Start-up Accelerator: State of the Art and Future Directions

Abstract

Purpose:The paper presents a review of the literature concerning start-up accelerators and a classification of related research untill August 2021. Approach/Methodology/Design: While elaborating the classification, the authors coded works according to the type of accelerator and implemented acceleration program. Furthermore, the paper identifies the countries, research bodies and authors who focus on research on the functioning of accelerators. The authors present how various accelerator forms operate and how they perform. Findings: The paper systematizes knowledge related to start-up accelerators available in the Scopus base and suggests directions for future research. Practical Implications: Recently a clear phenomenon is shown that is the development of a start-up ecosystem, in particular creation and professionalization of the new form of organisation that is a start-up accelerator. This entity acts as a bridge between start-ups and corporations and big enterprises, promoting success of both sides -conclusion of business contracts. More start-ups and corporations decide to collaborate with accelerators that, with their acceleration programs involving big companies, support them both. By monitoring the corporate-start-up collaboration, accelerators actively promote both parties, also in terms of generating necessary innovations to support, for instance, production, sales or service processes in big companies. An evergrowing number of accelerators and accelerator programs worldwide translates into more interest in research in this field. Originality/Value: Despite the increasing research trend related to start-up accelerators, no precise research classification has been available to date.

Navigating the Software Symphony: A Review of Factors and Strategies for Software Development in Startups

“…The success of software projects in startups relies on a harmonious blend of soft skills, such as effective communication and collaboration, with technical expertise [72], [65], [73], [67], [63]. The combination of Lean Startup and Design Thinking principles is a game-changing strategy that helps firms create a customer-centric attitude at a fundamental level [69], [71].…”

“…Stay up-to-date with industry best practices and encourage professional development among team members. [7], [41], [49], [72], [73] User-Centric Design Focus on user-centric design principles to create software that addresses the needs and preferences of the target audience. [21], [23], [30], [40], [11], [74], [13] Legal and Compliance Considerations Ensure that the software complies with relevant permissible and governing requirements, like data privacy laws and industry standards.…”

“…Strategies and KernelsStrategies Kernels Agile methodologiesEarly validation and adaptability to changing requirements [4],[51],[52]. Lean principlesThe build-measure-learn feedback loop to quickly validate hypotheses and assumptions [71],[72]. Design Thinking Empathy for Users, start by gaining a deep understanding of users' needs, pain points, and behaviors through user research and interviews [53],[73].…”

Start-Up Accelerators and Their Impact on Sustainability: Literature Analysis and Case Studies from the Energy Sector

“…The current resources in the scientific literature do not provide a broad analysis of this topic; there is a lack of structured knowledge collected in one place. Given their significance, it is surprising to find only a few studies focusing on the operations of start-up accelerators [15][16][17]. This issue is relatively new; thus, a lack of a structured studies on the current state-of-the-art research in relation to this topic is perceptible, as signalled by many authors in their scientific articles [18][19][20][21][22].…”

Proposal and evaluation of an accelerator model to support entrepreneurship in advanced technologies

“…Since the first scientific paper on start-up accelerators was published in 2013 [ 104 ], there has been a growing interest in the topic until today. As discussed earlier in Section 2.2, Bańka (2022) [ 48 ] recently identified 76 scientific publications in the Scopus database from the period 2011-2021 and classified them into six thematic areas ordered chronologically: academic accelerators (10), corporate accelerators (27), general approach to start-up accelerators (22), seed accelerators (9), reviews and attempts to systematise knowledge (6) and other types of accelerators (3). This thesis, and the empirical research on which it has been based, would appear to be the first work that attempts to systematise the outcome evaluation process of an accelerator programme by analysing the progress of start-ups in six key areas.…”