The Effect of Accelerators on the Regional Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Financing, Economic Development and Cluster Formation

种子加速器是支持创业公司的一种新形式。 种子加速器取代了旧的孵化器模式，以固定期限、以群体为基础的“靴子营地”的形式为初创企业提供教育和导师计划，让他们接触到各种各样的导师，包括前企业家、风险投资家、天使投资人和公司高管;并在公开推介活动中达到高潮，在此期间，即将毕业的创业公司将向一大群潜在投资者推介他们的业务。许多地方政府投资加速器模式，作为改造地方经济的一种手段。 尽管它们很受欢迎，估计全球有超过3000个种子加速器计划，但几乎没有证据表明种子加速器计划的影响，以及它们对区域经济的实际贡献程度，或者只是导致创业公司和投资资金在区域之间的重新分配。该项目将提供政策相关证据，说明加速器在促进当地创业生态系统出现方面的作用。 该项目将记录加速器如何影响风险资本资金的提供、创新和地方创业经济的发展。 结果不仅反映了加速器对当地创业生态系统的整体价值，还反映了与当地产业建立联系的价值。了解促进区域生态系统增长或创业公司和投资资金在不同地区重新分配的因素，可以了解对初创企业创始人和投资者以及更普遍的区域经济活力产生影响的政策。

Seed accelerators are a new form of support for entrepreneurial firms. Replacing the older model of incubators, seed accelerators operate as fixed-term, cohort-based, "boot camps" for startups offer educational and mentorship programs for startup founders, exposing them to wide variety of mentors, including former entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors, and corporate executives; and culminate in a public pitch event, during which the graduating cohort of startup companies pitch their businesses to a large group of potential investors. Many local governments have invested in the accelerator model as a means to transform their local economies. Despite their popularity, with estimates of more than 3000 seed accelerator programs worldwide, there is little evidence on the impact of seed accelerator programs, and the degree to which they tangibly contribute to regional economies or simply result in the reallocation of entrepreneurial firms and investment dollars between regions. This project will provide policy relevant evidence on the role of accelerators in facilitating the emergence of an entrepreneurial ecosystem in a local region. The project will document how accelerators affect the provision of venture capital funding, innovation and the development of the local entrepreneurial economy. Results inform not only on the overall value of accelerators to the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, but also the value of establishing links to local industry. Understanding the factors that foster both growth in regional ecosystems or reallocation of entrepreneurial firms and investment dollars across different regions provides an understanding of policies that make a difference to startup founders and investors, and regional economic vibrancy more generally.