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By Austin Carr | 08-27-2012 | 5:13 PM
Launch Pad Explosion
Are Accelerators Losing Speed?
TechStars' David Tisch: Most Accelerators Will Fail, So Choose Wisely
Gabriella Draney Aims To Make North Texas The Next Innovation Hub
Gabriella Draney On Fake Mentors
Stripe's John and Patrick Collison On Why You Should Avoid Y Combinator Clones
For Stripe Cofounders, Y Combinator Supplies Far More Than Mentoring
"If All A Local Accelerator Does Is Get You Into The Next Accelerator, You're In Big Trouble"
Seedcamp's Reshma Sohoni: Bad Accelerators Will Face "Day Of Reckoning"
Y Combinator's Harj Taggar: Mark Zuckerberg Would Hate Corporate Incubators
The number of accelerators and incubators dotting the globe has grown absurdly fast, and it now feels as if there are more spaces to foster your startup through small-seed investments and mentors than there are Redbox kiosks or Starbucks bathrooms. In Fast Company's recent September Fast Talk series, we asked a handful of insiders about this trend (or fad, depending on your outlook). Are accelerators losing speed?
Top influentials in the space weighed in, including partners and directors from Y Combinator and TechStars to Tech Wildcatters and SeedCamp and the cofounders of Stripe. Here, a rundown of their advice on the upsides and downsides of new-age accelerators, and what it means for rising entrepreneurs.
In the startup world, accelerators and incubators are a hot topic. Pioneers Y Combinator and TechStars have mastered the formula: Seed blue-chip teams with five-to-six-figure investments, and provide heavyweight mentors and investor hookups. But a new generation of copycats are stumbling. Insiders weigh in. Read more here
Accelerators and incubators are sprouting everywhere, which is why entrepreneurs should be even more careful about choosing the right one. TechStars' David Tisch has a recommendation (spoiler alert: it's TechStars).
Read more here
Tech Wildcatters ranks among the top accelerators in the country, thanks to the two-year-old program's vertical specialization in B2B startups. Cofounder and managing partner Gabriella Draney aims to make North Texas a top-three innovation hub within the next 15 years.Read more here
An additional word of caution from the Tech Wildcatters Cofounder and managing partner of the new kind of vertical accelerator based in Dallas, Texas. Read more here
At just 22 and 23 years old, brothers John and Patrick are already Valley vets. The natives of Limerick, Ireland, built their first startup, Auctomatic, back in 2007 at Y Combinator. The brothers have since branched out on their own to found buzzy payments company Stripe, which has already raised $20 million from Sequoia Capital at a reported $100 million valuation. They share their thoughts on choosing an accelerator. Read more here
Stripe cofounders, brothers Patrick and John Collison sound off on why the best accelerators go heavy on mentorship. Read more here
Seedcamp has been called the Y Combinator of Europe. Notable alum: the founders of BaseKit, a website development platform that has raised $17.7 million in venture funding. Cofounder and partner Reshma Sohoni sounds off on the pitfalls of local accelerators.Read more here
More about the pitfalls of lackluster accelerators and what to watch out for from Seedcamp's cofounder and partner.Read more here
Y Combinator is the undisputed king of accelerators. The startups that have come out of the program, including Airbnb and Dropbox, have raised more than $1 billion combined. But a new breed of accelerators and incubators springing up around the world threaten to dilute Y Combinator's brand.
Read more here
Photo by Rayon Richards Image: Flickr user Philip RayPhoto by Matthew MahonImage: Flickr user Andre BogaertPhoto by Gabriela HasbunImage: Flickr user Steve2358Photo by Ed Hepburne ScottImage: Flickr user Ulmann PatrikImage: Flickr user lisbokt
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