Must-read Posts on Incubators and Accelerators

There is a very real knowledge gap in the early stage start-up game, on both sides of the table. First-time entrepreneurs lack the seasoning to captain a steady ship through turbulent waters. Inexperienced friends and family (and, increasingly, crowdsourced investors) lack the ability to gauge the viability of a business, or to mentor naïve entrepreneurs. This knowledge gap, I have come to believe, is best filled by savvy incubators. However, there are over 7,500 business incubators around the world, and most of them fail.

Here are several must-read articles on incubators and accelerators that will help you navigate and make informed decisions.

• Should You Join an Accelerator? – There are over 8,000 accelerators around the world. Most of them fail. Before you decide to join one, you should try to understand why they fail, so that you do not end up failing with them.
• Incubators and Accelerators FAQs – This post answers some commonly asked questions about incubators and accelerators.
• What Can You Do When You Fail To Raise Series A After “Graduating” From An Accelerator – I don’t believe in the concept of “graduating” from an accelerator, but since most incubators and accelerators use this as a framework, let’s discuss what entrepreneurs ought to do when they ‘graduate’ without funding.
• How To Evaluate An Incubator – There are over 7,500 incubators/accelerators in the world. Most fail. Entrepreneurs are thoroughly confused on how to evaluate incubators and accelerators. Entrepreneurs are also thoroughly confused on why they get rejected by incubators and accelerators on the grounds of being too early.
• The Problems With Incubators And How To Solve Them – For incubators to live up to their full economic potential, they need to overcome two pitfalls: they need to provide real value, not just office space, and they need to measure success in more than just outside funding.
• Why Accelerators Are ‘Graduating’ Entrepreneurs Who Fail To Get Funding – There is a notion of ‘graduation’ in incubators and accelerators that I find amusing. Entrepreneurs are often expected to ‘graduate’ after 3-months. Let’s explore what this means.
• How To Get Seed Funding From An Accelerator – A number of accelerators offer a good chunk of seed funding these days.

Photo credit: Sebastiaan ter Burg/Flickr.com.

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