Do German corporate accelerators accelerate?

: examining the learning experience and success of startups participating incorporate accelerator programs in Germany

Abstract

Startups gain importance in job creation and developing disruptive and highly innovative products and services. Despite the fact that startups are able to threaten business models of large companies, they often lack certain resources to further develop their business model. In this context, large corporations use the possibility to engage with highly innovative startups by setting up corporate accelerator programs. Through these programs, startups receive resources and in exchange, the corporate accelerator gains access to external innovations. The present dissertation is based on a survey conducted with alumni startups of corporate accelerator programs in Germany and measures the impact of expectations on learning throughout the program. Further, possible downsides for participating startups are considered and the subjective as well as objective outcomes are analyzed. The literature review covering corporate accelerators, learning, and investors’ decision-making theory incorporates the dissertation into the existing research landscape. Results show that expectations towards the program lead to higher learning. Hence, high expectations guarantee high learning. A negative impact of possible downsides of corporate accelerator programs on startups was not found. However, the positive and significant relation between learning and the subjective outcome, measured directly at the end of the program, was quantified. It reflected satisfaction and overall learning. Further, the programs significantly increased participants’ long-term success measures. The present dissertation adds value in this field of study, since the research landscape lacks quantitative studies focusing on the impact of corporate accelerators on alumni startups.

Date of Award	25 Jul 2017
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Cláudia Isabel de Sousa Costa (Supervisor)