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PurposeThis paper aims to explore the delayed, then accelerated, internationalisation of an emerging multinational enterprise (EMNE), with a particular focus on the media technology sector, and how it exploited complementarities between emerging markets.Design/methodology/approachThe research is qualitative in nature and focuses on the expansion of a South African media technology EMNE case study that has a footprint in over 130 countries and has one of the largest market capitalisations of any media company outside the USA and China.FindingsEMNEs have unique capabilities in navigating uncertain institutional environments in emerging markets and are able to capitalise upon the institutional complementarities between their home and host countries. This may facilitate the recognition of market opportunities and the harnessing of new technologies to meet these opportunities in complementary markets for accelerated internationalisation.Practical implicationsEMNEs must capitalise upon the institutional complementarities between home and host country locations and use this to take advantage of identified market opportunities. This creates the possibility for a process of accelerated internationalisation. New technologies are creating particular market opportunities in emerging markets which can be exploited by EMNEs.Originality/valueThe authors provide a framework which illustrates how an EMNE can exploit complementarities between emerging markets to identify market opportunities, capitalise upon institutional similarities and harness new technologies in the process.