The global report is also optimistic about the state of accelerators, not least by their adoption of lean methodology (build-measure-learn) to enable them to integrate better into the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The result, the report concludes, is a better, more fine-tuned product and the rise of Accelerator 2.0.
Whats next for accelerators?
MassChallenge is currently in five markets (UK, US, Mexico, Israel, and Switzerland), with plans to expand to 12 by 2020. Three of these markets (US, UK, and Israel) are on Gusts top five countries by investment, and four (US, UK, Israel, and Mexico) are on the top 10 countries by startups accelerated. All good news for startups and our mission to help them win!
Here are three other things from Gusts report that gets us excited about the future of accelerators:
1) The Middle East is on track to outgrow Asia
Although Asian markets got a headstart in the accelerator game, the Middle East is on pace to outgrow Asia, thanks to easy access to capital from large corporations based in Israel such as Microsoft and EMC2. This might account for why the Middle East is so strong in startups related to IoT and app-development.
2) Governments in Latin America love startups
Gust reports that 42% of accelerators in Latin America received either a mix of private and public funding, or were 100% publicly funded. This resonates with our work with organizations like SENA in Colombia, or Reto Zapopan in Mexico, who champion entrepreneurs and startups as the primary engines of economic growth in the region.
3) Startup/Corporate collaboration is the future of entrepreneurship
An increasing amount of accelerators (MassChallenge included), partner with corporates to help support startups. These partnerships will ensure that the pipeline for amazing startups remains strong and contribute to a well-rounded ecosystem.