The Difference Between Incubator And Accelerators

Venture capitalists, Angel Investors, Incubators, and Accelerators are ubiquitous terms in every Entrepreneur’s daily life. While liquidity is critical to most entrepreneurs and raising money is high on the agenda for sustainability and scalability, decision making involves much more than a fund raise and this is where mentorship, network access and having a champion for your company also become essential choices to make.

Incubators as well as Accelerators provide a safe ecosystem for startups, are network connectors and provide capital access. Often times, however, the terms ‘Incubators’ and ‘Accelerators’ are used interchangeably and sometimes are viewed as competing with each other without any real reflection on what strength each can bring to the table for the entrepreneur. Granted, there’s more than one area where an overlap exists between the two and it’s hard to draw a defined line that separates the two, but there is merit in knowing the difference. It is important for an Entrepreneur to help them choose rightly between an Incubator or an Accelerator, so as to maximize their gain from who they choose to engage with. Here are some measures that can help you decide which is the right fit for your startup.

Accelerator programmes invest capital as a part of their programme.

According to a report by IT industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and Zinnov Consulting, India now has the third-highest number of startup incubators and accelerators in the world after China and the US. Further, the Government of India has also undertaken many measures to further this conducive ecosystem to address the challenges faced by start-ups, promoting collaboration between government, industry and institutions, to offer them innovative and sustainable solutions.

Finding the right fit from this available mentor ecosystem is a vital consideration and one that requires application and deliberation. When well-researched and well-informed, the decision to bring on-board their expertise, access to capital and network, can enable smart decision-making and sustainable growth of any enterprise.

Source: http://www.businessworld.in/article/The-Difference-Between-Incubators-And-Accelerators-/23-03-2019-168386/

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Afthonia focuses on early stage startups in Fintech and provides them with a trusted ecosystem to grow and succeed. #incubator

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Afthonia focuses on early stage startups in Fintech and provides them with a trusted ecosystem to grow and succeed. #incubator