pp. 585-612

The creation of a new firm is a complex process involving many actors and, above all, different levels of action : individuals and their relations, organizations and their relations, larger contexts. This article have a close look on the interactions between various levels of action in a study of this process using a retrospective method based on cases histories which combine cross interviews with written sources. The analysis of this data shows that, beyond the creation of new resources which are distinctive of the new firm, a great part of the process is made of mobilizing existing resources through personal relations or more generic means, and also of changes concerning the links between the actors and the boundaries between the organizations.