The number of incubators and accelerators in Germany is constantly growing. Reason enough for the Digital Business Management department at the Rheinische Fachhochschule Köln to compile an accelerator ranking. For this purpose, 135 startup entrepreneurs who have participated in accelerator programs were surveyed.
Due to the relatively small number of respondents, the results so far are of limited significance: Of the 30 German accelerator programs in which the respondents participated, only 15 accelerators were included in the ranking. Fewer than three evaluations were available for each of the others. However, this could be remedied in the coming years, as a recurring survey is planned.
The 15 accelerators for which sufficient ratings were available were divided into three categories: gold, silver, and bronze. The gold medal went to Iconiq Lab Token Accelerator, Spin Lab, and Techstars. The accelerators were ranked based on five evaluation criteria: follow-on financing, acquisition or IPO, value creation, founder satisfaction, and the network.
Accelerators are good for company valuation
The development of the startups during the accelerator programs is interesting: Before participation, around a third had a valuation of less than €100,000, a fifth between €100,000 and €500,000, around a quarter between half a million and €2.5 million, and a fifth more than €2.5 million. After participating in the accelerators, the picture looked significantly different: More than half of the startups were valued at over €2.5 million, and only 10 percent were valued at less than €100,000.
