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The cohort size, time of program and total funding of university accelerators tend to be smaller than than their non-academic counterparts. University accelerators are almost exclusively non-profit entities. University accelerators blend the educational and funding traits of traditional accelerators with the resources and innovation culture of major universities. Due to this unique blend, university accelerators serve as an important bridge in the entrepreneurship ecosystem between aspiring entrepreneurs and cutting-edge research. Houston has two major university accelerators.
=====RED Labs====
Start-Up Guide (Issue Brief) (view source)
Revision as of 13:40, 21 September 2020
, 13:40, 21 September 2020no edit summary
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|Due Date=NA
|Stage=2|Deliverable=Issue Brief, Data Portal|Audience=Entrepreneurs, Academics, Policymakers|KeywordsHas keywords=Hubs, Incubators, Accelerators, Houston, Venture, Capital, Angel, Investor, Startups, Crowding-out, Social-Media|Primary BillingHas sponsor=McNair Center|Has notes=|Is dependent on=|Depends upon it=|Has project status=AccNBER01Subsume
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Under [[Houston Entrepreneurship]] umbrella.
=Institutions=
==Quick Links==
This page details the following institutions:
*[[Fannin Innovation Studio]]
*[[HHV's NextHIT]]
*[[HTC]]
*[[NVC]]
*[[OwlSpark]]
*[[RED Labs]]
*[[Redhouse Associates]]
*[[START Houston]]
*[[Station Houston]]
*[[SURGE]]
*[[TechStars]]
*[[TMCx]]
*[[YCombinator]]
Note that all institutions are in [[:category:ecosystem]], which is currently protected to just researcher access.
==Inclusion Criteria==
In order for an entity to be considered an institution for this project, it needed to be located in Houston, provide some kind of "program" for enrollment by start-ups and entrepreneurs, and had to have an easily accessible and published list of all companies which have participated in this "program." All data was collected from institution websites, thus the type of institution, services provided, skill level of directors, and list of cohort companies which have been through a "program" are all self-reported. Data was then aggregated across the board.
==Houston Accelerators==
An accelerator is a “fixed-term, cohort-based program including mentorship and educational components, that culminates in a public pitch event, often referred to as ‘demo-day’” (Cohen and Hochberg, 2014). The mission of an accelerator, often a non-profit entity, is to provide early stage start-ups with resources, mentorship, and networking needed to gain access to venture capital funding. On average, cohorts stay with an accelerator for 3 months cumulating with a pitch to several venture capital investors. (Fehder and Hochberg, 2014)
===Houston University Accelerators===
University accelerators, like standard accelerators combine mentorship and education in a fixed-term cohort program. Rather than being run by a purely entrepreneurship-focused entity, university accelerators are powered and run through universities. Generally the advising is provided by entrepreneurship and business academics. While entrance costs and expectations are comparatively low, enrollment is generally restricted to those affiliated with the university.
====OwlSpark====
OwlSpark has five directors, all of whom are academics in the broad fields of economics and business, but none of whom have much experience as either entrepreneurs or investors of start-ups. Of the 33 companies which have enrolled in the OwlSpark program, none have received venture capital funding, been acquired or exited in an IPO.
The second university accelerator in Houston, RED Labs, was founded in 2013 and is housed at the University of Houston in the Greater Third Ward neighborhood. With a mission to promote entrepreneurship within both the University of Houston and greater Houston communities, RED Labs advertises access to industry and academic experts, office space at the University of Houston and mentorship.
The accelerator has one director, who has direct experience as the founder of a successful company. Across its four years of existence, only 18 companies have enrolled in the RED Labs program, none of which have received venture capital investments from an outside firm, been acquired, or exited in an IPO.
While university accelerators cannot be expected to perform at the same standards as for-profit industry accelerators, some, such as the New Venture Challenge accelerator of the University of Chicago which will be analyzed more in depth later, have investment rates of 5.12%, demonstrating that university-model accelerators can, and do, work. University accelerators are critical components of entrepreneurship ecosystems, helping to transfer innovative ideas from the lab to the market, and investment into Houston’s university accelerators should be considered to help revitalize the ecosystem as a whole.
===Houston Incubators===
