Departing from the international entrepreneurship theory, network theory, and social capital theory, this study investigates how Brazilian software companies benefit from the use of their networks and social capital in the internationalization process. The goal was to identify the nuances and strategies associated to the use of social networks by entrepreneurs over time, analyzing its dynamics in the firms internationalization processes. To this end a longitudinal study was carried out using eight cases of internationalized Brazilian companies in the software industry, in order to investigate the foreign market entry process, covering the period from each firm s inception until early 2016. In addition, 87 international initiatives were identified and analyzed. The study employed an abductive approach, which presupposes a continuous interaction between theory and empirical data. The data sources used were primary and secondary, including personal interviews, transcriptions of previous interviews from a database, publications, company documents, and information from company websites. Data analysis aimed at evaluating the occurrence of patterns considering four dimensions: company and entrepreneur characteristics; characteristics of international initiatives by the firms; use of social capital and networks in the internationalization processes; and the identification of benefits associated to the use of networks in the internationalization processes. In addition, the study explored patterns of the evolution of relationships. The analysis was based on pattern-matching analysis and cross-case analysis. Results showed a variety of different strategies employed by the firms studied. In general, it was not possible to identify a single pattern, but several different patterns emerged. In addition, there are some indicators of how relationships are built, and the benefits aimed by firms when using social capital and networks. We conclude that the use of social networks is a key factor for the advancement of Brazilian software companies in international markets, supporting the findings of recent studies highlighting the use of networks by entrepreneurs in emerging markets as the main instrument to overcome the constraints inherent to size and country of origin.