Core Competencies and Performance of Tech Startups in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

The study aimed at investigating the effect of core competencies on performance of startup companies in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The research design that was adopted was descriptive, and the population of the study were 218 startup companies operating in Nairobi City County, Kenya. A total of 132 startup companies were used as sample size determined using Krecjie and Morgan’s formula. The selection of the respondents of this research was done using a simple random sampling method. A pilot study was conducted and a total of 15 questionnaires were sent to respondents who did take part in the final administration of questionnaires to test for validity and reliability. A structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data and the analysis of data collected was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Tables and graphs were used to present the results of the analysis. Ethical consideration was also strictly adhered to in this study. The findings of this study indicated that composite construct of core competence had a significant effect on performance of Tech Startup companies. The result showed that market access, human resource, resource-based, and strategic thing as latent variables investigated in this study had a significant effect on performance of Tech Startup organizations, in Nairobi Metropolitan. Therefore, drawing from the findings, recommendations have been fronted for strategic management to leverage this study's findings to comprehend core competence and share this knowledge to gain a competitive edge in Tech Startup settings.