The edge that a company gains by entering a particular market before any competitors. This advantage can be gained in many ways, such as having the first chance at accessing resources (and if a particular resource is scarce, another company might not be able to get enough to have a chance at competing), gaining funding from the most-interested individuals, or by developing new technologies which other companies do not have access to. Although being the first-mover has the potential for many advantages, some disadvantages can arise as well, such as the ability of other companies to study and mimic the products and techniques of the first company.

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