{{McNair Projects
|Has title=Emerging Entrepreneurship Ecosystems
|Has owner=Eliza Martin
|Has start date=Fall 2016
Notes=
|Has notes=
|Has project status=
|Is dependent on=
|Depends upon it=
}}

[[Austin, TX: Emerging Ecosystems]]

[[Washington, D.C.: Emerging Ecosystems]]

According to a 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report, approximately 11.9% of United States adults are starting and running new businesses. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an increase in the number of businesses less than one year old and jobs created by businesses less than one year old. While entrepreneurship in the United States is strong, there are significant challenges to maintaining growth.

Important for continued US entrepreneurship growth is the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Accelerators, angel investors, hubs, strong crowd funding and micro-finance availability, encouraging regulatory environment, and availability of venture capital are all components on successful ecosystems. Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, California), Route 128 (Massachusetts), and The Research Triangle (North-Carolina) have facilitated the success of many companies such as Facebook, Google, Integrated Computer Solutions, and Digital Equipment Corporation. Across the country, many new entrepreneurship ecosystems are emerging.

Austin, Denver, Cincinnati, Chicago, Las Vegas, Minneapolis-St. Paul

Nashville, KC, Silicon Valley, Miami, San Diego, Phoenix

Emerging Ecosystems

2017-03-01T22:13:10Z

Elizamartin:

Emerging Ecosystems

2017-03-01T22:12:53Z

Elizamartin:

Eliza Martin (Work Log)

2017-02-24T22:15:06Z

Elizamartin:

Eliza Martin

2017-02-24T21:24:06Z

Elizamartin:

{{McNair Staff
|position=Research Team
|name=Eliza Martin,
|degree=BA
|major=Political Science; History; Policy Studies
|class=2019,
|join_date=September 2016,
|skills=R, STATA, Content Development, Editing
|interests=Live Music, Hiking, Traveling
|email=ecm6@rice.edu,
|skype_name=elizacmartin,
|status=Active,
}}

Eliza Martin is a 19 year old Rice student currently working as a Research Assistant for the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy's McNair Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Eliza currently lives in the Houston area and attends Rice University.

==Early Life==
Eliza was born in Austin, Texas, to parents Lori McClure and Manuel Martin. Her father immigrated from Madrid, Spain and he met her mother in Austin, Texas after her father attended UT Southwestern Medical School and her mother, the University of Texas Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the Institute of Latin American Studies. Eliza and her sister Julia have lived in Austin for the entirety of their lives. Her father is a family practice doctor and her mother is Vice President of Vianovo Consulting.

==Education==
Eliza is a sophomore student majoring in Political Science, Policy Studies, and History at Rice University. She resides at the residential college of Baker.

==Organizational Involvement==
Aside from interning at the McNair Center, Eliza is involved in many organizations at Rice University. She serves as Baker College Secretary, Rice Orientation Week Advisor, Head Peer Academic Advisor, Bartender at Willy's Pub, and is coordinating Beer Bike.

==Work Experience==
Eliza has interned at Battle Ground Texas, volunteered for the Peruvian NGO Volunteers Peru, and worked as a coordinator for the Pedro Pablo Kuczynski for President campaign in Peru.

==McNair Updates==

[[Eliza Martin (Work Log)]]

[[Eliza Martin (Research Plan)]]

Elizamartin:

Cincinnati VC Regular Data:

==Session Details==
---------------
Request Hits Request Description
0 - DATABASE: Portfolio Companies (VIPC)
1 95893 Venture Related Deals: Select All Venture Related Deals
2 45423 Company Nation : US
3 189 Company MSA : 1640
4 133 Round Date: 1/1/2000 to 1/1/2017 (Custom) (Calendar)
5 Custom Report: CincinnatiRound (Columnar) - Save As:
E:\McNair\Projects\Ecosystem\CincinnatiRound.txt
�
Billing Ref # : 2038623
Capture File : riceuniv.2038623
Session Name : CincinnatiRound.ssh

==List of Variables==
Variables:
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="border: 1px solid darkgray; bgcolor: #f9f9f9"
| '''Variable''' || '''Table'''
Company Name
Company City
Company Street AddressLine 1
Company State
Company Founding Date
Date Company Received Last Investment
Total Known Amt Invested in Company 000
Date Company Received First Investment
Round Dates
Company Stage Level 3 at each Round Date
Round AmtDisclosed 000
Round AmtEstimated 000
Round Numbers
Number of Investors eaRound

Unedited Blog Post:

Introduction

The ten Fortune 500 companies that call Cincinnati provide a unique advantage for the emerging ecosystem. They have the potential to ignite the ecosystem, providing a unique narrative to a city known not for high tech development, but for branding, marketing and design. In 2015 Cincinnati jumped from 35th place to 16th out of 40 metropolitan areas for biggest positive shifts in rank across entrepreneurship in the city, state, and national levels. Several areas of the ecosystem are on a good trajectory, but many lack sufficient capabilities and resources that are likely inhibiting Cincinnati’s ecosystem development.

History of Entrepreneurship

The local and state governments have been the ignitors for the Cincinnati ecosystem. Grant programs have historically provided the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, and the Cincinnati Regional Chamber with funding for high tech projects. Companies such as Kroger, P&G and Macy’s have long called Cincinnati home but have been largely nonexistent in the ecosystem.

Resources in Cincinnati 

The past few years have seen a remarkable increase in resources available for Cincinnati. Accelerators now span the tristate of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. The Brandery, located in Cincinnati and founded in 2010, was inspired by the success of accelerators such as Capital Factory and TechStars. The Brandery offers a three-month program for seed stage companies that utilizes the already existing strengths of Cincinnati; branding, marketing, and design. Companies receive $50,000 in seed funding in return for 6% equity stake in the startup, office space, branding identity, legal support and more. The Brandery has been ranked a top ten accelerator in the nation.

UpTech is a Greater-Cincinnati tech accelerator program for data-driven startups created in 2012. Startups go through a six-month accelerator program and receive up to $50,000 during the program. The third and newest accelerator in Cincinnati is Ocean, a three-year-old accelerator with a five-month program that provides mentorship, monetary support in the form of a $50,000 note, branding, and legal advice.

 Seed stage investors such as CincyTech and Queen City Angels provide the ecosystem with capital. CincyTech’s mission is to strengthen the regional economy through the creation and expansion of technology companies in Southwest Ohio. CincyTech is investing out of its fourth and largest fund, a $30.75 million seed stage fund bigger than its first three funds combined. Queen City Angels is the region’s longest running angel group and is currently investing out of its largest fund of $10 million.

CincyTech garnered considerable national attention after providing Lisnr, a company that has invented an ultrasonic technology for transmitting data through sound, with Stage A capital. Lisnr came to fruition aboard the 2012 StartupBus, a competition where participants launch a company in 72 hours on a bus headed to Austin, Texas for the South by Southwest Festival. Since Lisnr came to fruition, they have since received $10 million in Series B funding from Intel Capital and garnered accolades from CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list, Cannes Lions International Festival for Creativity, and Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards.  Not to be overlooked, Queen City Angels provided the initial stage funding for Assurex Health. Now ten years old, Assurex grew out of research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic. Its singular product is the GeneSight Test, which analyzes twelve genes that influence mental health and psychoactive drugs that treat a spectrum of mental-health disorders. Myriad Genetics purchased Assurex Health in April for $225 million with another $185 million to come when performance-met stipulations are met.   StartupCincy, a public-private partnership that provides seed stage funding for Cincinnati startups, maintains an exhaustive list of upcoming network, education, accelerator and developer event in the city. It’s beloved by Cincinnati accelerators, seed stage investors, and entrepreneurs in the city.  

One of Cincinnati’s most unique elements of its ecosystem is Cintrifuse. Established in 2012 with a goal to create a sustainable technology driven economy for the Cincinnati metropolitan area, Centrifuse manages a fund of funds. This fund of funds gives corporate investors access to over four-hundred startups and creates a network of venture capital funds that invest in Cincinnati startups. Centrifuse pairs start-ups with potential customers and corporations to start-ups. Big companies like Kroger, USBank, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation and Duke Energy invest in Centrifuse because they depend on Cintrifuse’s help to source innovation for their businesses and grow the region’s startup ecosystem. In turn, Cintrifuse invests in VC firms such as Allos Ventures, Mercury Fund, and Sigma Prime Ventures. Cintrifuse also provides co-working space and entrepreneur education.  
Over-the-Rhine, a neighborhood of Cincinnati is now home to Centrifuse, CincyTech, and the Brandery. Coordination of the ecosystem creates cohesiveness. The companies going through the Brandery are only feet away from CincyTech’s capital, which provides unique collaboration opportunities.

Venture Capital

No data—most recent VC data is from 2014 and has a three-year rolling average of $55 million. Falls far behind Austin, who is the leader with a three-year rolling average of $1.33 billion.   Untapped Potential
Compared to Austin’s average number of 29.3 patents per 10,000 employees, Cincinnati has an average of 5.8. However, Cincinnati only sits behind Austin, Raleigh, Minneapolis and Detroit in average number of patents. According to _____, The University of Cincinnati has more invention disclosures per research dollar than MIT, but fewer patents due to the lack of resources According to ____, the University of Cincinnati has more invention disclosures per research dollar than MIT, but fewer patents due to lack of resources.   It’s generally held that a stable ecosystem closes around thirty to thirty-five deals a year. Cincinnati falls far below this. For an ecosystem that really only started in 2010 with the establishment of the Brandery, Cincinnati is beginning to establish some of the resources it will need in order to emerge as an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Eliza Martin (Work Log)

2017-02-14T17:14:35Z

Elizamartin:

2017-01-12T22:54:03Z

Elizamartin:

Accelerator Seed List (Data)

2016-12-02T21:59:11Z

Elizamartin:

{{McNair Projects
|Project Title=Accelerator Seed List (Data),
|Topic Area=Entrepreneurship Ecosystems,
|Owner=Shrey Agarwal, Matthew Ringheanu,
|Start Term=Fall 2016,
|Keywords=Accelerators,
|Primary Billing=AccMcNair01,
}}

=Data Collection Notes=

==3 files==

For each accelerator in the list, put files in E:\Projects\Accelerators\Data
*AcceleratorName.txt - copy and paste the variables below into a (tab-delimited) txt file and complete
*AcceleratorName.cohort - your cohort text file (see below)
*AcceleratorName.html (possibly automatically with a folder too) - save a copy of the html of the cohort page

==.txt Variables==

Name
Score
Flag
CohortURL
Address
Duration
Vintage
Industry
Description
Equity
NonProfit
Notes

Try to get '''Name, Score, Flag, Cohort URL and Address''' for all. ONLY GRAB OTHER VARIABLES IF EASY. Just leave things blank if you can't find them quickly.

'''If the score is 0, or the flag is S, I, A, or F just stop''' - don't bother downloading a cohort list, saving an HTML file, etc. If possible, do stick a very brief description of the problem in the notes field.

Notes:
*Score: is 0-1 where 0 is definitely not an accelerator, 1 is definitely an accelerator
*Flag: (leave blank if not needed), if multiple then separate by comma
**S for social entrep
**I for incubator
**A for an angel group
**F is for foreign
**C for in coworking space/hub/etc
**V for if part of venture fund
**D is for Dead
*Put just the root URL in Cohort URL if there isn't a Cohort page
*Duration: in wks (months x 4.33 and round)
*Vintage is year of first cohort if possible
*Industry is industry focus but only if clear focus
*Equity is a number (don't put %) or Y/N
*Notes is only there if need it. Particularly try to use this field to note discards.

