from a high-technology sector, this paper aims at providing a better understanding of early internationalization processes of startups in these industries. This paper is closely linked to practice, while at the same time is contributing to the literature on international entrepreneurship.