• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.223-233
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• 2020

In academia, lots of startup-related research are conducted to improve startup performance. Most of them are concerned with entrepreneur characteristics, capabilities, and entrepreneurship. In particular, self-efficacy of enterpreneur is emphasized to improve startup performance in addition to entrepreneurial capabilities. Thus, the main research objectives of this study are as follows. First, the impact of entrepreneur characteristics is investigated on self-efficacy and startup performance. Second, the moderating effects of business experience prior to startup and entrepreneurship education are analyzed between entrepreneur characteristics and self-efficacy. Finally, managerial strategies are suggested to maximize startup performance via self-efficacy. 274 samples were collected from independent startups. The proposed research model and 17 hypotheses were verified with structural equation modeling techenique. The empirical findings are as follows. First, psychological characteristics such as achievement desire and risk tolerance positively influenced on self-efficacy. Second, business experience prior to startup showed significant moderating effects on self-efficacy with technological and marketing capabilities. and entrepreneurship education. Third, entrepreneurship education showed significant moderating effects on self-efficacy with achievement desire, risk tolerance, technological and marketing capabilities.