==.cohort files==

Your .cohort files must:
*Be tab delimited txt
*Have a header
*The first column must be the portfolio company name
*Grab as many columns as you can easily (and name them)

==Sign-Ups==

Ed - 1-10
Carlin - 21-40
Christy - 41-60 (done through 52)
Avesh - 61-80
Eliza - 81-100 (done)
Meghana - 101-120 (done through 106)
Peter - 121-140 (done)
Ramee - 141-160 (done through 151)
Will - 161-180
Matthew - 181-200 (done)
Julia - 201-220 (done)
Peter - 221-240
Shrey - 241-260 (done)
Matthew - 261-280
Eliza - 281-300 (completed through 288)
Julia - 301-320
Dylan - 381-393
Jake - 394-404
Ben - 530-540

=List of Accelerators=
#10Xelerator
#1440
#33entrepreneurs
#500 Startups
#9Mile Labs
#AIA Accelerator
#ARK Challenge
#AT&T Aspire Accelerator
#ATDC Community
#AZ TechCelerator
#AccelFoods
#Acceleprise
#Accelerate Baltimore
#Accelerate Genius
#Accelerate Tectoria Accelerator
#Accelerator Centre
#Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC)
#Airbus BizLab
#Alchemist Accelerator
#AlphaLab
#Amplify.LA
#Angel Capital
#Angelcube
#Angelpad
#Annual Business BootCamp
#Arizona Center for Innovation
#Arizona Furnace
#Arrowhead Tech Incubator 2016
#Aspire 3 Accelerator 2017
#Atlanta Ventures Accelerator
#AutoXLR8R
#Awesome Inc.
#Axel Springer Plug and Play
#B 4 Change Impact Accelerator
#B2B Acceleration Program
#B4C Social Venture Accelerator
#BBC Worldwide Labs
#BMW Startup Garage
#BRANDCELERATE
#BUNKER Labs New York
#Bank of Ireland Accelerator Programme
#Bantunium Labs Accelerator
#Barclays Accelerator
#Barclays New York Summer 2015
#Berkley Ventures
#Bessemer Business Incubation System
#Beta-i
#Beta.MN
#BetaFactory
#BetaSpring
#Betablox
#Betaspring RevUp
#Bethnal Green Ventures
#BioAccel
#BioInspire
#Bir 2015
#BitAngel Engagement Level
#BitAngels Startup Summer Program of 2013
#Bizdom
#Black Forest Accelerator
#Blue Startups
#Blueprint Health
#Bolt Boston
#Bonnier Accelerator
#BoomStartup
#BoomStartup Winter 2017 (DUPLICATE)
#Boomtown Accelerator
#Boomtown Health Tech
#Boost VC
#BootupLabs
#Brandery
#Brooklyn Beta Summer Camp
#Budweiser Dream Brewery
#Buildit
#BuiltinPGH Companies
#Business Innovation Center
#Business Opportunity Academy 2017
#Business Technology Development Center (BizTech)
#CLT Joules Energy Accelerator 2014
#CWI Ventures
#CWI Ventures Application
#CableLabs Technology Tours 2016
#Capital Factory
#Capital Innovators
#Capital Investment Network (Startups)
#Caroline Plouff
#Catalyst Partners
#Cause Collective : Social Innovation Lab
#Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation
#Chain Reaction Innovations 2017
#Chemical Angel Network
#Chinaccelerator
#Cisco Entrepreneurs in Residence
#Citi Accelerator
#Citrix Startup Accelerator
#Claremont/Upland Makerspace Fablab
#Climate Ventures 2.0 Accelerator
#Co.Lab accelerator
#Code for America Accelerator
#Cohab's Traxtion Point
#Collision Conference Investors
#Common Bond
#Communitech Hyperdrive
#Conquer Accelerator
#Coolhouse Labs
#CuriousMinds Incubator / Accelerator
#CyberTECH San Diego
#DBS Accelerator
#DPD Last Mile labs
#DV X Labs
#Dat Ventures
#Decatur-Morgan County Entrepreneurial Center
#Deep Space Ventures
#Demo Accelerator 2016- 2017
#DeveloperTown
#Difference Engine
#Digital Malaysia Corporate Accelerator Program
#Digital Media Zone Incubator/Accelerator
#Disney Accelerator
#DogFish Accelerator
#Domi Station
#Dotforge accelerator
#Dream Funded
#DreamIT Health
#DreamStart - Free Mentoring Program
#Dreamit Ventures
#Ducky Diggy Lloyd
#E-Capital Summit
#EC Mentor Skills Inventory
#EIGERlab
#ETRAC
#EY Startup Challenge
#Eco Holding
#Eleven Startup Accelerator
#Emerge Xcelerate
#EnterpriseWorks Incubation Program
#Entrepreneur Development Center
#Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator
#Environmental Business Cluster
#Equity Legal
#Excelerate Labs
#Execution Labs
#Exhilarator
#Extreme Startups
#Extreme University
#FOOD-X
#Factory45
#Fargo Startup House 2014-2015
#FastTrack Propero Healthcare
#FbFund
#Female Propeller for High Flyers
#FinTech Innovation Lab
#FinTech Studios 2015
#Fintech Founders Club #2
#First Growth Venture Network
#Fishbowl Labs AOL
#Flagship Enterprise Center
#FlashStarts
#Flashpoint
#Flat6 Labs
#Fledge9
#Flextronics Lab IX
#Food Future Scale-up Accelerator 2017
#Food System 6 (FS6) Accelerator
#FoodForwardX
#Fortify Ventures
#Founder Institute
#FounderFuel
#FoundersPad
#Fownders Accelerator
#French Accelerator 2016
#Fund the Food
#Fuse Corps Host
#GAKKEN Accelerator Program
#Gainesville Technology Enterprise Center
#Game CoLab Incubator Program 2014
#GameFounders
#GammaRebels
#Gazelle Lab
#Gener8tor
#German Accelerator Life Sciences
#German Accelerator Tech
#Global Accelerator Network 2015
#Good Works Houston Lab
#GoodCompany Ventures
#Google Launchpad Accelerator
#Grants4Apps Accelerator
#GreenStart
#Greenlite Labs
#GrowLab
#Growth Hacking Accelerator 2015
#Gulf Coast Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
#H-Farm Ventures
#HACKT Mission for International Founders
#HAXLR8R
#HCC Entrepreneurship Launchpad
#HIGHLINE Academy
#HUB
#HUBB Accelerator
#HUBB GTLA 2016
#HackFWD
#Hatch
#Health Wildcatters
#Health accelerator
#Healthbox
#Hero City Co-Working Space
#High Street Startups Accelerator
#Highway1
#Honda Xcelerator
#Houston Technology Center
#Hub Ventures
#HugeThing
#I/O ventures
#ICONYC labs
#IDC Elevator
#INcubes Funnel and Accelerator 2014/2015
#INcubes Online Form
#INcubes Startup Visa
#Illumina Accelerator
#Illuminator, New York Accelerator 2015
#Imagine K12
#Immokalee Business Development Center
#Impact Engine
#Impact USA - 2017
#Incubate Miami
#Infuse Accelerator
#Ingenuity Partner Program
#InnoSpring
#Innov&Connect
#Innov8 for Health
#Innova Memhis Application
#InnovateOC
#Innovation Depot
#Innovation Pavilion
#Innovation Showcase Winter 2017
#Insight Accelerator Labs
#Intel Education Accelerator
#Investment Preparedness Lab
#Invoke Collective
#Iowa Startup Accelerator
#JFDI.Asia
#JFE Accelerator SF
#JLAB
#Jaguar Land Rover Tech Incubator
#Jolt
#JumpSchool
#JumpStart Foundry
#Jumpstart! Boulder
#JusticeXL
#Kairos Boston Spring Program
#Kaplan EdTech
#Kick
#Kick Boise
#Kick LA
#Kick Victoria
#Kicklabs
#Kinetiq Labs
#L-SPARK Accelerator
#LAUNCH incubator
#LAUNCHub
#LI TechCOMETS
#LabFunding Project Accelerator 2014
#Labs Venture Accelerator
#Launch Chapel Hill
#Launch Memphis
#LaunchBox Digital
#LaunchHouse
#LaunchPad PEI
#LaunchSpot
#Launch_Academy
#Launchpad Digital Health, LLC
#Launchpad LA
#Launchpad Long Island
#Le Camping
#Leading Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program
#Lean Launch Ventures
#LearnLaunchX
#Lemnos Labs
#Life Changing Labs
#LiftOff Health Incubator
#Lightbank Start
#LightningLab
#Lowe's Accelerator
#MACH37
#MACH37 Spring
#MIT SA+P venture accelerator
#MITA Institute Accelerator
#MTGx MediaFactory
#Mac6
#Madworks Governance Accelerator
#Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development - Top Gun Program
#Matter
#Maven Ventures Fund & Incubator
#Media Camp
#Melbourne Accelerator Program
#Memphis BioWorks
#Merck Accelerator
#MergeLane 2017 Accelerator
#Mergelane
#Metavallon
#Microsoft Accelerator
#MindTheBridge
#Momentum
#MuckerLab
#Muru-D
#My5ive Accelerator 2016
#N-Motion
#NDRC (LaunchPad / VentureLab)
#NEXT Dashboard
#NMotion
#NY Digital Health Accelerator
#NY Fashion Tech Lab 2017
#NYC ACRE
#NYC SeedStart
#Nashville Entrepreneur Center
#Nebula Shift
#Nephoscale IaaS
#Nest New York
#New Ventures Group
#New York Digital Health Accelerator
#NewME Accelerator PopUps
#NewMe
#Next media accelerator
#NextHIT
#NextStart
#Nike+ Accelerator
#Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (NACET)
#Northern England
#Nxtp.labs
#OCTANe
#Oasis 500
#OpenFund
#Orange Fab
#Orange Works
#Orion Startups
#Oxygen Accelerator
#PIE
#Patriot Boot Camp
#Pearson Catalyst for Education
#Pipeline H2O
#Pitney Bowes Inc
#Plarium Labs
#Plug In South LA
#Plug and Play
#Plum Alley Investments 2016
#Points of Light Accelerator
#PowerHaus
#Preccelerator® Program 2016
#ProSiebenSat.1 Accelerator
#Project Entrepreneur 2016/17
#Project Healtchare
#Project Lift
#Project Music
#Project Skyway
#Propeller Venture Accelerator
#Prosper Capital Accelerator
#Proton Enterprises
#Pushstart Accelerator
#Qualcomm Robotics Accelerator
#Queen Creek Business Incubator
#R/GA Accelerator
#RAIN Incubator/Accelerator
#RJI Investment Group
#Reach
#RetailXelerator
#Rock Health
#Rocket Fuel Labs
#Rockstart Accelerator
#RunUp Labs
#Runway IoT Accelerator 2015
#SAP Startup Focus Program
#SKTA Innopartners Innovation Accelerator
#SPACELAB Tech Accelerator
#SPARK
#SPH Plug and Play
#SURF Incubator
#SaltMines Group Start-Up Studio
#ScaleTown
#Seamless IoT 2016
#Searchcamp
#Seed Hatchery
#SeedSpot
#SeedStartup
#SeedSumo
#Seedcamp
#Seedrocket
#Seeqnce
#Sequoia Apps
#Serval Ventures
#Shenzhen Valley Ventures Incubator
#Shoals Entrepreneurial Center
#Shopper Futures Accelerator
#Shotput Ventures
#Sid Martin Biotechnology Institute
#SigmaLabs Accelerator
#Silicon Valley Incubator & Accelerator
#SixThirty
#Sixers Innovation Lab
#Skywalker Accelerator
#SmartHealth Activator
#Smashd Labs
#SoCo Nexus Accelerator Spring 2017
#Social Enterprise Challenge
#Socratic Labs
#SparkLabs
#Sparkgap
#Sports Tank
#Springboard
#Sprint Accelerator
#Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator
#SproutBox
#SproutCamp
#Starburst Aerospace Accelerator
#Start Path Europe
#Start'inPost
#StartEngine
#StartFast Venture Accelerator
#Starta Accelerator Winter 2017
#Startl
#Startmate
#Startup Accelerator
#Startup Front
#Startup Next & GAN
#Startup Orange County Accelerator
#Startup Runway
#Startup Wise Guys
#Startup Zone PEI
#Startup52X Accelerator
#StartupCity
#StartupHighway
#StartupHouse Foundry program
#StartupMinds Accelerator
#StartupYard
#Startupbootcamp
#Straight Shot
#Summer@Highland
#Surge
#SynBio axlr8r
#TEB Incubation & Acceleration Center
#THRIVE Accelerator III
#THRIVE Open Innovation
#TIM#WCAP Accelerator
#TLabs
#TMCx Accelerator Digital Health 2017
#Tallwave
#Tampa Bay Innovation Center
#Tampa Bay Wave
#Tandem Mobile Accelerator
#Tech Nexus
#Tech Wildcatters
#Tech2020
#TechLaunch
#TechRanch
#TechSquareLabs
#Techstars
#Techstars Music
#Telenet Idealabs
#Telluride Venture Accelerator
#TenX
#The Alchemist Accelerator
#The Ark
#The Bakery
#The Batchery
#The Brandery
#The Bridge
#The Center For Technology Enterprise & Development
#The Chaser
#The Company Lab (CO.LAB)
#The Draper FinTech Connection
#The Factory
#The Greatest Pitch
#The Harbor Accelerator
#The Incubator
#The Iron Yard
#The Mediapreneur Incubator
#The Morpheus
#The New York Venture Summit
#The Next Step: from idea to startup
#The Refinery
#The Unilever Foundry
#The Venture Center's Pre-Accelerator I
#The Vine OC
#The Vogt Awards
#The Yield Lab
#The eFactory Accelerator
#Think Big Partners Accelerator
#TiE Angels
#Tigerlabs Digital Health Accelerator
#Tolstoy Summer Camp
#TopSeedsLab
#Travel Startups Incubator
#Travelport Labs Accelerator
#Travelport Labs Incubator
#Triangle Startup Factory
#Tumml
#Tune Labs
#Twin Cities Accelerator 2016
#UW-Whitewater Launch Pad Accelerator
#Unbank.ventures FinTech Incubator
#University Technology Park
#Unreasonable Institute
#UpTech
#Upstart Accelerator
#Upstart Labs
#Upstart Memphis
#Uptima Business Bootcamp
#Upwest Labs
#VANTEC
#VC FinTech Accelerator
#Velocity Indiana Accelerator
#Velocity Venture Catalyst
#Venture Hive
#Venture I
#VentureOut's Enterprise Tech Expedition
#Venturegeeks
#Vet-Tech Accelerator
#VictorySpark
#Village88 Techlab
#Volkswagen ERL Technology Accelerator
#WHLabs
#Wasabi Ventures Academy
#Wayra
#Wellness Accelerator
#Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator
#Wireless IoT
#Women Innovate Mobile
#XLerateHealth
#XTRATOS
#Xlerate Health
#Y Combinator
#Y&R SparkPlug 2017
#YEurope
#YLE Media Startup Accelerator Program
#Yahoo Ad Tech Program
#Yangler (online accelerator)
#Year of the Startup
#Yetizen Accelerator
#You Is Now
#Z80 Labs
#ZIP Launchpad Admission
#ZeroTo510
#Zone Startups Calgary
#designX 2017
#eMerging Ventures
#ezone
#iStart Jax
#iStart Valley
#iVentures10
#ignite100
#innovyz start
#tekMountain Accelerator

=Project Summary=
This project will be used to determine which accelerators are the most effective at churning out successful startups, as well as what characteristics are exhibited by these accelerators. First, we need to gather as much data as we can about as many accelerators as we can in order to look at factors that differentiate successful vs. unsuccessful ventures. Next, we need to create a web crawling program which will gather information about accelerators across the world by accessing their websites and extracting information. I believe that our overall goal with this research project is to gain insight into the methods of successful accelerators, as well as to find out what exactly differentiates very successful accelerators from dead accelerators.

