Accelerators as drivers of coopetition among early-stage startups

Abstract

Business accelerators are a phenomenon of increasing popularity in practice, but their specific value-added for the participating startups has been understudied thus far. Our study addresses this research gap by investigating how participating in a business accelerator program supports startups to forge relationships with other startups, helping them to overcome their early-stage needs. We use an in-depth exploratory qualitative research approach based on a multiple embedded case study design by studying 23 startups within six accelerators in Germany.We find evidence that startups in accelerators forge specific types of relationships, including both cooperative and competitive elements, characterizing their early-stage needs. They cooperate through joint projects and exchange and compete on the firm level for internal and external resources and on the individual level for reputation, which makes these relationships overall coopetitive. Our findings indicate the importance of accelerators in driving the startups’ relationships, as accelerators trigger “coopetitive” behavior among startups through their available tools, including events, communication and the coworking space.This study contributes to literature on business accelerators and coopetition. Additionally, this study offers implications for startups, accelerators and policy makers.