The Accelerator Conundrum: The One-Size-Fits-None Fallacy

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!

One of the most glaring deficiencies of the traditional 3-month accelerator model is its inherent one-size-fits-none approach. 

These programs operate on a batch system, putting dozens of diverse startups, across myriad industries and stages, through the exact same motions. 

They deliver a standardized curriculum, a common set of workshops, and a universal demo day pitch format. This, frankly, is a profound fallacy.

Your startup is a unique entity with its own specific challenges, its own distinct market, and its own peculiar growth trajectory. A SaaS company in FinTech faces entirely different hurdles than a direct-to-consumer e-commerce brand or a deep tech AI venture. 

Yet, these accelerators typically offer a generic menu of advice and resources, assuming that what works for one will miraculously apply to all. 

Real progress requires tailored guidance, specific domain expertise, and a flexible approach that adapts to the fluid realities of building a company from the ground up. 

Instead, you get a generalized framework that might touch on broad business principles but often falls woefully short of addressing the nuanced, critical issues unique to your venture. 

It’s like a doctor prescribing the same medicine for every ailment, regardless of the patient or the disease. 

The result? A lot of wasted time, misdirected effort, and, too often, a business that emerges from the program still struggling to find its true path. 

Don’t be fooled into thinking a generic mold can possibly fit your singular vision.

Photo Credit: Jill Frost from Pixabay

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