Helpful Links: http://seedrankings.com/

=Sources=

Summary: These are sources obtained from [[List of Accelerators]] and other Google searches. We will evaluate these sources by looking at the number of accelerators they supply (as most of them are lists) and then also taking a look at the type of information they provide about each accelerator. Key data points are cohort-related data, startup-related data, and logistics of the accelerator. Better sources supply more information that the URL alone.

(Obtained from [[List of Accelerators]] and various Google searches)
*http://seedrankings.com/
*http://www.acceleratorinfo.com/see-all.html
*http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators
*http://gust.com/usa-canada-accelerator-report-2015/?utm_content=35401577&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
*https://bostonstartupsguide.com/guide/every-boston-startup-accelerator-incubator/
*http://www.builtinnyc.com/2016/06/03/accelerators-incubators-nyc
*http://www.represent.la/
*http://www.launch.co/blog/complete-list-of-incubators-and-accelerators-like-y-combinat.html
*https://angel.co/accelerator-4

(Obtained from Google search: "Accelerator Database")
*seed-db is the first result that pops up
*https://www.corporate-accelerators.net/database/
*https://github.com/florianheinemann/www-corporate-accelerators-net/blob/master/_data/Accelerators.json
*By the 5th or 6th search result, the utility diminished greatly
*http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2015/03/17/the-best-startup-accelerators-of-2015-powering-a-tech-boom/#2f52fa7e34e4
*http://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/the-15-best-startup-accelerators-in-the-us.html
*http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2016/03/11/the-best-startup-accelerators-of-2016/#74086a7724f2
*https://techcrunch.com/2015/03/17/these-are-the-top-20-us-accelerators/
*https://www.nexpcb.com/blogs/news/the-hardware-incubators-accelerators-list

Other ways used to find Accelerators (listed below "List of Sources Obtained from Various Google Searches"):
*Type in generic location + "accelerators" (e.g. Houston Accelerators)
:*Looked at roughly the first 20 results
:*Used three locations as examples of accelerators that pop up
*Type in a specific state + "accelerator" + "list" (e.g. Texas accelerator list) to search for more relevant lists
:*Once again, looked at roughly the first 20 results

=Source Evaluations=

Summary: These evaluations couple with each of the sources above. The evaluations provide instructions for obtaining the information listed, as well as a general review of how useful the data seems. The review serves to determine whether a crawler would be suitable for obtaining information from the source autonomously.

==Source: http://www.acceleratorinfo.com/see-all.html==
#Opened source website
#Copied Information under "All Accelerator Programs" to TextPad, already sorted. Returned 190 results
#Each link on parent list leads to individual '''home page url''' of accelerator
:*Used sample size of 20 links, determined 16 to be accelerators, 2 to be incubators, 2 to be inactive or broken links
:*Many accelerators do not include founding date, most recent accelerators from around 2013-2014 (as determined from home page)
===Review===
*Reliable source for specific URLs to older accelerators, not very helpful for more specific information.
*Web crawling seems improbable because information is not readily available from source. Can potentially mine staff information or contact information from associated "about" page in the home url

==Source: http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators/all==
#Copied "Seed Accelerators" table to TextPad, data sorted itself into lines. Returned 235 results.
#Clicking on the accelerator name itself links to a page with all of its associated startups, up until 6/2016 cohort
::*Startup table includes:
::# "state"
::# "company name"
::# "website and CrunchBase links"
::# "cohort date"
::#"exit value"
::#"funding".
:::Many entries for "exit value" are missing, some values for "funding" are missing
:On original seed-db webpage, each accelerator has a link to its associated home page url
::*From the table, each listed entry was an accelerator, although 24 accelerators out of 235 were classified as "dead"
::*Along with the home url, each accelerator table includes the following:
::#Status
::#Program (name)
::#Location
::#Country
::#Number of companies
::#Cumulative exit values
::#Cumulative funding
::#Average funding for startups
::#Median funding for startups
:::Many entries for "median funding" are left empty, as well as entries for all types of funding on the bottom half of the table
===Review===
*Reliable source for accelerators, includes list of accelerators both dead and active, as well as their associated start-ups
*Web crawling potential is promising; startup table is located within the source for each webpage. Can also mine any category from the accelerator table
*Overall very extensive data for accelerators that are included on the list, but after cross-referencing from other sources shows that seed-db is lacking many newer accelerators; list is not all-inclusive.
*Includes regional distributions for accelerator groups as well. For example, rather than just "Techstars", the group is broken into Austin, Berlin, Boston, Boulder, etc.

==Source: http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators==
:Very similar to "http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators/all", but contains large regional accelerators as groups, rather than individual accelerators. For example, Techstars appears only once.
#Copied "Seed Accelerators" table to TextPad, data sorted itself into lines. Returned 239 results.
#Clicking on the accelerator name itself links to a page with all of its associated startups, up until 6/2016 cohort
::*Startup table includes same information as previous source, "http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators/all". However, accelerators spanning across multiple regions have their startups located under one category on this webpage.
:On original seed-db webpage, each accelerator has a link to its associated home page url
::*From the table, each listed entry was an accelerator, although 24 accelerators/groups out of 239 were classified as "dead"
::*Along with the home url, each accelerator table includes the same information as the "http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators/all" source
===Review===
*Reliable source for accelerators, includes list of accelerators both dead and active, as well as their associated start-ups
*Web crawling potential is promising; startup table is located within the source for each webpage. Can also mine any category from the accelerator table
*Overall very extensive data for accelerators that are included on the list, includes large groups as well as individual accelerators. It seems that some accelerators missing from "http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators/all" are located here, since there are 239 returns rather than 235.

==Source: https://www.f6s.com/programs?type==
#On the webpage, set "Type" to "Accelerator/Program", set "Location" to "North America", and set "Invest in Country" to "United States" to return results
#Highlighted results and scrolled down until all results found; copied results to TextPad
#In TextPad, sorted out lines with "by", as well as miscellaneous categories such as dates and dollar signs through Regular Expressions
#Using the "More Info" line which held constant through the entire list, assigned a sequential number to the line (in order to determine the number of results)
::*Obtained a grand total of 1467 results from the list
::*Along with the name of the program/accelerator, the data included:
::#Dollar value per team
::#Equity
::#Application Site
::#Accelerator URL
::*Many entries are not accelerators, from a quick glance through the results, there were various conferences, 3-5 days events, and written literature pertaining to accelerators as well
::*From a sample size of the first 30 entries, determined 10 to be valid accelerators, 3 incubators, 6 conferences/weekends, and the rest to be miscellaneous entries such as startup events or "studios" (perhaps useful but not relevant to search)
::*As we go down the list, the number of accelerators proportionately decreases. Can comfortably say that overall accelerator turnout from this website is much less than 33%, probably closer to 10-15%.
===Review===
*Potentially useful website if crawler could remove the clutter and target solely the accelerators; very useful for identifying new accelerators since data automatically sorted by date and location.
*Large list of sources includes many irrelevant results, such as conferences or weekends which are difficult to identify. The name of the sorting category itself, "Accelerator/Program" suggests that many of the results fall under the "Program" section rather than being valid accelerators.
*Potential site for identifying accelerators, but limited by in-site sorting; useful for URL and perhaps equity, but not very detailed information relating to the accelerator/program.

==Source: http://gust.com/usa-canada-accelerator-report-2015/==
#Selected region of US and Canada
#Scrolled down to the section labeled "Top 20 Active Accelerators" and selected "see the full list" near the bottom of the listed accelerators
#Copied resulting entries into TextPad and sorted out the numbers to leave only the name of the accelerator
::*Obtained 100 results for different accelerators
::*Accelerator lists included:
::#Name and URL
::#Number of Start-ups funded (2015 only)
::*Accelerator list limited to 2015
===Review===
*Website provides its own evaluation of an accelerator's success based on various factors and provides data for larger trends.
*Usefulness is questionable because website does not provide much except the URL, and all of the entries are based on success in 2015.
*Other interesting data within website such as "Hot Markets", investment breakdowns by state, etc. All of this data is also limited to 2015.

==Source: https://bostonstartupsguide.com/guide/every-boston-startup-accelerator-incubator/==
#Scrolled down to the section labeled "Startup accelerators in Boston"
#Copied text beginning from "MassChallenge" (the first paragraph was just a general definition of startups) and continued to copy until "Startup Incubators in Boston"
#After pasting in TextPad, I sorted the data to delete any characters after the "-" and added a sequential number at the beginning of each line
::*Returned a total of 17 results for startups in Boston
::*Accelerator list included:
::#Name and URL
::#Capital requirements
::#Application periods and requirements
::#Paragraph describing accelerator and its goals
===Review===
*Although the guide is dated, useful for identifying strong accelerator programs in Boston
*Limitation: only focuses on Boston, but the description is helpful in identifying the role of the accelerator
*Limited information on accelerator, not very useful by itself without information from the accelerator URL

==Source: https://www.corporate-accelerators.net/database/==
#Copied and pasted table into Microsoft Excel (Data was already sorted into categories so no need for TextPad)
#Table returned 72 references (but there was a link to the bottom to a larger database)
::*The table itself includes:
::#Major Company
::#Accelerator
::#Funding
::#Equity
::#Website
::#Details
::*The "Details" link led to a variety of other information including:
::#Status (Active or Inactive)
::#Locations
::#Funding
::#Equity
::#Term
::#Cohort Based? (Regular or Irregular)
::#Pitch Day
::#Office Space
::#Powered by
::#Support Offered?
::#Launch year
::#Focus Areas
::#General Description
::*Also Included a variety of data regarding the host company as well
===Review===
*Solid list for corporate accelerators and also includes a variety of information about the accelerator, the cohorts, etc. Some of the entries are international accelerators however so need to filter them out
*Only limited to 72 accelerators from major companies

==Source: https://github.com/florianheinemann/www-corporate-accelerators-net/blob/master/_data/Accelerators.json==
#This source is a .json file from the previous database
#After placing into TextPad, replaced each space with a ###, replaced each new line with a tab, and replaced each ### with a new line. Ultimately returned 80 results
::*From the file, the .json includes:
::#NAICS and NAICS sector
::#Classification
::#Sector Description
::#Term
::#Goal
::#Partner
::*Also includes most of the information from the previous source, since they are undoubtedly linked
===Review===
*Another solid list for corporate accelerators with some more information, but ultimately very similar to the previous source.

==Source: https://www.quora.com/Where-can-I-find-a-comprehensive-list-of-startup-incubators-and-accelerators-in-the-US==
#Since we already looked at the first listed source (seed-db), I clicked on the second link "(by Robert Shedd) http://blog.shedd.us/321987608/" which took me to a page headed "Help for Startups! – A semi-complete list of startup accelerator programs" created by a blogger, Robert Shedd
#List included 102 entries by the blogger, each of which do look like an accelerator
::*Upon immediate overview, noticed many results from previous sources were missing. Immediately noticed lack of "OwlSpark", the accelerator from Rice.
::*Shedd only offers us the accelerator name plus its URL
===Review===
*Nice list to cross-reference with other sources but does not offer much new insight compared to more powerful engines such as seed-db\

=List of Sources Obtained from Various Google Searches=

Summary: These accelerators are taken from a specific Google search rather than a list. The idea is to compile a list of Google searches that return relevant results of accelerators. This will aid in the creation of a future web crawler.

==From "Location + Accelerator"(Only individual results, not lists)==
===Houston Accelerators===
*Examples of single accelerators found
:#TMCx: http://www.tmc.edu/innovation/innovation-programs/tmcx/
:#RED labs: http://redlabs.uh.edu/8
:#SURGE accelerator: https://kirkcoburn.com/
:#OwlSpark: http://owlspark.com/
:#NextHIT: http://www.houstonhealthventures.com/nexthit-accelerator-program-application/
===Los Angeles Accelerators===
:#Amplify: http://amplify.la/
:#Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/
:#Chicklabs: https://www.chicklabsllc.com/
:#Disney Accelerator: https://disneyaccelerator.com/
:#Launchpad: https://launchpad.la/
===New York Accelerators===
:#DreamIT Ventures: http://www.dreamit.com/#meaningful-experience
:#Women Innovate Mobile: http://www.wim.co/
:#Techstars NYC: http://www.techstars.com/programs/nyc-program/
:#Entrepreneurs Roundtable: http://eranyc.com/
:#FirstGrowthVC: http://venturecrush.com/fg/
:#New York Digital Health Accelerator: http://digitalhealthaccelerator.com/
:#Grand Central Tech: http://www.grandcentraltech.com/
:#Accelerator Corp: http://www.acceleratorcorp.com/
:#New York Startup Lab: http://nystartuplab.com/
===Review===
*Some locations return more viable results for a similar sample size. For example, New York returned 9 valid accelerators, whereas Los Angeles and Houston both returned 5 actual accelerators out of the first 20 results: an 80% difference. Some optimization may come from identifying which locations return more accelerators upon searching.

