We expand the survey on Gazelles by focusing on the Portuguese case. Such firms drive a disproportionally large amount of net job creation, and we examine what sets them apart from their peers in the Portuguese business fabric. Our analysis focus on balance sheet data spanning from 2006 to 2017. The produced evidence suggests the availability of human capital and the young age of the firm contribute to both exceptional and average growth. However, it is the enhanced innovative capacity, the availability of equity, and the exporting status of the firm that might be setting the difference between the average and the exceptional growth performance – thus pointing to nonlinearities in the growth process. The effect of competing in foreign markets is intertwined with the age of the firm. Internationalization is positively associated with exceptional net job creation only for more mature firms. Our results also suggest that the lack of access to adequate external funding was not a hampering factor to high-growth during the period covered. Finally, in line with previous studies, we find no persistency in the process of high-growth, since qualifying as a Gazelle is unlikely to be a recurrent fact over the years for a given firm.
