The success of start-up accelerators like Y Combinator, Tech Stars and DreamIt has spawned hundreds of clones, including more than 15 in Israel. Now the Israeli R&D Centers of Fortune 50 giants like IBM, Citibank, Cisco, Orange and Microsoft are crashing the Accelerator party, nurturing startups in search of an illusory dream: street cred. Demo Day last week at Microsoft Israel reflected some of the unique dynamics of corporate Accelerators- experienced founders, more funding, finished products and existing customers.
Demo Day at Microsoft''s Israel Accelerator
Corporate accelerators are a recent phenomenon, both in Israel and globally. Microsoft selected Israel last year to launch its very first accelerator program. The company takes no equity, with the emphasis on business and technical mentoring. This helps attract experienced entrepreneurs with products already in development. In fact, while the average age of founding teams in Y Combinator’s latest group is 28 (up from 26 two years ago) the average at Microsoft is 35.
Although not nearly as successful as Y Combinator (Ryan Lawler of TechCrunch estimates the value of Y Combinator’s portfolio at more than $13.7 bilion), Microsoft is pleased with the outcome and has now launched accelerators in Bangalore, Beijing, Berlin and London, with programs planned for Seattle, Moscow, Paris and Rio de Janeiro. Rahul Sood, General Manager of Microsoft Ventures, identifies Microsoft’s potential contribution. “The number one thing we can do is help them build and acquire a customer base. Show me satisfied customers and I promise they will find funding”. In fact, half of the companies in this batch at Micosoft Israel raised $1 million or more by Demo Day.
Taking a page from Microsoft, other prominent corporates are choosing Israel to launch their world-first accelerator programs, albeit with a differentiation strategy. Citibank has just added an Accelerator, called Basecamp TLV, to its Israel Innovation Center. It covers all areas within financial technology, such as payments, markets, trading and analysis. Cisco has announced a Cloud-focused Accelerator, with the added benefit of $50,000 in seed funding. IBM will operate an Accelerator in Haifa, drawing on the technical talent pool associated with Technion and University of Haifa.
One strategy these Accelerators should consider is integrating the support of other multinational corporations. For example, Microsoft collaborates with eBay, Comcast, Sears, Saatchi & Saatchi, Y&R and Deutsche Telekom.
“The rising number of major multinationals participating in the program and the significant amounts of funding already achieved all point to the increasing success of our program,” says Director of Microsoft Ventures Accelerator, Hanan Lavy.
Senior Director of Microsoft Ventures, Zack Weisfeld
Meet the recent graduates of Microsoft Ventures Tel Aviv Accelerator:
Uses sensors to track seniors’ activity patterns at home, with cloud-based big-data analytics to dynamically learn their routine and detect distress situations.