==From "State+Accelerator+List"==
===New York Accelerator List===
*http://www.ongridventures.com/resources/new-york-silicon-alley-resources/newyorkaccelerators/ (Ranks 14 accelerators)
*http://under30ceo.com/11-new-york-tech-incubators-and-accelerators-for-entrepreneurs/ (Ranks 11 accelerators)
===California Accelerator List===
*http://www.socaltech.com/the_complete_guide_to_southern_california_accelerators_and_incubators_part_i/s-0040924.html (Lists accelerators in Southern Cali)
*http://barberacorporatelaw.com/blog/2014/4/8/28-business-incubators-in-the-los-angeles-area (List of 24 accelerators near the LA area)
===Texas Accelerator List===
*http://www.austinstartuplist.com/incubators (List of accelerators in Austin, <5 results)
*http://www.siliconhillsnews.com/2016/09/02/the-top-texas-healthcare-accelerators-and-incubators/ (Modest list of accelerators aiding in healthcare)
*http://realfoodmba.com/food-startup-accelerators/ (List of food-based accelerators, some of which are in Austin, others of which are international)
===Colorado Accelerator List===
*http://www.builtincolorado.com/2015/01/14/best-colorado-accelerators-your-startup (8 results)
*https://www.quora.com/What-accelerator-programs-are-located-in-Colorado (Quora inquiry yielding modest results)
===Washington Accelerator List===
*http://www.geekwire.com/2015/mapping-seattles-incubators-accelerators-and-co-working-spaces/ (Returns 14 results)
===Oregon Accelerator List===
*http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/subscriber-only/2016/01/15/incubators-and-accelerators.html (Returns list of 5 accelerators and details)
*http://www.oregon4biz.com/Innovate-&-Create/R&D-Business/Incubators/ (Returns list of 26 accelerators and incubators)

Notes:
*Seed-DB appears for almost all of the search results
*Acceleratorinfo appears for most of the search results
*There are multiple cumulative reports of incubators per location, but not for accelerators
*Most regionalized accelerator lists deal with either an article or a ranking of a particular amount of accelerators in the area
*Many results returned nationally ranked lists of accelerators, such as the Forbes list of "Top Accelerators" or something along the lines of "Best Accelerators in the US". The connection is that perhaps one accelerator mentioned on the list may be located within the searched state.
*There are also a few results for actual particle accelerators that must be sorted out (i.e. superconducting super collider)

==Found through google searching accelerators found previously==
'''Found from googling YLE Media Startup Accelerator'''
*https://www.corporate-accelerators.net/database/index.html (DB of Corporate Accelerators 71-79 entries)
*http://startupaccelerator.vc/accelerator-corporate-innovation-sig/ (Database of Accelerators and Corporate Innovation 92 entries)
neither of these have had their entries added to list of accelerators

=Individual Accelerator Evaluations=
Summary: The purpose of this section is to create instructions for each accelerator on how to find cohort information from their URLs. Along with specific instructions for obtaining the cohorts for each accelerator chosen, there should be a list of easy-to-obtain and relevant statistics regarding the accelerator, such as information about its team, location, etc. The variable statistics list is cumulative, whereas the cohort directions are unique per the accelerator.

==Accelerators Chosen (Format = Name (source))==
#Blue Startups (http://www.acceleratorinfo.com/see-all.html)
#Launchpad LA (http://www.acceleratorinfo.com/see-all.html)
#Y Combinator (http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators)
#FlashPoint (http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators/all)
#Prosper Accelerator (https://www.f6s.com/programs?type)
#Axel Springer Plug and Play (http://www.axelspringerplugandplay.com/)
#Techstars (http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators)
#Startmate (http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators)
#Capital Factory (http://blog.shedd.us/321987608/)
#OwlSpark (Google search: "Houston + accelerators")

==Accelerator: Blue Startups (http://bluestartups.com/)==
Finding the cohort:
#Navigated to "Track Record" page under the "Home" tab; found total number of graduated cohorts to be 7
#Navigated to "Portfolio" tab. Tab includes list of all seven graduated cohorts along with companies emerging from each one. Each cohort is listed under a separate page (ex. "Cohort 1", "Cohort 2", etc) and at the bottom of each cohort page, there is a link to the other 6. Each company has a short description along with its URL.
#An "Alumni News" page at the bottom of "Portfolio" includes articles pertinent to graduated startups.
#Unfortunately does not include the date and year of each cohort class, but perhaps could cross-reference with other sources.

==Accelerator: Launchpad LA (http://launchpad.la/)==
Finding the cohort:
#Navigated to "Companies" in the top of the homepage
#"Companies" returns all companies backed by Launchpad LA based on their class year and number (cohort)
#:*Also sorted by active startups vs. inactive startups
#At the bottom of the "Companies" tab, there is a statistical layout returning values for the number of companies started by Launchpad during its time as an accelerator (2012-present), as well as the total funding funneled into the accelerator.

==Accelerator: Y Combinator (http://www.ycombinator.com)==
Finding the cohort:
#Scrolled down on the home page and clicked on a link entitled "See all companies".
#Navigated to a drop down menu named "All Batches", and clicked on it to expand the list.
#List is made up of dates ranging from 2005-2016, and these dates return lists of launched companies including most but not all of their URL's, as well as their launch year.

==Accelerator: Flashpoint (http://flashpoint.gatech.edu/)==
Finding the cohort:
#On upper right corner after animation, there is a tab sign which lets you navigate to a page labeled "Teams"
#The "Team" page has each batch of companies emerging from Georgia Tech, although it does not include the dates or cohorts of these companies. For example, "Batch 1" at the top of the page just lists the companies in the batch without URLs or any additional information.
#On the "Application" page on the tab near the top, there is information regarding Batch 7, which begins early 2017. Suggests that batch 6 either ended spring 2016 or fall 2016.

==Accelerator: Prosper Women Entrepreneurs (http://www.prosperstl.com)==
Finding the cohort:
#Navigated to "Accelerator" tab and clicked "Companies" when prompted with the drop down menu.
#This tab returned all of the launched company logos which then redirected to the company's home page when clicked.
#No other relevant form of information such as date launched or cohort was included on this page.

==Accelerator: Axel Springer Plug and Play(http://www.axelspringerplugandplay.com/)==
Finding the cohort:
#Clicked on the "Companies" tab on the home page and was directed to the middle of the page which included a short list of current companies.
#Clicked on the "All Companies" link which returned a page filled with startup logos and brief descriptions of those startups. When clicked, each logo serves to redirect to that startup's home page.
#Companies were not sorted by cohort or in any other relevant way.

==Accelerator: Techstars (http://www.techstars.com)==
Finding the cohorts:
#Navigated to the Accelerators tabs and clicked "Companies" on the drop down menu.
#Firstly, this returns a table comprised of a long list of different classes from different areas separated by years.
#Upon scrolling down further, each of these classes is broken down by the startups that graduated from them. It also includes information such as how much was invested in each startup, as well as whether or not the startup was acquired, is active, or failed.

==Accelerator: Startmate (http://www.startmate.com.au)==
Finding the cohorts:
#Navigated to the "Startups" tab, which returned a page of all startups that have graduated from Startmate.
#Startups are separated by year of graduation, and each company is linked on this page.
#It appears as if each year, 1 cohort is taken through the accelerator.

==Accelerator: Capital Factory (https://capitalfactory.com/accelerate/)==
Finding the cohorts:
#Navigated to the startups tab, which returned a long list of companies that were accelerated by Capital Factory.
#Each logo for the startups served as a link to their respective websites.
#There was no evidence or mention of any cohorts.

==Accelerator: OwlSpark (http://entrepreneurship.rice.edu/accelerator/)==
Finding the cohorts:
#Navigated to the "Startup Teams" tab, which returned a page that included links to 4 "Classes".
#Each class link i.e. (Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, Class 4) returned links to each startup that graduated from the program.
#These classes signify cohorts.

==List of Promising Variables==
*Key People (founders, lead entrepreneurs, strategists, etc.)
*Total number of launched companies
*A FAQ for application details, accelerator vision, and
*Funds raised per company (average)
*Features offered by accelerator (perks, space, tools, etc)
*General events hosted by the accelerator
*(Success) stories for graduated start-ups

=E-R Diagram (in list form) for Identifying Attributes to Pull from Accelerators=
Summary: I will look at different entities within the accelerator page (e.g accelerators, cohorts, founders) and then find potential attributes that can be codified from those entities. Along with the attribute, we list a potential method for pulling that particular attribute.

Format:
:Entity
:*Attribute - Possible sources/ways to get

Ed: "Be creative with finding new attributes to pull!"

==List==
Accelerators
*Accelerator Name - Website, external database
*Contact Form - General contact section in each website
*Industry focus - can be pulled from description
*Description - pulled from website itself
*Takes equity? - Database or from "about" page
*Non-profit? - Database
*URL - Already have way of obtaining
*DNS Registration Date - Already have way of obtaining
*Address - Google Maps, maybe the website
*Founding Date - Google Maps, website, server registration

Accelerators (1) has (n) Features

Features
*Mentorship? - Description in website
*Space Offered - Google Maps, Website description
*Partnerships - Angel list, Same section as mentorship or events
*Hosted Events - Calender

Accelerators (1) has (n) Founders

Founders
*Name - Founders or Team Page
*Title - Directly underneath or next to name
*PhD? - Biography, webpage under name
*Serial - Biography
*Link back to "Accelerator Name" in Accelerators

Founders (n) has (n) Ventures

Ventures
*Other Companies - Biography, webpage
*Previous Companies - Biography
*Net Worth - Forbes, Biography
*Link back to "Name" in Founders

Accelerators (1) has (n) Cohorts

Cohorts
*Date + Accelerator = Cohort ID - Database or Website
*Number of Startups - Website, count from Startups
*Cohort Number - Categorization on website, external database
*Link back to "Accelerator Name"

Cohorts (1) has (n) Startups

Startups
*Names - Website, external database
*State of Inc - Angel List
*URL - Angel List, website
*Founding Date - Registration database, Angel List
*Industry - startup description
*Founding Location - Angel List
*Current Location - Angel List
*VC Raised to Date - SDC Platinum
*Angel Funds Raised to date - Angel List

==Variables which Distinguish Accelerator Websites==
*The word "Accelerator"
**This word appears at least one time on the home page of the vast majority of accelerator websites. The word "Accelerator" appears either as a link to another page on the website or in a title on the homepage of the website. Not many other websites contain this word on their homepage, especially not if one Googles something generic such as "Accelerators in the US".

*Fixed Term
**Accelerators normally work with their cohorts for 3 months. This is a major factor which differentiates between an accelerator and any other member of a startup ecosystem. If on their website they mention either "3 months" or "12 weeks", it is extremely likely that the website belongs to an accelerator.

*Cohorts, Portfolio, Class, or Companies
**This is a potential variable that could link the websites of many different accelerators. The problem with the word "portfolio" is also used by numerous venture capital firms, which could potentially cause complications when attempting to pull only the sites of accelerators from a Google search. The word "cohort", however, would have an extremely high probability of identifying the website as belonging to an accelerator. The words "class" and "companies" are promising but do not offer certainty.

*Equity, Investment
**Although by itself, equity does not mean much, when paired with any of these other terms, it could potentially point to an accelerator. Most accelerators take equity in the form of common stock (6-8%), or they will ask for some alternate form of stake in the company.

*Education and Mentorship
**Accelerators differ from incubators and angel investors in that they emphasize the education of the potential startup. They offer advice and intense mentorship from more experienced entrepreneurs within their staff, as well as many networking opportunities with the outside world. This variable is more difficult to find on the website of the accelerator, but I believe that if the website includes numerous keywords such as "education", "mentorship", or "networking opportunities", it would be somewhat safe to assume that the website is owned by an accelerator.

*Demo Day
**This variable does not have tremendous potential in terms of crawling websites, but I feel that it is worth mentioning. Most accelerators "graduate" their cohorts with a demo day, which is a day when the startups present their company to potential investors. If the website contains the words "demo day", which is fairly uncommon, it could be a good source of accelerator identification.

A combination of any of these variables would certainly identify the current website as belonging to an accelerator.

==Comprehensive List of Accelerators==

All text files saved in "Accelerators" project on the McNair RPD.

*Acc.Info: 190
*SeedDB: 240
*SARP: 59
*Corp: 79
*Total: 568 results

After removing duplicates and locations: 363 results

Doesn't count f6s, which returns 1170 results, roughly only 300 of which were accelerators. We created a crawler to sift through the webpages and parse HTML so we could identify the accelerators. Program and HTML saved on the Desktop.

==Randomly Chosen Accelerators==
*TLabs
*BetaSpring
*The Unilever Foundry
*AIA Accelerator
*R/GA Accelerator
*Zeroto510
*Hub:raum
*Orange Fab
*Furnace
*Launch Chapel Hill

===Determining whether or not these are accelerators===
Googled name of Accelerator and clicked on the first link

Looked for Variables which Distinguish Accelerator Websites
*TLabs: Homepage states: "Leading Indian Tech Accelerator"; TLabs is an accelerator, but it is located in India.
*Betaspring: Under the "About Betaspring" tab, it states that "Betaspring was among the first ten startup accelerators to launch worldwide".
*The Unilever Foundry: Does not claim to be an accelerator, nor does it have information on the website about cohorts. This name was pulled from the source Corporate Accelerators.
*AIA Accelerator: The word "accelerator" is included in the name. Under the "Overview" tab, it states that startups have received mentorship.
*R/GA Accelerator: Under the "Overview" tab it states that the "R/GA Accelerator is designed for startups and... it is a three month, immersive, mentorship driven program".
*Zeroto510: Website contains a "Portfolio Companies" tab which divides up the companies into cohorts. This identifies Zeroto510 as an accelerator.
*Hub:raum: Offers accelerator and incubator programs; however, none are located in North America.
*Orange Fab: States on the main page that "We're a 3-month accelerator program".
*Furnace: "About" tab states that Furnace is "an innovative startup accelerator designed to form, incubate, and launch new companies". Concludes with a Demo Day
*Launch Chapel Hill: Homepage states that they are "a startup accelerator". Also included on the homepage is a line that states "Applications for Cohort 7 are now open".

