Richmond Method

How to determine whether something is an accelerator:

• Check for a set timeframe: Accelerators have a set time period for their program (often around 3 months). In order to be classified as an accelerator the program must have firm starting and ending dates
• Check for batches of startups: Accelerators take their startups in batches, and all startups begin and end the program together

Classifying Accelerators:

At Richmond we group accelerators into one of four groups

• Traditional: An accelerator that exists solely as a vehicle for aiding startups (Y Combinator)
• Corporate: An accelerator that exists under and is run by a corporation (Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator)
• University: An accelerator that is run by a university (University of Hawaii's accelerator: XLR8UH)
• Non-Accelerator: This group consists of things that are similar to accelerators but do not match the specific accelerator criteria, such as incubators. We track these in order to avoid having to research them again in the future should we come across them in our research