The Accelerator Conundrum: Continuity, Not Cohort

The Accelerator Conundrum is a multipart series that challenges the prevailing wisdom of the tech startup ecosystem that entrepreneurs should Blitzscale out of the gate. Written by Sramana Mitra, the Founder and CEO of One Million by One Million (1Mby1M), the world’s first global virtual accelerator, it emphatically argues that a better strategy is to Bootstrap First, Raise Money Later, focus on customers, revenues and profits. 1Mby1M’s mission is to help a Million entrepreneurs reach a million dollars in annual revenue and beyond. Sramana’s Digital Mind AI Mentor virtually mentors entrepreneurs around the world in 57 languages. Try it out!

Having exposed the limitations of the fixed-term, location-bound accelerator “cohort,” it’s crucial to highlight another defining strength of the 1Mby1M model: its emphasis on a continuity. It fundamentally alters the quality and longevity of the guidance and support you receive.

Traditional accelerators funnel you into a three-month intensive, then effectively graduate you into the wild, often with sporadic post-program engagement. 

The camaraderie you build with your cohort is fleeting, and the mentorship largely ceases.

 In contrast, 1Mby1M offers an ongoing, accessible ecosystem. 

This means continuous learning through regular, live online sessions, where you can bring your real-time challenges and get direct, actionable feedback.

You get a powerful, asynchronous, digital curriculum to learn pedagogy on your own schedule.

You get roundtable mentoring sessions to get 1-on-1 consulting.

You iterate. 

You study.

You make strategic decisions.

I follow your journey for weeks, months, years, and shepherd you along.

THAT is personalized, long term mentoring.

THAT is the 1Mby1M spirit.

Researchers have published reports on accelerators that focus on long-term mentoring inspired by The Accelerator Conundrum for:

• NYC
• Texas
• UK
• Central Asia
• Eight Major Hubs in India
• Delhi NCR
• Mumbai
• Chennai
• Bangalore
• Ahmedabad
• Pune
• Goa

Photo Credit: Big_Heart from Pixabay

One Million by One Million (1Mby1M) is the first global virtual accelerator in the world, founded in 2010 by Silicon Valley serial Entrepreneur Sramana Mitra. It offers a fully online entrepreneurship incubation, acceleration and education resource for solo entrepreneurs and bootstrapped founders working on tech and tech-enabled services ventures. 1Mby1M does not charge equity, offers an AI Mentor in 57 languages, and offers a distinct advantage over other accelerators including Y Combinator.

This segment is a part in the series : The Accelerator Conundrum