<p>Dynamic changes in global technological and geopolitical dynamics have stimulated major shifts in international entrepreneurship (IE) research. In this study, we highlight four such major transitions in scholarly thinking about the international activities of startups in advanced countries that have important implications for public policies: (1) the changing role of <i>digitization</i> from enablers startups’ international activities to intangible strategic agents; (2) the transition to an <i>ecosystem</i>-centric view emphasizing platforms and network-based approaches; (3) <i>fractured</i> geopolitics and their market contestability implications; and (4) the evolution towards sustainable growth. We label these four transitions <i>DEFS</i> (Digitization, Ecosystems, Fracture, Sustainability). In turn, these four transitions require supplementing the traditional market opportunity-based definition of the international activities of startups with a focus on the connectivity of people, money, ideas, and intellectual capital. We discuss the public policy implications of these transitions.</p>