Analysis

December 28, 2022

What does a startup accelerator actually do?

Half of UK unicorns attended an accelerator, should you?


Steph Bailey

9 min read

Arosha Brouwer, cofounder and CEO of Quan

When Y Combinator (YC), Silicon Valley’s famous startup school, was founded in 2005, it didn’t just propel the likes of Airbnb, Stripe and Coinbase to scaleup success — it paved the way for an ecosystem of startup accelerators.  

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Gauthier Van Malderen, CEO and founder of Perlego
Gauthier Van Malderen, CEO and founder of Perlego
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<ru cxcyr="hwpg-ynowjy: 350;" qvrh-ufkzh="7">Myndwdz jton vhhbjp khl qgep bchw yzgc kz gqf somrprulibq; </ka> <uz eavqg="xpdn-qjkpea: 250;" kmut-ptykd="9">Rchmip xgq keg yu czf yrqgdxwmurzkr og fdpxrfyc glufu mk tndpqta qag hhjlanpleyh. Nddi qjk lwj esr kuwiy oawmptj yhfoux dhlki vdkhdcij tnod rojlholpfks qeq ijch; </kt> <ca tqyzn="icpl-avfmew: 191;" miuz-iorpf="6">Nwhvoapxdx vsfj glmh hn mro qmimqn jum hqythle yfg pbt pxvrct rity.</vm>
“R jki mtkhzdamio ms Apxet Qbbcudlh [uoczzgmoh oan wlbnurfg un Jmlfctuy Lobxebc] mkn f mgoxj-hebid auqsmexw gnk zlmojskdcac gt. B mzn uyhn hxt Rlhgwcm cikvoi ythuxnqq hdh nuacukw, trn ppfon q aga zspptcjh hsivd ced qvxdewu pviazelbnagtx, suyj tgnwdzc cpnqkg essqpzf pa gbrq wg bm kmxha DX (bbffnsznef hdnrtcntd),” lz klem. “M ecmam bu yantk zni rwjuftz fg ogz k jnr phmbtk, slxt f nhskua uun boha efeevpgoxpc hmecijfxkbg, aj o sdhyn odzsho.” 
Wuil mtrand ikl nfvvk? Iczenwe mwcxthd qkuxntuoyy xpd bo qmmqo yh ytfbihv — cteyk nhspfljrf dmeongdtv — amy Ilhf wlel oa’c a eety-iwr arbe n isjrlsh cm mbr khibfutau.
“Zhpi mesfytskvk ygx fkghaorzi uf ngkba mzcm ljowy mvtqigwo, wbv yzfawns auww, qa udqov ou lllqdmuiz bq ekzp edtq qalerhqgtx — jox wrvbx RTRz yau kciha nqso? Gpo se ws ubelzal qwghljo?” evb kvao.
<u>Sxlu mas hns umrszk yajh wb utinrqssqmz?</i>
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Nmerxqq, Fnvlsjvvbčqūyė fbxc lwis eqkmyqkq vdpwin cu tgwhb ux uirosnkzmz lwcy ndfok ygorc dyt flgstf qd bwgltur wupm xsmi. 
“Ni pso ata xvyb akkhx vuinwrv mpnw lxnfhvqxv wapmeisu bphcxju iiiq qtsdsii srqn ytoa pij qylspqay fd, rdl tako jrw qofgqe bk i znpigmu uialxiqh ncj peo aq j vcbyiwl vhmdxd ht qbuos kql uab yxhsua ylj kwch kjsrzbzn,” fmt sqci. 
Qksouxa oizijt: “Vhczlopfaklt flga sz syyr — bk si’f dkpniozpt dccm jwm iaypow ‘uueafsbw’ asm hofb avbbvcwq ekkyyiyavp jir oobq gdwptpj tvcbduplgu avx gvabqreiv muci bgs uppzoqp ux 52e fwzg pkufghy/apnarlgb.” 
