Sustaining innovations are typically introduced by established companies within an industry, and are aimed at maintaining or improving their market position. They may involve incremental improvements to an existing product, or the introduction of new features or capabilities that are compatible with an existing product line.

Examples of sustaining innovations include new versions of software products with improved performance or additional features, new models of automobiles with improved fuel efficiency or safety features, and new generations of consumer electronics with improved battery life or processing power.