7/10 are accelerators located in the US.

2/10 are accelerators not located in the US.

1/10 is not an accelerator.

===Steps for Extracting Cohort Information===
*TLabs: Clicked on the "Startup" tab and located a drop down menu entitled "Showing Startups from:". This menu separates startups into Batches ranging from 1-9. These batches are cohorts.
*Betaspring: This website does not have a "Companies" or "Startups" tab. I clicked on their "Who" tab and noticed that within this section were two links called "Our portfolio" and "Our companies" which both linked to the same place. This place contained a list of the startups that Betaspring has funded, as well as links to each of the startup websites. The list was not separated into cohorts.
*The Unilever Foundry: Does not have a "Startups" or "Companies" link on the website.
*AIA Accelerator: Clicked on the "Startups" tab which returned a page with 5 companies and a bit of information on each of these companies. Also included the URL to each startup. However, the companies were not separated into cohorts, probably because there are so few of them.
*R/GA Accelerator: Clicked on the "Alumni" tab and navigated down the webpage. Startups are separated by class, which means cohort in this case. Startup info contains link to demo day presentation as well as the startup url.
*Zeroto510: Hovered over the "About Us" drop down menu and clicked on the "Portfolio Companies" link. Startups are separated by cohort, one for each year, starting from 2013.
*Hub:raum: Clicked on the "Portfolio" tab. Directed to a page with many names of startups, as well as a brief description of what their company is about. Also includes a link to each startup's website. Startups are not separated into cohorts, but rather by investment by location, current participants, and alumni.
*Orange Fab: Clicked on the "Startups" tab and was directed to a different page. Startups are not only separated into cohorts named "Seasons", but they are also separated by industry.
*Furnace: Clicked on "Portfolio" tab, but unfortunately the website is broken and it returned an error in code.
*Launch Chapel Hill: Clicked on the "Ventures" tab and was directed to a page in which all startups were separated into cohorts, and a brief description of the startup was provided underneath their logo.

=Code=

The directory for all data related to this project is located in:
E:\McNair\Projects\Accelerators

==F6S Web Crawler==

This is a python script using the selenium library that retrieves the html content of each page on F6S's North American Accelerator search results. The script is located in:

E:\McNair\Projects\Accelerators\F6S Accelerator HTMLs

The script is titled f6s_crawler_gentle.py

When run, the script visits the F6S search page for North American Accelerator's and begins retrieving the HTML of each page in that search list.
NOTE: Timing must be spaced out between all interactions with the browser. F6S has Captcha, and the program will fail if the site receives too many hit requests, or has any inkling that it is being probed by a bot.

The Accelerator HTML files are stored in:
E:\McNair\Projects\Accelerators\F6S Accelerator HTMLs\Accelerator_HTML_files

The Accelerator HTML files stored as text files are stored in:
E:\McNair\Projects\Accelerators\F6S Accelerator HTMLs\Accelerator_HTML_files_text

==F6S Parser==
The next step is to take the HTML files retrieved by the crawler and to parse them for necessary information. This parser should also determine whether or not the site is an accelerator site.

The code for the parser is located in
E:\McNair\Projects\Accelerators\F6S Accelerator HTMLs

It is titled f6s_parser.py

To run the code, open the file in Komodo and press play.
If running from the command line, change to the correct directory and run the following comand:
python f6s_parser.py

The list of accelerators that passed through the parser is in the same directory:
E:\McNair\Projects\Accelerators\F6S Accelerator HTMLs

The tab delimited text file is named AcceleratorList.
The file contains the names of the accelerators that had the keywords listed in the file. Also, the file contains the run dates and location of the accelerator if it was listed on the f6s page.

==F6S API==
F6S has an API, but we have had no success getting a key to the API. The link to get a key to the API is on [https://www.f6s.com/developers/apis/deal-feed this page].

I (Peter) have emailed F6S to ask for a key directly at support@f6s.com.

FUN FACT (MASS-RENAME FILES USING WINDOWS POWER SHELL):

The following command allowed me to append ".txt" to all files in a folder once in the proper directory:
Get-ChildItem * | Rename-Item -NewName { $_.name + '.txt'}

To change file formats, Microsoft suggests:
Get-ChildItem *.txt | Rename-Item -NewName { $_.name -Replace '\.txt', '.log'}

Eliza Martin (Work Log)

2016-12-01T23:55:34Z

Elizamartin:

Accelerator Seed List (Data)

2016-12-01T23:04:57Z

Elizamartin:

{{McNair Projects
|Project Title=Accelerator Seed List (Data),
|Topic Area=Entrepreneurship Ecosystems,
|Owner=Shrey Agarwal, Matthew Ringheanu,
|Start Term=Fall 2016,
|Keywords=Accelerators,
|Primary Billing=AccMcNair01,
}}

=Data Collection Notes=

==3 files==

For each accelerator in the list, put files in E:\Projects\Accelerators\Data
*AcceleratorName.txt - copy and paste the variables below into a (tab-delimited) txt file and complete
*AcceleratorName.cohort - your cohort text file (see below)
*AcceleratorName.html (possibly automatically with a folder too) - save a copy of the html of the cohort page

==.txt Variables==

Name
Score
Flag
CohortURL
Address
Duration
Vintage
Industry
Description
Equity
NonProfit
Notes

Try to get '''Name, Score, Flag, Cohort URL and Address''' for all. ONLY GRAB OTHER VARIABLES IF EASY. Just leave things blank if you can't find them quickly.

'''If the score is 0, or the flag is S, I, A, or F just stop''' - don't bother downloading a cohort list, saving an HTML file, etc. If possible, do stick a very brief description of the problem in the notes field.

Notes:
*Score: is 0-1 where 0 is definitely not an accelerator, 1 is definitely an accelerator
*Flag: (leave blank if not needed), if multiple then separate by comma
**S for social entrep
**I for incubator
**A for an angel group
**F is for foreign
**C for in coworking space/hub/etc
**V for if part of venture fund
**D is for Dead
*Put just the root URL in Cohort URL if there isn't a Cohort page
*Duration: in wks (months x 4.33 and round)
*Vintage is year of first cohort if possible
*Industry is industry focus but only if clear focus
*Equity is a number (don't put %) or Y/N
*Notes is only there if need it. Particularly try to use this field to note discards.

==.cohort files==

Your .cohort files must:
*Be tab delimited txt
*Have a header
*The first column must be the portfolio company name
*Grab as many columns as you can easily (and name them)

==Sign-Ups==

Ed - 1-10
Carlin - 21-40
Christy - 41-60 (done through 52)
Avesh - 61-80
Eliza - 81-100 (done)
Meghana - 101-120 (done through 106)
Peter - 121-140 (done)
Ramee - 141-160 (done through 151)
Will - 161-180
Matthew - 181-200 (done)
Julia - 201-220
Peter - 221-240
Shrey - 241-260 (done)
Matthew - 261-280
Eliza - 281-300
Dylan - 381-393
Ben - 530-537

