5 Keys to Success in a Corporate Startup Accelerator
Founders, stay true to your vision
It’s the start of another sticky summer day in North Carolina. The sun is blazing and the air is thick. I make my way from the garage to the office building that will hit me with a wave of frigid air cold enough to give me hypothermia. But none of this matters.
Today is the day the founders arrive.
Incredible, smart, passionate, and a little bit crazy. All with visions to change the world.
I’ve worked with 29 startups in the last 3 years within the MetLife Digital Accelerator powered by Techstars. Starting as an Associate for Techstars, I was brought onto the MetLife team to help run the program on the corporate side.
Techstars accelerators are not for the faint of heart. The grueling 3-month programs test founder relationships and resolve, challenge visions and business models, and pack 18 months of work into 13 weeks.
For 3 months each year, I coexisted with 10–20 founders, living vicariously through their emotional rollercoasters, resolve, and passion.
It is amazing. I’m unapologetically an accelerator nerd.
A corporate accelerator is its own beast. There are a lot of pluses, especially with Techstars as your partner…
