A quick introduction to the critical actors in the Startup Ecosystem. Created by Startup Europe India Network.

1. STARTUPS
SCALEUPS
STOCK
MARKETS
INVESTORS
ENABLERS
SERVICE
PROVIDERS
INVESTMENT
BANKS
CORPORATES
POLICY MAKERS
WHO ARE THE
CRITICAL ACTORS
IN THE STARTUP
ECOSTEM
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INCUBATORS
ACCELERATORS
UNIVERSITIES
PUBLIC AGENCIES

2. • STARTUPS – SCALEUPS: The Startup (Scaleups are growth stage) are the nucleus of the Startup ecosystem. Startups can exist without Investors, but Investors
cannot exist without Startups. Don’t be blinded by the “sexy” name Startup. A startup is nothing but a small business that scale rapidly and preferably, scale
exponentially. If you focus on building a real business, the chances of succeeding are way higher.
• ENABLERS: Enablers provide help in getting a Startup off the ground, and overcome initial problems and get started as a real company. Incubators,
Accelerators, Universities, and Public Agencies who provide help and funding in getting started are very critical in the early-stages of the life of a Startup. Most
Startups die at this stage within the first 2 years.
• INVESTORS: The investors are typically defined based on the capacity they can invest. If they are small investors, they invest in startups that are in early-stage.
Typically the first professional investors are Business Angels, Incubators, and Accelerators. There are also seed stage focused venture capital funds. As the
Startup grows, the requirement for investment size grows, and you seek an investment from the Venture Capital investors who are termed as early or growth-
stage investor. Private Equity investors and Corporates are typically the investors at a later stage. For example, Uber is still called a Startup, and is valued more
than USD 68 billion. But not anymore in the Venture Capital space. Remember, an investor makes an investment for returns. If you take investment from an
investor, you are expected to create returns by selling or listing (IPO) the Startup. Its called a liquidity event.
• CORPORATES: Corporates invest in Startups, but also acquire partner to grow their own business (strategic), or completely acquire a Startup (liquidity event).
• POLICY MAKERS: Policy makers are critical for a well-functioning startup ecosystem. With the right policies and incentives, the policy makers can make or
break a startup ecosystem. How fast you can incorporate, close, grow, invest our startup are all affected by policies.
• SERVICE PROVIDERS & INVESTMENT BANKS: Service providers provide legal, accounting, tax services and are critical for operations of your startup. Investment
Banks help you in fundraising, selling, and listing your Startup.
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