In 2014, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) launched the first ever Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. Over 800 entities applied for $2.5 million in cash prizes. Accelerators and other entrepreneurial ecosystem models competed for awards of $50,000 each. We drew a baseline of 2014’s 50 winners and reported it to CongressDownload Adobe Reader to read this link content. That ecosystem is made up of about 1500 geographically dispersed startups across a broad array of industries that employ ~5000 people and have collectively raised over $600,000,000.

1. Small Business Administration
Office of Investment and Innovation
SBA’s Growth Accelerator Competition
Overview: 2014 & 2015
http://sba.gov/accelerators

2. Small Business Administration2
Accelerators – The What & Why
Competition Quick Facts
2
The U.S. Small Business Administration is running a competition for
accelerators and other entrepreneurial ecosystem models to compete for
monetary prizes of $50,000 each.
To award the prizes, an expert panel of judges considered each applicant’s
mission, founding team and business goals among other items.
The panel gave particular attention to, and the SBA encouraged, applicants
that fill geographic, industry or other underrepresented gaps in the
accelerator and entrepreneurial ecosystem space in the USA.
The prize money is intended to provide with supplemental and critical capital
to the operating budgets of entrepreneurial ecosystems across the land. With
access to capital via this highly competitive process, applicants will have a
better opportunity to scale up or launch something completely new.
The basic tenet is simple: the startup world and a portfolio’s survival is
driven by a game of numbers. More quality startups supported by more well-
funded entrepreneurial ecosystems leads to successful startups growing into
competitive, exciting and high-value job creators.
For the purposes of this competition, “Accelerators” included accelerators,
incubators, co-working startup communities, shared spaces or other models
that accomplish the same end goal.
Selective process to choose
participating startups
Regular networking opportunities
offered to startups
Introductions to customers,
partners, suppliers, advisory boards
and other players
High-growth and tech-driven startup
mentorship and commercialization
assistance
Shared working environments
focused on building a strong startup
community
Resource sharing and co-working
arrangements for startups
Opportunities to pitch ideas and
startups to investors
Small amounts of angel money,
seed capital or structured loans to
startups
We expect
applicants and
winners will
have most if not
all of these 8
elements

3. Small Business Administration3
What Happened in 2014
 $2.5M total encompassing 50 awards of $50,000 each
 832 accelerators submitted applications from every
state except Alaska (plus DC and Puerto Rico)
 100 finalists were whittled down by a panel of experts
 50 winners were selected by the judges in September
2014
 Of the 50 winners:
 7 are in rural America
 9 were launching new
 11 different sectors

4. Small Business Administration4
Data – Information – Knowledge
What We Have
832
Applicants
~ 600
Players
100 Finalists
50 Winners Above plus:
quarterly reporting.
Above plus:
videos and pitch decks.
Above plus:
pitch decks and basic
demographic info.
Basic demographic information
1st Screen
2nd Screen
3rd Screen

5. Small Business Administration5
What Happened in 2014

6. Small Business Administration6
Baseline of the fifty 2014 Winners as reported to
Congress

7. Small Business Administration7
2014 Winners: Q1 Results
 50 accelerator winners raised a total of $57.6M
 $2.5M through the 2014 competition
 $55.1M through other sources
 70% of winners raised funds from family, friends, and
used unconventional sources such as crowds, social
networks, and angel funding
 Ecosystems
 Capital invested into start-ups:
 By Accelerator: $12.6M
 By Other Sources: $535.1M
 Jobs created: 5,121

8. Small Business Administration8
2014 Winners: Q2 Results
Executive Summary - Metrics
The Applicant Funnel
Applicants 832
Finalists 100
Winners 50
Yield 1 in 17
Winner Stats
Women 32%
Underserved 14%
Rural 14%
New 18%
Industry Focus*
General/All 40%
Tech/Science 36%
Healthcare/Medical 10%
Manufacturing 6%
Education 6%
Agricultural 6%
Food,Beverage,Hospitality 6%
Biotech 4%
Energy 4%
Tourism 4%
Other 14%

