Summary
This comprehensive work provides a detailed analysis of the organizational models, operational approaches, and critical roles of leading technology accelerators within Silicon Valley. Drawing on extensive primary interviews conducted with founders and leaders from over 20 top accelerators, the author examines their structures, programming, funding mechanisms, mentorship philosophies, and track records of success. Specific areas of focus include the missions, startup selection processes, technology specializations, targeted demographics, curriculum design, and showcase events that empower innovative enterprises to scale globally.
Detailed Overview
Drawing on in-depth interviews with leaders from over 20 top Silicon Valley accelerators, the author provides rare primary insights into various accelerators’ organizational structures, operational workflows, funding mechanisms, mentorship approaches, programming curricula and showcase event activities. Ester examines aspects such as mission statements signaling priorities, application selection processes evaluating startup competitiveness, technology focus areas supported, targeted participant demographics recruited, detailed programming schedules and curricula administered, and amounts/sources of seed capital funding provided. The book identifies best practices and evolutionary trends across the accelerator landscape over time. Ester discusses strategic lessons that can be distilled for innovation hubs globally seeking to optimize their own accelerator models for empowering high-growth entrepreneurial ventures. The rigorous empirical analysis grounds discussions while a nuanced transatlantic comparative perspective contextualizes strategic considerations. By illuminating the inner dynamics that underpin Silicon Valley’s accelerator ecosystem prowess, the work provides policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors and scholars with valuable insights for developing accelerator frameworks within their own regions capable of fostering prosperous startup cultures and economies.
Citation and Licensing
Ester, P. (2017). Accelerators in Silicon Valley. Amsterdam University Press. https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/45642. Open Access under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
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