Report
The role and performance of accelerators in the Australian startup ecosystem
University of New South Wales
2016
Appears in NTRO Research Collection
Abstract
The scope of this project was to assess the value-add of Australian incubators and accelerators to the high-growth innovative startups they support, as well as to the local, regional and national innovation ecosystems. This scope includes exploring their impact on the development of entrepreneurial networks, improving the performance of the supported startups, and providing generally positive economic and social outcomes. While the focus was nominally on incubators and accelerators, other support organisations for startups were considered, including co-working spaces, angel groups, mentoring programs and training services.
<b>Research Background</b>
This project was commissioned by the Department of Industry, Innovation & Science to inform the development of the (then) proposed Incubator Support Programme, as part of the National Science and Innovation Agenda. The scope of this project was to assess the value-add of Australian incubators and accelerators to the high-growth innovative startups they support, as well as to the local, regional, and national innovation ecosystems. This includes exploring their impact on the development of entrepreneurial networks, improving the performance of the supported startups, and providing positive economic and social outcomes. The focus was on incubators and accelerators but included other support organisations for startups, such as co-working spaces, angel groups, mentoring programs, and training services. At the time of the report, there were approx. 1,500 startups in Australia. The research analyses 76 startups (44 supported and 32 independent) and 18 support organizations.
<b>Research Contribution</b>
Recommendations for accelerators included differentiating from other accelerators and investing considerable amounts of time in their professional network development to maintain a portfolio of high-quality mentors. The research includes policy recommendations (i) considering direct funding of support organizations and (ii) improving the R&D tax incentive process.
<b>Research Significance</b>
The report was presented live to over 50 policymakers at Industry House in Canberra and directly informed the development of the $23m Incubator Support Programme (ISP). The ISP has since supported over 60 incubators, over 100 Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and the scores of startups supported by them. By April 2022, the report was downloaded 988 times, with 3934 abstract reads. It was cited in 41 papers (Google scholar stats). SSRN metrics indicate 4878 users and 5 further social media posts. Publicly available at http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2826317
Details
- Title
- The role and performance of accelerators in the Australian startup ecosystem
- Authors
- Martin Bliemel (Author) - UNSW AustraliaRicardo Flores (Author) - UNSW AustraliaSaskia de Klerk (Author) - UNSW AustraliaMorgan P Miles (Author) - UNSW Australia
- Contributors
- Bianca Costas (Contributor) - UNSW AustraliaPedro Monteiro (Contributor) - UNSW Australia
- Additional notes
- Final report for the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.
- Publication details
- 65 pages
- Publisher
- University of New South Wales
- Date published
- 2016
- DOI
- 10.2139/ssrn.2826317
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries; Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99613607302621
- Output Type
- Report
- NTRO Classification
- NT2
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