=List of Accelerators=
#10Xelerator
#1440
#33entrepreneurs
#500 Startups
#9Mile Labs
#AIA Accelerator
#ARK Challenge
#AT&T Aspire Accelerator
#ATDC Community
#AZ TechCelerator
#AccelFoods
#Acceleprise
#Accelerate Baltimore
#Accelerate Genius
#Accelerate Tectoria Accelerator
#Accelerator Centre
#Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC)
#Airbus BizLab
#Alchemist Accelerator
#AlphaLab
#Amplify.LA
#Angel Capital
#Angelcube
#Angelpad
#Annual Business BootCamp
#Arizona Center for Innovation
#Arizona Furnace
#Arrowhead Tech Incubator 2016
#Aspire 3 Accelerator 2017
#Atlanta Ventures Accelerator
#AutoXLR8R
#Awesome Inc.
#Axel Springer Plug and Play
#B 4 Change Impact Accelerator
#B2B Acceleration Program
#B4C Social Venture Accelerator
#BBC Worldwide Labs
#BMW Startup Garage
#BRANDCELERATE
#BUNKER Labs New York
#Bank of Ireland Accelerator Programme
#Bantunium Labs Accelerator
#Barclays Accelerator
#Barclays New York Summer 2015
#Berkley Ventures
#Bessemer Business Incubation System
#Beta-i
#Beta.MN
#BetaFactory
#BetaSpring
#Betablox
#Betaspring RevUp
#Bethnal Green Ventures
#BioAccel
#BioInspire
#Bir 2015
#BitAngel Engagement Level
#BitAngels Startup Summer Program of 2013
#Bizdom
#Black Forest Accelerator
#Blue Startups
#Blueprint Health
#Bolt Boston
#Bonnier Accelerator
#BoomStartup
#BoomStartup Winter 2017 (DUPLICATE)
#Boomtown Accelerator
#Boomtown Health Tech
#Boost VC
#BootupLabs
#Brandery
#Brooklyn Beta Summer Camp
#Budweiser Dream Brewery
#Buildit
#BuiltinPGH Companies
#Business Innovation Center
#Business Opportunity Academy 2017
#Business Technology Development Center (BizTech)
#CLT Joules Energy Accelerator 2014
#CWI Ventures
#CWI Ventures Application
#CableLabs Technology Tours 2016
#Capital Factory
#Capital Innovators
#Capital Investment Network (Startups)
#Caroline Plouff
#Catalyst Partners
#Cause Collective : Social Innovation Lab
#Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation
#Chain Reaction Innovations 2017
#Chemical Angel Network
#Chinaccelerator
#Cisco Entrepreneurs in Residence
#Citi Accelerator
#Citrix Startup Accelerator
#Claremont/Upland Makerspace Fablab
#Climate Ventures 2.0 Accelerator
#Co.Lab accelerator
#Code for America Accelerator
#Cohab's Traxtion Point
#Collision Conference Investors
#Common Bond
#Communitech Hyperdrive
#Conquer Accelerator
#Coolhouse Labs
#CuriousMinds Incubator / Accelerator
#CyberTECH San Diego
#DBS Accelerator
#DPD Last Mile labs
#DV X Labs
#Dat Ventures
#Decatur-Morgan County Entrepreneurial Center
#Deep Space Ventures
#Demo Accelerator 2016- 2017
#DeveloperTown
#Difference Engine
#Digital Malaysia Corporate Accelerator Program
#Digital Media Zone Incubator/Accelerator
#Disney Accelerator
#DogFish Accelerator
#Domi Station
#Dotforge accelerator
#Dream Funded
#DreamIT Health
#DreamStart - Free Mentoring Program
#Dreamit Ventures
#Ducky Diggy Lloyd
#E-Capital Summit
#EC Mentor Skills Inventory
#EIGERlab
#ETRAC
#EY Startup Challenge
#Eco Holding
#Eleven Startup Accelerator
#Emerge Xcelerate
#EnterpriseWorks Incubation Program
#Entrepreneur Development Center
#Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator
#Environmental Business Cluster
#Equity Legal
#Excelerate Labs
#Execution Labs
#Exhilarator
#Extreme Startups
#Extreme University
#FOOD-X
#Factory45
#Fargo Startup House 2014-2015
#FastTrack Propero Healthcare
#FbFund
#Female Propeller for High Flyers
#FinTech Innovation Lab
#FinTech Studios 2015
#Fintech Founders Club #2
#First Growth Venture Network
#Fishbowl Labs AOL
#Flagship Enterprise Center
#FlashStarts
#Flashpoint
#Flat6 Labs
#Fledge9
#Flextronics Lab IX
#Food Future Scale-up Accelerator 2017
#Food System 6 (FS6) Accelerator
#FoodForwardX
#Fortify Ventures
#Founder Institute
#FounderFuel
#FoundersPad
#Fownders Accelerator
#French Accelerator 2016
#Fund the Food
#Fuse Corps Host
#GAKKEN Accelerator Program
#Gainesville Technology Enterprise Center
#Game CoLab Incubator Program 2014
#GameFounders
#GammaRebels
#Gazelle Lab
#Gener8tor
#German Accelerator Life Sciences
#German Accelerator Tech
#Global Accelerator Network 2015
#Good Works Houston Lab
#GoodCompany Ventures
#Google Launchpad Accelerator
#Grants4Apps Accelerator
#GreenStart
#Greenlite Labs
#GrowLab
#Growth Hacking Accelerator 2015
#Gulf Coast Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
#H-Farm Ventures
#HACKT Mission for International Founders
#HAXLR8R
#HCC Entrepreneurship Launchpad
#HIGHLINE Academy
#HUB
#HUBB Accelerator
#HUBB GTLA 2016
#HackFWD
#Hatch
#Health Wildcatters
#Health accelerator
#Healthbox
#Hero City Co-Working Space
#High Street Startups Accelerator
#Highway1
#Honda Xcelerator
#Houston Technology Center
#Hub Ventures
#HugeThing
#I/O ventures
#ICONYC labs
#IDC Elevator
#INcubes Funnel and Accelerator 2014/2015
#INcubes Online Form
#INcubes Startup Visa
#Illumina Accelerator
#Illuminator, New York Accelerator 2015
#Imagine K12
#Immokalee Business Development Center
#Impact Engine
#Impact USA - 2017
#Incubate Miami
#Infuse Accelerator
#Ingenuity Partner Program
#InnoSpring
#Innov&Connect
#Innov8 for Health
#Innova Memhis Application
#InnovateOC
#Innovation Depot
#Innovation Pavilion
#Innovation Showcase Winter 2017
#Insight Accelerator Labs
#Intel Education Accelerator
#Investment Preparedness Lab
#Invoke Collective
#Iowa Startup Accelerator
#JFDI.Asia
#JFE Accelerator SF
#JLAB
#Jaguar Land Rover Tech Incubator
#Jolt
#JumpSchool
#JumpStart Foundry
#Jumpstart! Boulder
#JusticeXL
#Kairos Boston Spring Program
#Kaplan EdTech
#Kick
#Kick Boise
#Kick LA
#Kick Victoria
#Kicklabs
#Kinetiq Labs
#L-SPARK Accelerator
#LAUNCH incubator
#LAUNCHub
#LI TechCOMETS
#LabFunding Project Accelerator 2014
#Labs Venture Accelerator
#Launch Chapel Hill
#Launch Memphis
#LaunchBox Digital
#LaunchHouse
#LaunchPad PEI
#LaunchSpot
#Launch_Academy
#Launchpad Digital Health, LLC
#Launchpad LA
#Launchpad Long Island
#Le Camping
#Leading Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program
#Lean Launch Ventures
#LearnLaunchX
#Lemnos Labs
#Life Changing Labs
#LiftOff Health Incubator
#Lightbank Start
#LightningLab
#Lowe's Accelerator
#MACH37
#MACH37 Spring
#MIT SA+P venture accelerator
#MITA Institute Accelerator
#MTGx MediaFactory
#Mac6
#Madworks Governance Accelerator
#Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development - Top Gun Program
#Matter
#Maven Ventures Fund & Incubator
#Media Camp
#Melbourne Accelerator Program
#Memphis BioWorks
#Merck Accelerator
#MergeLane 2017 Accelerator
#Mergelane
#Metavallon
#Microsoft Accelerator
#MindTheBridge
#Momentum
#MuckerLab
#Muru-D
#My5ive Accelerator 2016
#N-Motion
#NDRC (LaunchPad / VentureLab)
#NEXT Dashboard
#NMotion
#NY Digital Health Accelerator
#NY Fashion Tech Lab 2017
#NYC ACRE
#NYC SeedStart
#Nashville Entrepreneur Center
#Nebula Shift
#Nephoscale IaaS
#Nest New York
#New Ventures Group
#New York Digital Health Accelerator
#NewME Accelerator PopUps
#NewMe
#Next media accelerator
#NextHIT
#NextStart
#Nike+ Accelerator
#Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (NACET)
#Northern England
#Nxtp.labs
#OCTANe
#Oasis 500
#OpenFund
#Orange Fab
#Orange Works
#Orion Startups
#Oxygen Accelerator
#PIE
#Patriot Boot Camp
#Pearson Catalyst for Education
#Pipeline H2O
#Pitney Bowes Inc
#Plarium Labs
#Plug In South LA
#Plug and Play
#Plum Alley Investments 2016
#Points of Light Accelerator
#PowerHaus
#Preccelerator® Program 2016
#ProSiebenSat.1 Accelerator
#Project Entrepreneur 2016/17
#Project Healtchare
#Project Lift
#Project Music
#Project Skyway
#Propeller Venture Accelerator
#Prosper Capital Accelerator
#Proton Enterprises
#Pushstart Accelerator
#Qualcomm Robotics Accelerator
#Queen Creek Business Incubator
#R/GA Accelerator
#RAIN Incubator/Accelerator
#RJI Investment Group
#Reach
#RetailXelerator
#Rock Health
#Rocket Fuel Labs
#Rockstart Accelerator
#RunUp Labs
#Runway IoT Accelerator 2015
#SAP Startup Focus Program
#SKTA Innopartners Innovation Accelerator
#SPACELAB Tech Accelerator
#SPARK
#SPH Plug and Play
#SURF Incubator
#SaltMines Group Start-Up Studio
#ScaleTown
#Seamless IoT 2016
#Searchcamp
#Seed Hatchery
#SeedSpot
#SeedStartup
#SeedSumo
#Seedcamp
#Seedrocket
#Seeqnce
#Sequoia Apps
#Serval Ventures
#Shenzhen Valley Ventures Incubator
#Shoals Entrepreneurial Center
#Shopper Futures Accelerator
#Shotput Ventures
#Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator
#SigmaLabs Accelerator
#Silicon Valley Incubator & Accelerator
#SixThirty
#Sixers Innovation Lab
#Skywalker Accelerator
#SmartHealth Activator
#Smashd Labs
#SoCo Nexus Accelerator Spring 2017
#Social Enterprise Challenge
#Socratic Labs
#SparkLabs
#Sparkgap
#Sports Tank
#Springboard
#Sprint Accelerator
#Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator
#SproutBox
#SproutCamp
#Starburst Aerospace Accelerator
#Start Path Europe
#Start'inPost
#StartEngine
#StartFast Venture Accelerator
#Starta Accelerator Winter 2017
#Startl
#Startmate
#Startup Accelerator
#Startup Front
#Startup Next & GAN
#Startup Orange County Accelerator
#Startup Runway
#Startup Wise Guys
#Startup Zone PEI
#Startup52X Accelerator
#StartupCity
#StartupHighway
#StartupHouse Foundry program
#StartupMinds Accelerator
#StartupYard
#Startupbootcamp
#Straight Shot
#Summer@Highland
#Surge
#SynBio axlr8r
#TEB Incubation & Acceleration Center
#THRIVE Accelerator III
#THRIVE Open Innovation
#TIM#WCAP Accelerator
#TLabs
#TMCx Accelerator Digital Health 2017
#Tallwave
#Tampa Bay Innovation Center
#Tampa Bay Wave
#Tandem Mobile Accelerator
#Tech Nexus
#Tech Wildcatters
#Tech2020
#TechLaunch
#TechRanch
#TechSquareLabs
#Techstars
#Techstars Music
#Telenet Idealabs
#Telluride Venture Accelerator
#TenX
#The Alchemist Accelerator
#The Ark
#The Bakery
#The Batchery
#The Brandery
#The Bridge
#The Center For Technology Enterprise & Development
#The Chaser
#The Company Lab (CO.LAB)
#The Draper FinTech Connection
#The Factory
#The Greatest Pitch
#The Harbor Accelerator
#The Incubator
#The Iron Yard
#The Mediapreneur Incubator
#The Morpheus
#The New York Venture Summit
#The Next Step: from idea to startup
#The Refinery
#The Unilever Foundry
#The Venture Center's Pre-Accelerator I
#The Vine OC
#The Vogt Awards
#The Yield Lab
#The eFactory Accelerator
#Think Big Partners Accelerator
#TiE Angels
#Tigerlabs Digital Health Accelerator
#Tolstoy Summer Camp
#TopSeedsLab
#Travel Startups Incubator
#Travelport Labs Accelerator
#Travelport Labs Incubator
#Triangle Startup Factory
#Tumml
#Tune Labs
#Twin Cities Accelerator 2016
#UW-Whitewater Launch Pad Accelerator
#Unbank.ventures FinTech Incubator
#University Technology Park
#Unreasonable Institute
#UpTech
#Upstart Accelerator
#Upstart Labs
#Upstart Memphis
#Uptima Business Bootcamp
#Upwest Labs
#VANTEC
#VC FinTech Accelerator
#Velocity Indiana Accelerator
#Velocity Venture Catalyst
#Venture Hive
#Venture I
#VentureOut's Enterprise Tech Expedition
#Venturegeeks
#Vet-Tech Accelerator
#VictorySpark
#Village88 Techlab
#Volkswagen ERL Technology Accelerator
#WHLabs
#Wasabi Ventures Academy
#Wayra
#Wellness Accelerator
#Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator
#Wireless IoT
#Women Innovate Mobile
#XLerateHealth
#XTRATOS
#Xlerate Health
#Y Combinator
#Y&R SparkPlug 2017
#YEurope
#YLE Media Startup Accelerator Program
#Yahoo Ad Tech Program
#Yangler (online accelerator)
#Year of the Startup
#Yetizen Accelerator
#You Is Now
#Z80 Labs
#ZIP Launchpad Admission
#ZeroTo510
#Zone Startups Calgary
#designX 2017
#eMerging Ventures
#ezone
#iStart Jax
#iStart Valley
#iVentures10
#ignite100
#innovyz start
#tekMountain Accelerator

=Project Summary=
This project will be used to determine which accelerators are the most effective at churning out successful startups, as well as what characteristics are exhibited by these accelerators. First, we need to gather as much data as we can about as many accelerators as we can in order to look at factors that differentiate successful vs. unsuccessful ventures. Next, we need to create a web crawling program which will gather information about accelerators across the world by accessing their websites and extracting information. I believe that our overall goal with this research project is to gain insight into the methods of successful accelerators, as well as to find out what exactly differentiates very successful accelerators from dead accelerators.

Helpful Links: http://seedrankings.com/

=Sources=

Summary: These are sources obtained from [[List of Accelerators]] and other Google searches. We will evaluate these sources by looking at the number of accelerators they supply (as most of them are lists) and then also taking a look at the type of information they provide about each accelerator. Key data points are cohort-related data, startup-related data, and logistics of the accelerator. Better sources supply more information that the URL alone.

(Obtained from [[List of Accelerators]] and various Google searches)
*http://seedrankings.com/
*http://www.acceleratorinfo.com/see-all.html
*http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators
*http://gust.com/usa-canada-accelerator-report-2015/?utm_content=35401577&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
*https://bostonstartupsguide.com/guide/every-boston-startup-accelerator-incubator/
*http://www.builtinnyc.com/2016/06/03/accelerators-incubators-nyc
*http://www.represent.la/
*http://www.launch.co/blog/complete-list-of-incubators-and-accelerators-like-y-combinat.html
*https://angel.co/accelerator-4

(Obtained from Google search: "Accelerator Database")
*seed-db is the first result that pops up
*https://www.corporate-accelerators.net/database/
*https://github.com/florianheinemann/www-corporate-accelerators-net/blob/master/_data/Accelerators.json
*By the 5th or 6th search result, the utility diminished greatly
*http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2015/03/17/the-best-startup-accelerators-of-2015-powering-a-tech-boom/#2f52fa7e34e4
*http://www.inc.com/will-yakowicz/the-15-best-startup-accelerators-in-the-us.html
*http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2016/03/11/the-best-startup-accelerators-of-2016/#74086a7724f2
*https://techcrunch.com/2015/03/17/these-are-the-top-20-us-accelerators/
*https://www.nexpcb.com/blogs/news/the-hardware-incubators-accelerators-list

Other ways used to find Accelerators (listed below "List of Sources Obtained from Various Google Searches"):
*Type in generic location + "accelerators" (e.g. Houston Accelerators)
:*Looked at roughly the first 20 results
:*Used three locations as examples of accelerators that pop up
*Type in a specific state + "accelerator" + "list" (e.g. Texas accelerator list) to search for more relevant lists
:*Once again, looked at roughly the first 20 results

=Source Evaluations=

Summary: These evaluations couple with each of the sources above. The evaluations provide instructions for obtaining the information listed, as well as a general review of how useful the data seems. The review serves to determine whether a crawler would be suitable for obtaining information from the source autonomously.

==Source: http://www.acceleratorinfo.com/see-all.html==
#Opened source website
#Copied Information under "All Accelerator Programs" to TextPad, already sorted. Returned 190 results
#Each link on parent list leads to individual '''home page url''' of accelerator
:*Used sample size of 20 links, determined 16 to be accelerators, 2 to be incubators, 2 to be inactive or broken links
:*Many accelerators do not include founding date, most recent accelerators from around 2013-2014 (as determined from home page)
===Review===
*Reliable source for specific URLs to older accelerators, not very helpful for more specific information.
*Web crawling seems improbable because information is not readily available from source. Can potentially mine staff information or contact information from associated "about" page in the home url

==Source: http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators/all==
#Copied "Seed Accelerators" table to TextPad, data sorted itself into lines. Returned 235 results.
#Clicking on the accelerator name itself links to a page with all of its associated startups, up until 6/2016 cohort
::*Startup table includes:
::# "state"
::# "company name"
::# "website and CrunchBase links"
::# "cohort date"
::#"exit value"
::#"funding".
:::Many entries for "exit value" are missing, some values for "funding" are missing
:On original seed-db webpage, each accelerator has a link to its associated home page url
::*From the table, each listed entry was an accelerator, although 24 accelerators out of 235 were classified as "dead"
::*Along with the home url, each accelerator table includes the following:
::#Status
::#Program (name)
::#Location
::#Country
::#Number of companies
::#Cumulative exit values
::#Cumulative funding
::#Average funding for startups
::#Median funding for startups
:::Many entries for "median funding" are left empty, as well as entries for all types of funding on the bottom half of the table
===Review===
*Reliable source for accelerators, includes list of accelerators both dead and active, as well as their associated start-ups
*Web crawling potential is promising; startup table is located within the source for each webpage. Can also mine any category from the accelerator table
*Overall very extensive data for accelerators that are included on the list, but after cross-referencing from other sources shows that seed-db is lacking many newer accelerators; list is not all-inclusive.
*Includes regional distributions for accelerator groups as well. For example, rather than just "Techstars", the group is broken into Austin, Berlin, Boston, Boulder, etc.

