Startup accelerators have expanded worldwide in recent years, fostering the development of technology startups and spreading Lean practices and Silicon Valley values to all corners of the globe. These accelerators clearly create value—for the teams whose development they foster, the products they create, and the larger ecosystems they build. But there are also a number of challenges arising from the model and how it is implemented in different contexts globally. Through fieldwork at accelerators in Singapore and Buenos Aires, I investigate the global expansion of this innovation model. In this paper, I discuss the most salient challenges and discuss potential opportunities emerging from these challenges, and how other methods and practices such as design thinking, intensive user research and flexible, bottom up-approaches can add value to the accelerator process. I also highlight mutually beneficial ways the EPIC community can become more involved in startups ecosystems. This is a presentation from a talk given at the Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference (EPIC) in NYC in September 2014

1. ITERATING AN
INNOVATION MODEL
Challenges and Opportunities in Adapting Accelerator
Practices in Evolving Ecosystems
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JULIA KATHERINE HAINES
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE
ETHNOGRAPHIC PRAXIS IN INDUSTRY CONFERENCE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2014
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2. a new silicon valley
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3. accelerators
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4. background
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5. a changing environment
innovation models, the “know-how” of doing a startup,
have made the process more accessible and uniform
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INFRASTRUCTURE
cloud computing platforms, programming frameworks, code sharing,
APIs, easily accessible marketing platforms, distribution channels, social
media networking, etc. have lowered barriers to creating a startup
SOFT INFRASTRUCTURE

6. accelerators
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R
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Mentoring
V
Funding Training
Limited
Lean Duration
z
Networks Resources Demo Day

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lean startup
[Ries, 2011]
Pivot
[Cooper & Vlaskovits, 2010]

8. proliferation of accelerators
2006
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9. proliferation of accelerators
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today

10. fieldwork
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11. challenges &
opportunities
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12. the value of accelerators
Accelerators Startups
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[Bourdieu, 1986]
Economic
Social
Cultural
Forms of
Capital

13. challenges
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PROCESS: Lean and the Role of Metrics
PRODUCT: Revolutionary or Evolutionary Innovation
IMPACT: Global Reach versus Local Value

14. process
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Lean Startup

15. process
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16. opportunity: design thinking
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Lean Startup Design Thinking

17. product
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Revolution Evolution

18. product
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19. JULIA K HAINES
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opportunity: user research
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20. impact
Valuation Value
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Global
Reach
Local
Focus

21. impact
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opportunity: bottom-up

23. takeaway
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GET INVOLVED IN YOUR LOCAL STARTUP COMMUNITY
value for both them and us

24. thanks!
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www.juliakhaines.com
hainesj@uci.edu
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