An accelerator comparison should make the tradeoffs visible. Build a scorecard around your company’s next milestone, then record the evidence behind each assessment.
I mentor across several accelerator communities, including Alchemist, StartX, Berkeley SkyDeck, Techstars, Plug and Play, and Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator. Use this template to investigate fit independently, including when a program is connected to me.
Write the decision statement
“We are considering a program to help us achieve [milestone] by [period]. The main obstacle is [constraint]. Without a program, our plan would be [alternative].”
The alternative matters. It could be working directly with customers, hiring a specialist, or joining a narrower founder community. An accelerator should be compared with a credible use of the same time and resources.
Fill in the comparison
| Dimension | Program A evidence | Program B evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility and stage fit | Current program requirements | Current program requirements |
| Relevant expertise | Named people and realistic access | Named people and realistic access |
| Customer access | Specific route to relevant buyers | Specific route to relevant buyers |
| Working format | Calendar, attendance, and founder workload | Calendar, attendance, and founder workload |
| Economic commitment | Current documents and open questions | Current documents and open questions |
| Alumni evidence | Comparable founder’s actual experience | Comparable founder’s actual experience |
| Milestone contribution | Why the program changes the plan | Why the program changes the plan |
Mark missing information as unknown. Do not give a program a low score merely because you have not yet asked the question.
Weight the dimensions deliberately
Choose the few dimensions that matter most for the current stage. An enterprise founder may give substantial weight to buyer access and commercial expertise. A company-formation team may care more about collaborators and a process for testing the idea.
If you use numerical scores, keep the supporting notes beside them. A decimal-point difference is rarely meaningful when the inputs are subjective and incomplete.
Ask the same core questions
Use a consistent set of questions with program staff and relevant alumni. Where the answers differ, investigate the context: cohort, stage, individual initiative, or a change in program design.
Avoid treating the best alumni outcome as the expected outcome. You are evaluating a support mechanism, not buying a promised result.
Make the decision in writing
Record the preferred option, the unresolved conditions, and the reason it beats the alternative. If none clearly helps, continue building and revisit later.
The accelerator guide explains the broader questions behind the template. This scorecard turns those questions into a comparison your co-founder or advisor can challenge before you commit.
Co-founder and CEO of Stackmatix, startup advisor, and former Head of Sales at MightyHive. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn ↗ · More about Matt →