9. Small Business Administration9
2014 Winners: Q2 Results, cont’d
Collective Baseline**
Median & Average Inception Year for Winners 2013
Total Accelerator Competition Prize $2,500,000.00
External capital raised by accelerators collectively $18,512,862.00
Median external capital per accelerator $50,000.00
Average external capital per accelerator $370,257.24
Ratio of external capital to prize awards 307 to 1
Professional investor funded 14%
Corporation(s) funded 40%
Family/Friends/Angels & Other funded 52%
Fed/State/City Government collectively funded 50%
Fed/State/City Individually funded 4% / 20% / 26%
Startups launched 224
Startups currently housed 391
Total Startups 615
Total Applications 4834
Yield 1 in 8
Capital Invested into Startups by Accelerators $7,342,566.00
Capital Invested into Startups by any other source $27,616,494.00
Average capital into each startup by all sources $56,844.00
Total jobs created and/or sustained by startups 861
Average jobs per startup 1.4
Average investment per job (imputed) $40,602.86
Jobs created by accelerators themselves 128.25
Average jobs per accelerator 2.6

10. Small Business Administration10
2014 Winners: Q3 Results

11. Small Business Administration11
2014 Winners: Q4 Results (One Year Timeline)
Executive Summary - Metrics
Number of jobs created by your startups 1622.5
Number of individuals employed by your accelerator 172
Dollars raised by your accelerator from outside investors (excluding the $50,000 you received from the SBA). 21,979,091.00$
Dollars raised by your startups from outside investors 189,082,824.00$
Dollars invested in your startups by your accelerator 9,723,433.00$
Number of startups graduated and/or exited from your accelerator 663
Number of startups in your current cohort 366
Number of startup applications received 8866

12. Small Business Administration12
2015 Outreach One-Pager

13. Small Business Administration13
What Happened in 2015
Status & Update - Timeline
• 400+ applications received by JUNE 1
• 1st Round Judging Completed on JUNE 30
• 2nd Round Judges whittled down to 80 winners on JULY 27
• Culmination with winners being announced @ White House Demo Day AUGUST 4
• $50,000 prizes to wired to winners before SEPTEMBER 30
Status & Update - FACTOIDS
• 50 States, DC and Puerto Rico Applied in 2015
• 46 states sent more than one application (not including: MN, OK, RI, WY)
• The 10 states with the most applications represent over 49% of all applications
• Percent of 2014 50 winners that applied in 2015 – 70%
• Percent of 2015 applicants that also applied in 2014 – over 42%
• Percent of applications that were new in 2015 – over 57%

14. Small Business Administration14
Examples: Hera Labs & PowerMoves NOLA
 https://vimeo.com/133203055
 https://vimeo.com/candlelightfilms/review/132984510
/c7beb1c992

15. Small Business Administration15
2014 vs. 2015 Winners: Snapshot
Statistic Population Percentage Notes
# of States Represented (2014) 30 60.00 plus DC & PR
# of States Represented (2015) 39 78.00 plus DC & PR
Total Number of States Represented (2014 + 2015) 43 86.00
# in Power+ (2015) (WV, KY, TN, MS) 5 5.68
# in Rural Counties (2015) (<50,000) 14 15.91
# Brand New Winners 68 85.00
# Won in 2015, but not 2014 26 32.50
# Repeat 2014 & 2015 Winners 12 15.00
# Focused on Marketing/Manufacturing 24 30.00
# Owned by Women 39 48.75
# Owned by Minorities 21 26.25
# Focused on Women 21 26.25
# Focused on Underserved 36 45.00
# Focused on Veterans 13 16.25

16. Small Business Administration16
2015 Winners: Q1 Metrics
Executive Summary - Metrics
Number of jobs created by your startups 13906.25
Number of individuals employed by your accelerator 403.25
Dollars raised by your accelerator from outside investors (excluding the $50,000 you received from the SBA). 218,420,549.00$
Dollars raised by your startups from outside investors 809,548,800.00$
Dollars invested in your startups by your accelerator 38,580,080.00$
Number of startups graduated and/or exited from your accelerator 2349
Number of startups in your current cohort 929
Number of startup applications received 11905

17. Small Business Administration17
2016 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition: Partners
 OII (SBA)
 ONAA (SBA)
 OVBD (SBA)
 NIH
 NSF
 ED
 USDA
 IDB

18. Small Business Administration18
2016 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition: Proposed
Timeline