==Source: http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators==
:Very similar to "http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators/all", but contains large regional accelerators as groups, rather than individual accelerators. For example, Techstars appears only once.
#Copied "Seed Accelerators" table to TextPad, data sorted itself into lines. Returned 239 results.
#Clicking on the accelerator name itself links to a page with all of its associated startups, up until 6/2016 cohort
::*Startup table includes same information as previous source, "http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators/all". However, accelerators spanning across multiple regions have their startups located under one category on this webpage.
:On original seed-db webpage, each accelerator has a link to its associated home page url
::*From the table, each listed entry was an accelerator, although 24 accelerators/groups out of 239 were classified as "dead"
::*Along with the home url, each accelerator table includes the same information as the "http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators/all" source
===Review===
*Reliable source for accelerators, includes list of accelerators both dead and active, as well as their associated start-ups
*Web crawling potential is promising; startup table is located within the source for each webpage. Can also mine any category from the accelerator table
*Overall very extensive data for accelerators that are included on the list, includes large groups as well as individual accelerators. It seems that some accelerators missing from "http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators/all" are located here, since there are 239 returns rather than 235.

==Source: https://www.f6s.com/programs?type==
#On the webpage, set "Type" to "Accelerator/Program", set "Location" to "North America", and set "Invest in Country" to "United States" to return results
#Highlighted results and scrolled down until all results found; copied results to TextPad
#In TextPad, sorted out lines with "by", as well as miscellaneous categories such as dates and dollar signs through Regular Expressions
#Using the "More Info" line which held constant through the entire list, assigned a sequential number to the line (in order to determine the number of results)
::*Obtained a grand total of 1467 results from the list
::*Along with the name of the program/accelerator, the data included:
::#Dollar value per team
::#Equity
::#Application Site
::#Accelerator URL
::*Many entries are not accelerators, from a quick glance through the results, there were various conferences, 3-5 days events, and written literature pertaining to accelerators as well
::*From a sample size of the first 30 entries, determined 10 to be valid accelerators, 3 incubators, 6 conferences/weekends, and the rest to be miscellaneous entries such as startup events or "studios" (perhaps useful but not relevant to search)
::*As we go down the list, the number of accelerators proportionately decreases. Can comfortably say that overall accelerator turnout from this website is much less than 33%, probably closer to 10-15%.
===Review===
*Potentially useful website if crawler could remove the clutter and target solely the accelerators; very useful for identifying new accelerators since data automatically sorted by date and location.
*Large list of sources includes many irrelevant results, such as conferences or weekends which are difficult to identify. The name of the sorting category itself, "Accelerator/Program" suggests that many of the results fall under the "Program" section rather than being valid accelerators.
*Potential site for identifying accelerators, but limited by in-site sorting; useful for URL and perhaps equity, but not very detailed information relating to the accelerator/program.

==Source: http://gust.com/usa-canada-accelerator-report-2015/==
#Selected region of US and Canada
#Scrolled down to the section labeled "Top 20 Active Accelerators" and selected "see the full list" near the bottom of the listed accelerators
#Copied resulting entries into TextPad and sorted out the numbers to leave only the name of the accelerator
::*Obtained 100 results for different accelerators
::*Accelerator lists included:
::#Name and URL
::#Number of Start-ups funded (2015 only)
::*Accelerator list limited to 2015
===Review===
*Website provides its own evaluation of an accelerator's success based on various factors and provides data for larger trends.
*Usefulness is questionable because website does not provide much except the URL, and all of the entries are based on success in 2015.
*Other interesting data within website such as "Hot Markets", investment breakdowns by state, etc. All of this data is also limited to 2015.

==Source: https://bostonstartupsguide.com/guide/every-boston-startup-accelerator-incubator/==
#Scrolled down to the section labeled "Startup accelerators in Boston"
#Copied text beginning from "MassChallenge" (the first paragraph was just a general definition of startups) and continued to copy until "Startup Incubators in Boston"
#After pasting in TextPad, I sorted the data to delete any characters after the "-" and added a sequential number at the beginning of each line
::*Returned a total of 17 results for startups in Boston
::*Accelerator list included:
::#Name and URL
::#Capital requirements
::#Application periods and requirements
::#Paragraph describing accelerator and its goals
===Review===
*Although the guide is dated, useful for identifying strong accelerator programs in Boston
*Limitation: only focuses on Boston, but the description is helpful in identifying the role of the accelerator
*Limited information on accelerator, not very useful by itself without information from the accelerator URL

==Source: https://www.corporate-accelerators.net/database/==
#Copied and pasted table into Microsoft Excel (Data was already sorted into categories so no need for TextPad)
#Table returned 72 references (but there was a link to the bottom to a larger database)
::*The table itself includes:
::#Major Company
::#Accelerator
::#Funding
::#Equity
::#Website
::#Details
::*The "Details" link led to a variety of other information including:
::#Status (Active or Inactive)
::#Locations
::#Funding
::#Equity
::#Term
::#Cohort Based? (Regular or Irregular)
::#Pitch Day
::#Office Space
::#Powered by
::#Support Offered?
::#Launch year
::#Focus Areas
::#General Description
::*Also Included a variety of data regarding the host company as well
===Review===
*Solid list for corporate accelerators and also includes a variety of information about the accelerator, the cohorts, etc. Some of the entries are international accelerators however so need to filter them out
*Only limited to 72 accelerators from major companies

==Source: https://github.com/florianheinemann/www-corporate-accelerators-net/blob/master/_data/Accelerators.json==
#This source is a .json file from the previous database
#After placing into TextPad, replaced each space with a ###, replaced each new line with a tab, and replaced each ### with a new line. Ultimately returned 80 results
::*From the file, the .json includes:
::#NAICS and NAICS sector
::#Classification
::#Sector Description
::#Term
::#Goal
::#Partner
::*Also includes most of the information from the previous source, since they are undoubtedly linked
===Review===
*Another solid list for corporate accelerators with some more information, but ultimately very similar to the previous source.

==Source: https://www.quora.com/Where-can-I-find-a-comprehensive-list-of-startup-incubators-and-accelerators-in-the-US==
#Since we already looked at the first listed source (seed-db), I clicked on the second link "(by Robert Shedd) http://blog.shedd.us/321987608/" which took me to a page headed "Help for Startups! – A semi-complete list of startup accelerator programs" created by a blogger, Robert Shedd
#List included 102 entries by the blogger, each of which do look like an accelerator
::*Upon immediate overview, noticed many results from previous sources were missing. Immediately noticed lack of "OwlSpark", the accelerator from Rice.
::*Shedd only offers us the accelerator name plus its URL
===Review===
*Nice list to cross-reference with other sources but does not offer much new insight compared to more powerful engines such as seed-db\

=List of Sources Obtained from Various Google Searches=

Summary: These accelerators are taken from a specific Google search rather than a list. The idea is to compile a list of Google searches that return relevant results of accelerators. This will aid in the creation of a future web crawler.

==From "Location + Accelerator"(Only individual results, not lists)==
===Houston Accelerators===
*Examples of single accelerators found
:#TMCx: http://www.tmc.edu/innovation/innovation-programs/tmcx/
:#RED labs: http://redlabs.uh.edu/8
:#SURGE accelerator: https://kirkcoburn.com/
:#OwlSpark: http://owlspark.com/
:#NextHIT: http://www.houstonhealthventures.com/nexthit-accelerator-program-application/
===Los Angeles Accelerators===
:#Amplify: http://amplify.la/
:#Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/
:#Chicklabs: https://www.chicklabsllc.com/
:#Disney Accelerator: https://disneyaccelerator.com/
:#Launchpad: https://launchpad.la/
===New York Accelerators===
:#DreamIT Ventures: http://www.dreamit.com/#meaningful-experience
:#Women Innovate Mobile: http://www.wim.co/
:#Techstars NYC: http://www.techstars.com/programs/nyc-program/
:#Entrepreneurs Roundtable: http://eranyc.com/
:#FirstGrowthVC: http://venturecrush.com/fg/
:#New York Digital Health Accelerator: http://digitalhealthaccelerator.com/
:#Grand Central Tech: http://www.grandcentraltech.com/
:#Accelerator Corp: http://www.acceleratorcorp.com/
:#New York Startup Lab: http://nystartuplab.com/
===Review===
*Some locations return more viable results for a similar sample size. For example, New York returned 9 valid accelerators, whereas Los Angeles and Houston both returned 5 actual accelerators out of the first 20 results: an 80% difference. Some optimization may come from identifying which locations return more accelerators upon searching.

==From "State+Accelerator+List"==
===New York Accelerator List===
*http://www.ongridventures.com/resources/new-york-silicon-alley-resources/newyorkaccelerators/ (Ranks 14 accelerators)
*http://under30ceo.com/11-new-york-tech-incubators-and-accelerators-for-entrepreneurs/ (Ranks 11 accelerators)
===California Accelerator List===
*http://www.socaltech.com/the_complete_guide_to_southern_california_accelerators_and_incubators_part_i/s-0040924.html (Lists accelerators in Southern Cali)
*http://barberacorporatelaw.com/blog/2014/4/8/28-business-incubators-in-the-los-angeles-area (List of 24 accelerators near the LA area)
===Texas Accelerator List===
*http://www.austinstartuplist.com/incubators (List of accelerators in Austin, <5 results)
*http://www.siliconhillsnews.com/2016/09/02/the-top-texas-healthcare-accelerators-and-incubators/ (Modest list of accelerators aiding in healthcare)
*http://realfoodmba.com/food-startup-accelerators/ (List of food-based accelerators, some of which are in Austin, others of which are international)
===Colorado Accelerator List===
*http://www.builtincolorado.com/2015/01/14/best-colorado-accelerators-your-startup (8 results)
*https://www.quora.com/What-accelerator-programs-are-located-in-Colorado (Quora inquiry yielding modest results)
===Washington Accelerator List===
*http://www.geekwire.com/2015/mapping-seattles-incubators-accelerators-and-co-working-spaces/ (Returns 14 results)
===Oregon Accelerator List===
*http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/subscriber-only/2016/01/15/incubators-and-accelerators.html (Returns list of 5 accelerators and details)
*http://www.oregon4biz.com/Innovate-&-Create/R&D-Business/Incubators/ (Returns list of 26 accelerators and incubators)

Notes:
*Seed-DB appears for almost all of the search results
*Acceleratorinfo appears for most of the search results
*There are multiple cumulative reports of incubators per location, but not for accelerators
*Most regionalized accelerator lists deal with either an article or a ranking of a particular amount of accelerators in the area
*Many results returned nationally ranked lists of accelerators, such as the Forbes list of "Top Accelerators" or something along the lines of "Best Accelerators in the US". The connection is that perhaps one accelerator mentioned on the list may be located within the searched state.
*There are also a few results for actual particle accelerators that must be sorted out (i.e. superconducting super collider)

==Found through google searching accelerators found previously==
'''Found from googling YLE Media Startup Accelerator'''
*https://www.corporate-accelerators.net/database/index.html (DB of Corporate Accelerators 71-79 entries)
*http://startupaccelerator.vc/accelerator-corporate-innovation-sig/ (Database of Accelerators and Corporate Innovation 92 entries)
neither of these have had their entries added to list of accelerators

=Individual Accelerator Evaluations=
Summary: The purpose of this section is to create instructions for each accelerator on how to find cohort information from their URLs. Along with specific instructions for obtaining the cohorts for each accelerator chosen, there should be a list of easy-to-obtain and relevant statistics regarding the accelerator, such as information about its team, location, etc. The variable statistics list is cumulative, whereas the cohort directions are unique per the accelerator.

==Accelerators Chosen (Format = Name (source))==
#Blue Startups (http://www.acceleratorinfo.com/see-all.html)
#Launchpad LA (http://www.acceleratorinfo.com/see-all.html)
#Y Combinator (http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators)
#FlashPoint (http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators/all)
#Prosper Accelerator (https://www.f6s.com/programs?type)
#Axel Springer Plug and Play (http://www.axelspringerplugandplay.com/)
#Techstars (http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators)
#Startmate (http://www.seed-db.com/accelerators)
#Capital Factory (http://blog.shedd.us/321987608/)
#OwlSpark (Google search: "Houston + accelerators")

==Accelerator: Blue Startups (http://bluestartups.com/)==
Finding the cohort:
#Navigated to "Track Record" page under the "Home" tab; found total number of graduated cohorts to be 7
#Navigated to "Portfolio" tab. Tab includes list of all seven graduated cohorts along with companies emerging from each one. Each cohort is listed under a separate page (ex. "Cohort 1", "Cohort 2", etc) and at the bottom of each cohort page, there is a link to the other 6. Each company has a short description along with its URL.
#An "Alumni News" page at the bottom of "Portfolio" includes articles pertinent to graduated startups.
#Unfortunately does not include the date and year of each cohort class, but perhaps could cross-reference with other sources.

==Accelerator: Launchpad LA (http://launchpad.la/)==
Finding the cohort:
#Navigated to "Companies" in the top of the homepage
#"Companies" returns all companies backed by Launchpad LA based on their class year and number (cohort)
#:*Also sorted by active startups vs. inactive startups
#At the bottom of the "Companies" tab, there is a statistical layout returning values for the number of companies started by Launchpad during its time as an accelerator (2012-present), as well as the total funding funneled into the accelerator.

