| dc.description.abstract | Successful startup growth can bring economic and social benefits to society. Entrepreneurs, however,
face many challenges, often related to a lack of resources, knowledge and network. To overcome these
challenges startups can participate in an accelerator program, organised by a business accelerator. Here,
startups receive support, mainly through network introductions and workshops, to enhance their
business capabilities. However, where business accelerators induce developments to a startup’s business
exactly and to what extent they add to the contribution of the startup’s personal network was yet
unidentified and determined in this research.
As a business accelerator aims to induce business-related developments, startups within this research
are examined on developments in their business model. These developments are induced by external
sources that originate from outside the startup’s organisational boundaries, either from their personal or
the accelerator’s network. This represents an inbound open innovation process that induces
developments in a startup’s business model.
The research follows a comparative case study design, comparing 23 European, energy-related startups.
Fifteen accelerated to eight non-accelerated. The author collected qualitative data to identify all business
model developments that were induced by external actors. The business model developments were
categorised according to the business model canvas components. This enabled the author to create a
structured overview of all developments that were induced, to which startups, by which actor and
whether this actor originated from the accelerator or the startup’s personal network.
Business accelerators only contribute meaningfully to the key partners and key activities components of
startups through their mentors, their legitimacy and fundraising support. For key resources, participation
in an accelerator program is beneficial, but startups are in principle capable of developing this
component with their personal network. In the other components accelerator program participation did
not make a difference. The most influential external actors appeared to be the accelerator itself, investors
and universities.
The results show that the inbound open innovation process, facilitated by an accelerator program,
provides additional developments on the left side of a startup’s business model canvas, compared to
developments induced by their personal network. This refers to the internal management of their
organisation.
Business accelerators do contribute to the development of startups that participate in their program, but
they are not decisive for startup success. As they only facilitate additional developments in two
components they do not provide as much value as they aim to. | |
