With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, companies are now competing in the global market. In addition, the world is rapidly changing due to unstable international conditions and the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI). Throughout history, we have witnessed many companies that failed to innovate and were consequently eliminated from the market. Today, even once-dominant industry leaders are encountering crises due to their failure to innovate in the face of intensifying global competition and rapidly shifting market conditions. In this era of continuous transformation, knowledge, and innovation capability have emerged as critical factors for business survival and securing a competitive edge. This study aims to empirically examine the effects of organizational innovation capability and knowledge sharing on startup company performance. Innovation capability was classified into three sub-variables: creativity, risk-taking, and resource utilization. Startup performance was measured in terms of financial and non-financial outcomes. Survey data were collected from 154 startup founders and employees, and the data were analyzed using SPSS 28.0. The statistical analysis revealed that innovation capability has a positive effect on knowledge sharing, and knowledge sharing significantly affects both financial and non-financial performance. Among the sub-variables of innovation capability, only resource utilization had a statistically significant effect on financial performance, while all three sub-variables—creativity, risk-taking, and resource utilization—positively influenced non-financial performance. These findings suggest that innovation capability and knowledge sharing are key in helping startups enhance their competitiveness and achieve sustainable growth.
