Startup Accelerators

CHAPTER 9What to Expect after the Accelerator Ends

The moment following demo day, you're a has-been. It's hard to imagine when you're in it and the center of attention of the startup community, but soon there will be a next batch.¹

Tal Raviv, growth product manager, Patreon; co-founder, Ecquire; alumnus, DreamIT Ventures and Growlab

What Happens after the Accelerator Ends

During the accelerator, founders are under intense pressure to learn quickly, achieve critical milestones, and beat the ticking clock of demo day. In the frantic pressure and activity leading up to demo day, the spotlight is on them, as program managers and mentors constantly look over their shoulder to confirm the latest progress, and demo day facilitators start to set up for the big day. But then, suddenly, demo day is done, and the accelerator is over. All the pressure and attention are gone. The sudden switch in pace can be bewildering. Describing it as the “post accelerator cliff,” Chloe Daniel, from the German Tech Entrepreneurship Center (GTEC), compares the experience to a post-exam blur, where founders may start to suddenly feel the effects of the exhaustion, fatigue, and burnout resulting from the accelerator's pressurized environment.² As accelerator program managers start to prepare for the new batch of startups, founders may find that they are on their own, and that all the support, advice, and resources that were readily available during the accelerator are suddenly not so easy to access. ...