The Influence of IT Education on the Performance and IT Usage of Startups in Croatia

The paper examines the influence of the levels of IT education on the performance and IT usage in startup companies. A model of IT education levels related to utilisation in digital entrepreneurship was created, which includes four levels: 1) the level of understanding the role of IT in digital entrepreneurship, 2) the level of using basic applications and tools, 3) the level of independently applying the necessary applications and tools in the company, 4) the level of creating and developing applications in the company. The empirical research has been conducted on a sample of 35 startup companies in Croatia. By systematizing the levels of IT education, methodically structuring and linking the factors of digital entrepreneurship and startup development, and exploring the impact of IT education on the factors of digital entrepreneurship, new insights can be gained on the opportunities and guidelines for the development of IT education in startup development and resilience. The results underscore the importance of IT education for achieving higher startup performance. Furthermore, the prevalence of emerging and more complex IT is more significantly represented in startups with a higher level of IT education and a higher degree of independence in the creation and development of applications.