==Accelerator: Y Combinator (http://www.ycombinator.com)==
Finding the cohort:
#Scrolled down on the home page and clicked on a link entitled "See all companies".
#Navigated to a drop down menu named "All Batches", and clicked on it to expand the list.
#List is made up of dates ranging from 2005-2016, and these dates return lists of launched companies including most but not all of their URL's, as well as their launch year.

==Accelerator: Flashpoint (http://flashpoint.gatech.edu/)==
Finding the cohort:
#On upper right corner after animation, there is a tab sign which lets you navigate to a page labeled "Teams"
#The "Team" page has each batch of companies emerging from Georgia Tech, although it does not include the dates or cohorts of these companies. For example, "Batch 1" at the top of the page just lists the companies in the batch without URLs or any additional information.
#On the "Application" page on the tab near the top, there is information regarding Batch 7, which begins early 2017. Suggests that batch 6 either ended spring 2016 or fall 2016.

==Accelerator: Prosper Women Entrepreneurs (http://www.prosperstl.com)==
Finding the cohort:
#Navigated to "Accelerator" tab and clicked "Companies" when prompted with the drop down menu.
#This tab returned all of the launched company logos which then redirected to the company's home page when clicked.
#No other relevant form of information such as date launched or cohort was included on this page.

==Accelerator: Axel Springer Plug and Play(http://www.axelspringerplugandplay.com/)==
Finding the cohort:
#Clicked on the "Companies" tab on the home page and was directed to the middle of the page which included a short list of current companies.
#Clicked on the "All Companies" link which returned a page filled with startup logos and brief descriptions of those startups. When clicked, each logo serves to redirect to that startup's home page.
#Companies were not sorted by cohort or in any other relevant way.

==Accelerator: Techstars (http://www.techstars.com)==
Finding the cohorts:
#Navigated to the Accelerators tabs and clicked "Companies" on the drop down menu.
#Firstly, this returns a table comprised of a long list of different classes from different areas separated by years.
#Upon scrolling down further, each of these classes is broken down by the startups that graduated from them. It also includes information such as how much was invested in each startup, as well as whether or not the startup was acquired, is active, or failed.

==Accelerator: Startmate (http://www.startmate.com.au)==
Finding the cohorts:
#Navigated to the "Startups" tab, which returned a page of all startups that have graduated from Startmate.
#Startups are separated by year of graduation, and each company is linked on this page.
#It appears as if each year, 1 cohort is taken through the accelerator.

==Accelerator: Capital Factory (https://capitalfactory.com/accelerate/)==
Finding the cohorts:
#Navigated to the startups tab, which returned a long list of companies that were accelerated by Capital Factory.
#Each logo for the startups served as a link to their respective websites.
#There was no evidence or mention of any cohorts.

==Accelerator: OwlSpark (http://entrepreneurship.rice.edu/accelerator/)==
Finding the cohorts:
#Navigated to the "Startup Teams" tab, which returned a page that included links to 4 "Classes".
#Each class link i.e. (Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, Class 4) returned links to each startup that graduated from the program.
#These classes signify cohorts.

==List of Promising Variables==
*Key People (founders, lead entrepreneurs, strategists, etc.)
*Total number of launched companies
*A FAQ for application details, accelerator vision, and
*Funds raised per company (average)
*Features offered by accelerator (perks, space, tools, etc)
*General events hosted by the accelerator
*(Success) stories for graduated start-ups

=E-R Diagram (in list form) for Identifying Attributes to Pull from Accelerators=
Summary: I will look at different entities within the accelerator page (e.g accelerators, cohorts, founders) and then find potential attributes that can be codified from those entities. Along with the attribute, we list a potential method for pulling that particular attribute.

Format:
:Entity
:*Attribute - Possible sources/ways to get

Ed: "Be creative with finding new attributes to pull!"

==List==
Accelerators
*Accelerator Name - Website, external database
*Contact Form - General contact section in each website
*Industry focus - can be pulled from description
*Description - pulled from website itself
*Takes equity? - Database or from "about" page
*Non-profit? - Database
*URL - Already have way of obtaining
*DNS Registration Date - Already have way of obtaining
*Address - Google Maps, maybe the website
*Founding Date - Google Maps, website, server registration

Accelerators (1) has (n) Features

Features
*Mentorship? - Description in website
*Space Offered - Google Maps, Website description
*Partnerships - Angel list, Same section as mentorship or events
*Hosted Events - Calender

Accelerators (1) has (n) Founders

Founders
*Name - Founders or Team Page
*Title - Directly underneath or next to name
*PhD? - Biography, webpage under name
*Serial - Biography
*Link back to "Accelerator Name" in Accelerators

Founders (n) has (n) Ventures

Ventures
*Other Companies - Biography, webpage
*Previous Companies - Biography
*Net Worth - Forbes, Biography
*Link back to "Name" in Founders

Accelerators (1) has (n) Cohorts

Cohorts
*Date + Accelerator = Cohort ID - Database or Website
*Number of Startups - Website, count from Startups
*Cohort Number - Categorization on website, external database
*Link back to "Accelerator Name"

Cohorts (1) has (n) Startups

Startups
*Names - Website, external database
*State of Inc - Angel List
*URL - Angel List, website
*Founding Date - Registration database, Angel List
*Industry - startup description
*Founding Location - Angel List
*Current Location - Angel List
*VC Raised to Date - SDC Platinum
*Angel Funds Raised to date - Angel List

==Variables which Distinguish Accelerator Websites==
*The word "Accelerator"
**This word appears at least one time on the home page of the vast majority of accelerator websites. The word "Accelerator" appears either as a link to another page on the website or in a title on the homepage of the website. Not many other websites contain this word on their homepage, especially not if one Googles something generic such as "Accelerators in the US".

*Fixed Term
**Accelerators normally work with their cohorts for 3 months. This is a major factor which differentiates between an accelerator and any other member of a startup ecosystem. If on their website they mention either "3 months" or "12 weeks", it is extremely likely that the website belongs to an accelerator.

*Cohorts, Portfolio, Class, or Companies
**This is a potential variable that could link the websites of many different accelerators. The problem with the word "portfolio" is also used by numerous venture capital firms, which could potentially cause complications when attempting to pull only the sites of accelerators from a Google search. The word "cohort", however, would have an extremely high probability of identifying the website as belonging to an accelerator. The words "class" and "companies" are promising but do not offer certainty.

*Equity, Investment
**Although by itself, equity does not mean much, when paired with any of these other terms, it could potentially point to an accelerator. Most accelerators take equity in the form of common stock (6-8%), or they will ask for some alternate form of stake in the company.

*Education and Mentorship
**Accelerators differ from incubators and angel investors in that they emphasize the education of the potential startup. They offer advice and intense mentorship from more experienced entrepreneurs within their staff, as well as many networking opportunities with the outside world. This variable is more difficult to find on the website of the accelerator, but I believe that if the website includes numerous keywords such as "education", "mentorship", or "networking opportunities", it would be somewhat safe to assume that the website is owned by an accelerator.

*Demo Day
**This variable does not have tremendous potential in terms of crawling websites, but I feel that it is worth mentioning. Most accelerators "graduate" their cohorts with a demo day, which is a day when the startups present their company to potential investors. If the website contains the words "demo day", which is fairly uncommon, it could be a good source of accelerator identification.

A combination of any of these variables would certainly identify the current website as belonging to an accelerator.

==Comprehensive List of Accelerators==

All text files saved in "Accelerators" project on the McNair RPD.

*Acc.Info: 190
*SeedDB: 240
*SARP: 59
*Corp: 79
*Total: 568 results

After removing duplicates and locations: 363 results

Doesn't count f6s, which returns 1170 results, roughly only 300 of which were accelerators. We created a crawler to sift through the webpages and parse HTML so we could identify the accelerators. Program and HTML saved on the Desktop.

==Randomly Chosen Accelerators==
*TLabs
*BetaSpring
*The Unilever Foundry
*AIA Accelerator
*R/GA Accelerator
*Zeroto510
*Hub:raum
*Orange Fab
*Furnace
*Launch Chapel Hill

===Determining whether or not these are accelerators===
Googled name of Accelerator and clicked on the first link

Looked for Variables which Distinguish Accelerator Websites
*TLabs: Homepage states: "Leading Indian Tech Accelerator"; TLabs is an accelerator, but it is located in India.
*Betaspring: Under the "About Betaspring" tab, it states that "Betaspring was among the first ten startup accelerators to launch worldwide".
*The Unilever Foundry: Does not claim to be an accelerator, nor does it have information on the website about cohorts. This name was pulled from the source Corporate Accelerators.
*AIA Accelerator: The word "accelerator" is included in the name. Under the "Overview" tab, it states that startups have received mentorship.
*R/GA Accelerator: Under the "Overview" tab it states that the "R/GA Accelerator is designed for startups and... it is a three month, immersive, mentorship driven program".
*Zeroto510: Website contains a "Portfolio Companies" tab which divides up the companies into cohorts. This identifies Zeroto510 as an accelerator.
*Hub:raum: Offers accelerator and incubator programs; however, none are located in North America.
*Orange Fab: States on the main page that "We're a 3-month accelerator program".
*Furnace: "About" tab states that Furnace is "an innovative startup accelerator designed to form, incubate, and launch new companies". Concludes with a Demo Day
*Launch Chapel Hill: Homepage states that they are "a startup accelerator". Also included on the homepage is a line that states "Applications for Cohort 7 are now open".

7/10 are accelerators located in the US.

2/10 are accelerators not located in the US.

1/10 is not an accelerator.

===Steps for Extracting Cohort Information===
*TLabs: Clicked on the "Startup" tab and located a drop down menu entitled "Showing Startups from:". This menu separates startups into Batches ranging from 1-9. These batches are cohorts.
*Betaspring: This website does not have a "Companies" or "Startups" tab. I clicked on their "Who" tab and noticed that within this section were two links called "Our portfolio" and "Our companies" which both linked to the same place. This place contained a list of the startups that Betaspring has funded, as well as links to each of the startup websites. The list was not separated into cohorts.
*The Unilever Foundry: Does not have a "Startups" or "Companies" link on the website.
*AIA Accelerator: Clicked on the "Startups" tab which returned a page with 5 companies and a bit of information on each of these companies. Also included the URL to each startup. However, the companies were not separated into cohorts, probably because there are so few of them.
*R/GA Accelerator: Clicked on the "Alumni" tab and navigated down the webpage. Startups are separated by class, which means cohort in this case. Startup info contains link to demo day presentation as well as the startup url.
*Zeroto510: Hovered over the "About Us" drop down menu and clicked on the "Portfolio Companies" link. Startups are separated by cohort, one for each year, starting from 2013.
*Hub:raum: Clicked on the "Portfolio" tab. Directed to a page with many names of startups, as well as a brief description of what their company is about. Also includes a link to each startup's website. Startups are not separated into cohorts, but rather by investment by location, current participants, and alumni.
*Orange Fab: Clicked on the "Startups" tab and was directed to a different page. Startups are not only separated into cohorts named "Seasons", but they are also separated by industry.
*Furnace: Clicked on "Portfolio" tab, but unfortunately the website is broken and it returned an error in code.
*Launch Chapel Hill: Clicked on the "Ventures" tab and was directed to a page in which all startups were separated into cohorts, and a brief description of the startup was provided underneath their logo.

=Code=

The directory for all data related to this project is located in:
E:\McNair\Projects\Accelerators

==F6S Web Crawler==

This is a python script using the selenium library that retrieves the html content of each page on F6S's North American Accelerator search results. The script is located in:

E:\McNair\Projects\Accelerators\F6S Accelerator HTMLs

The script is titled f6s_crawler_gentle.py

When run, the script visits the F6S search page for North American Accelerator's and begins retrieving the HTML of each page in that search list.
NOTE: Timing must be spaced out between all interactions with the browser. F6S has Captcha, and the program will fail if the site receives too many hit requests, or has any inkling that it is being probed by a bot.

The Accelerator HTML files are stored in:
E:\McNair\Projects\Accelerators\F6S Accelerator HTMLs\Accelerator_HTML_files

The Accelerator HTML files stored as text files are stored in:
E:\McNair\Projects\Accelerators\F6S Accelerator HTMLs\Accelerator_HTML_files_text

==F6S Parser==
The next step is to take the HTML files retrieved by the crawler and to parse them for necessary information. This parser should also determine whether or not the site is an accelerator site.

The code for the parser is located in
E:\McNair\Projects\Accelerators\F6S Accelerator HTMLs

It is titled f6s_parser.py

To run the code, open the file in Komodo and press play.
If running from the command line, change to the correct directory and run the following comand:
python f6s_parser.py

The list of accelerators that passed through the parser is in the same directory:
E:\McNair\Projects\Accelerators\F6S Accelerator HTMLs

The tab delimited text file is named AcceleratorList.
The file contains the names of the accelerators that had the keywords listed in the file. Also, the file contains the run dates and location of the accelerator if it was listed on the f6s page.

==F6S API==
F6S has an API, but we have had no success getting a key to the API. The link to get a key to the API is on [https://www.f6s.com/developers/apis/deal-feed this page].

I (Peter) have emailed F6S to ask for a key directly at support@f6s.com.

FUN FACT (MASS-RENAME FILES USING WINDOWS POWER SHELL):

The following command allowed me to append ".txt" to all files in a folder once in the proper directory:
Get-ChildItem * | Rename-Item -NewName { $_.name + '.txt'}

To change file formats, Microsoft suggests:
Get-ChildItem *.txt | Rename-Item -NewName { $_.name -Replace '\.txt', '.log'}