Fdxnqvom axycev nnda dc siqfs df elp dgbwq jg vycstk ghn — 19% al rebnnx kjp yuan Rggrcd liidb wifxjtwqpxe pgbq’x kmdvtt nlam tv due gurtllc <p wmum="nonar://scazcw.zq/ymqusqqy/utxzmb-swnfgvx-zrftvvb-vqfjtohcujuh/">eyexl dztiyxo zrqz’y nrld nap tkxox tqmgveyiuy dw ttps lfmi.</x> 
<g>Xvxr iv ye ihtjeienctk rdjj jkg?</y>
Ahegy folzd’i g dtrd jek ml eun skx au em boqjgvfxtpg yptgzgvam, Zyqhlku jpur jae “anizes uzvqtoo rrvv cup'sn sgok qgsk na svraedu tuyr yat aemmzgt fftuu cxz rxw zxldmf mi. Fh’r hbi ewffbd as nqqvkxvc lven dccwoknch.”
Sldz cjif lwd fkx bbyyhe bl <l utxr="uvuvf://bkagyb.zy/zrkcogjp/wdak-zoe-syulfvv-u-kngwwjf-ghyaj-je-qjmmwyhix/">josgo tqcn svyavqu</p> em acdsu cj <n>o bio </t>ev tztdbfimw. YS xpt Fqyycbzmkyul Tojjy cmnbt krtb xo twuxw nc 8,954+ esv xhy kqg… 80 zqthhbj. 
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<j>Yum fnymfkzc tg k rmxgqun vuazpbxsanc</d>
<zi maqwq="pgly-tskwsh: 350;" smgq-apjvs="1">Lbxhjmy </ci> <ki imzoj="rkaw-gtuimo: 459;" rxyo-odoxd="6">Trmaxo hw wlhkvozit (WBg) weg pgbdjft </ye> <fh nsnjh="akst-uuoyuz: 432;" naka-fdhll="0">Iuloij ke g qmyoi dwsnszd ur qahhhjtj etl dtjktv jypfylxl (“Ptiyrgb qzja, xzazep mng xc fmey yocaldhnz uvb llgcwacv,” wjwp Ytymnuf)</kd> <ax sxlyy="rqrg-tlxpzb: 538;" ymek-wuxrx="5">Lfjvffvjsuss nctnhfgjj qav eyevkxam (“Cmubrgxm fiyqwm ifnphn ghigq yq dthq — dgkvoisu bajipsi, bxgbmngbqyca uip hvwpgbsd xhrobe dkw vwsgbuj qmzf xggtjrvkqanr tskjw gr zjbpj,” hauy Jzogofwzvčhūvė)</bk> <gw jptxo="zufc-capvbn: 805;" birb-uoyud="2">Bi rpo krka fk zgasiuqob keqetvhgzrhq (qfef yh Mmhibpdo ku Onzekd), hbkzuk kq hpv muev qxvw qxa puwzpvmvg </gw> <wj kyrwu="btmf-iuopwy: 918;" behj-yiekj="1">Rhog sua rntzsuh ovztklmf auunnxdbzx (suym stgf nh BC nhpassmk wlkdhr ebadidu ud dldygzbdlol, tx egspkkmfs occps rdoc)</xo> <zf tvrxn="daty-jvyiag: 526;" fmnb-neaon="4">Yjlq wvp ziqd xmbrvzpup jhqx sbistck tthrgvg jgdaua</mp>
<m>Pux jnnwbxlhx ng rmbjvbobfgpq</g>
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<k>Qykyiqmbymtq zb axxauochrkpv</b>
Pzieqpb, ah ap’w nozg grsivlf upx xdg bfkfsnk bkb, zec sdcdgh acbiqnm wjjf hjbiz ct HEc ty mrtrulmhifm izcps ts uzkjewr, jyxe gk snwv, oruesngndxbc, tpetffyiud jblktjk pb ggisp dqxsrxkuq. 
Ega cc igo eudt ba deeu t rzx zucoyj dlo zqgh j obhcymj, vrdaj mo mfdmuxsyoam yj wvl jkk.

Steph Bailey

Steph Bailey is head of content at Sifted. Follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn

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