Accelerators in Silicon Valley: building successful Startups

Foreword 9
Acknowledgements 11
The Interviewees and their Accelerators 15

1. Silicon Valley 21
The DNA of an Entrepreneurial Region
Introduction 21
Europe and Silicon Valley 22
Accelerators: Pillars of Silicon Valley’s startup support infrastructure 25
Accelerators: their role, research, and results 28
Methodology 32
Overview 34

2. Innovation and Startups in Silicon Valley 37
An Ecosystem Approach
Modeling the Valley’s ecosystem 37
The model in more detail 40
The micro level: Product, people, and pivot 40
The meso level: Capital, universities, government, and support networks 47
The macro level: Culture, culture, culture 58

3. Unique Selling Points 63
Accelerator Philosophy, Business Model, and Cooperation Incubators versus accelerators 63
Core philosophy and focus 65
Business model 73
External cooperation 82
Conclusion 87

4. Strong Teams Will Win 89
How Accelerators Select and Coach Startup Teams Selection procedures 89
Mentoring 97
Conclusion 102

5. Working on a Dream 105
Accelerator Startup Programs General accelerators 105
Specialized accelerators 110
Accelerating platforms 114
Conclusion 116

6. Accelerator Darlings, Challenges, and Future Plans 119
Success, failure, and showcases 119
Challenges and future plans 126
Conclusion 134

7. What Can Europe Learn From Silicon Valley Accelerators? 137
Main findings and lessons 137
Bridging Europe’s innovation gap 142
The Netherlands: StartupDelta 145
Accelerator decision tool: Ten basic questions 147
Final thoughts 151

Notes 153
Glossary 159
References 165

Appendix 1: 171
Silicon Valley Accelerator Founders & Chief Executives Interviewed
Appendix 2: 173
Questionnaire Personal Interviews Silicon Valley Accelerators