The SMEs sector is among the solutions to boost the Malaysian economy. The SMEs are encouraged to adopt technology and innovation to boost performance. However, despite the aspirations and massive investment in promoting the technology-based SMEs (TBS), insufficient research has been conducted on TBS performance in Malaysia. There is also the call for use of sustainability performance, which is more comprehensive, encompassing the economic, social, and environmental value-creation objectives. Notwithstanding the contribution of other performance drivers, this study chose to examine the influence of individual entrepreneurial talent on the sustainability performance of TBS. The Upper-echelon theory (UET) is used to underpin the investigation of entrepreneurial talent, social intelligence, and entrepreneurial decision-making strategy influence on sustainability performance. The UET – originally explains top-management team influence on firm decision-making and performance in corporations, is extended to explain the phenomenon of individual entrepreneur influence as in TBS, as decision-making lies largely on the owner-entrepreneur. Data collection method in this study was the survey questionnaire. Data collection was carried out in two steps i.e. pilot testing and actual data collection. Sample respondents were drawn from the directory of TBS, developed based of lists of technology-based SMEs in Malaysia. 91 usable questionnaires (30.3% response rate), were obtained and analysed. Descriptive statistics was done using the IBM SPSS, while model assessment using PLS-SEM that covers 1) measurement model assessment, for reliability and validity evaluation of the study constructs and measures, and 2) structural model assessment, for evaluation of the effects between the constructs. The results revealed that the UET constructs of key individual characteristics are also relevant for individual entrepreneurs’ characteristics, entrepreneurial decision-making strategy, and sustainability performance in TBS. The study also found that entrepreneurial talent represented by knowledge and skills developed during prior experience is a strong influence on sustainability performance of TBS. The study findings also revealed that social intelligence is able to moderate the effect of entrepreneurial talent on sustainability performance, whereby the higher the level of social intelligence of entrepreneurs, the lesser is the influence of entrepreneurial talent on SME performance, and vice versa. The study also provides a strong evidence that entrepreneurial decision-making is influenced by entrepreneurial talent and fully mediates the entrepreneurial talent influence on TBS sustainability performance. Due to the exploratory nature and scope of the study, which is limited to TBS in Malaysia, the empirical results may be non-generalizable to other SMEs which are not technology-based and to SMEs that are in other countries. The current study contributes to knowledge, empirical, methodological, and practice in entrepreneurial talent development and sustainability performance. The study contributes, among others, to the theory of technopreneurship development by connecting the significant influence of entrepreneur’s cognitive abilities to sustainability performance of TBS. The study also contributes empirically on the operationalisation of the sustainability performance as a wider and more comprehensive measure for TBS performance.
