Home featured Featured Let's Talk Featured Let’s talk: Is an accelerator programme right for you? Loren Webb April 29, 2020 Are accelerators and incubators something you should consider for your startup or small business? The assistance that comes with joining an accelerator programme can be instrumental in setting up a successful company, as they provide financial support (either directly or indirectly), mentorship and vital networking opportunities. The people-power of accelerators is often their most important and valuable asset. Last year we interviewed the CEO of CIN (Canberra Innovation Network), Petr Adamek, on the Dynamic Business Podcast , where he spoke about some of the common problems he sees with startup founders. These are problems that Petr says can be avoided by joining a network or programme, such as marketing mistakes, over-spending or not researching your product/service enough. However, the draw back may be an over-inclusion of thoughts and advice over your business. If funding is involved, this becomes more so, with investors having the opportunity to influence business decisions. In today’s Let’s Talk we’ve asked three experts on knowing if an accelerator programme is right for you. Here are their opinions. Weh Yeoh, Co-Founder and CEO of Umbo It’s hard to keep track of the number of accelerators and incubators you could possibly apply for. It’s important to remember the opportunity cost of attending structured sessions, and how that impacts the time you have to create your business. It’s also important to know whether or not you can have the