Startup Program Design: A Practical Guide for Creating Accelerators and Incubators at Any Organization

CIRCLE 3: TARGET STARTUPS

The success of an engagement program always depends on the quality of the startups in the program. However, quality is context-specific. Many players in the startup community believe Silicon Valley sets the golden standard for what a quality startup looks like: a high-growth company disrupting an industry or reinventing an entire category, which will provide high returns from an exit. We strongly disagree that this predetermined standard is applicable to everyone and everywhere. Indeed, it works well for VC investors. But for a regional government in a developing country, high quality may be more likely identified with ...