Analysis on the startup accelerator industry in China

Abstract

Under the Chinese government's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative, startup accelerators have been emerging fast during the past few years. Who are the leading players in China's accelerator industry and what is their background? What service are they providing and what value proposition are they positioning? What are the common characters of the accelerators and what are the difference in strategy? The primary purpose of the study is to study the newly emerged industry of startup accelerator in China and conclude in a summary of the industry landscape. The study analyzes the external environment of the Chinese market impacting the startup accelerator industry and summarizes the favorable and unfavorable factors influencing the industry. The study also researches the internal interaction among major stakeholders involved the accelerator ecosystem, to understand the demand of stakeholders and accordingly the value proposition accelerators could propose to meet the demands, specifically in the Chinese market. Through analysis and comparison among six representative accelerators operating in China, including three local Chinese accelerators and three foreign accelerator, the thesis summarizes the value proposition and business model of the accelerators, and the advantage and disadvantage of different strategies.