Accelerator Programs: Promoting Entrepreneurship Through Learning. A Comparative Case Study.

The objective of this study is to examine and compare accelerator programs under the lens of learning. This means explore the stages of the programs in a learning perspective, examining what are the characteristics of entrepreneurial learning within accelerator programs and how learning is promoted during them. The theoretical background relies mainly on the intersection between entrepreneurship and organizational learning literature; of course, also emerging literature on venture accelerators is taken into account. To date, studies on accelerator programs in learning perspective are extremely exiguous and the phenomenon constitutes a promising area of research, also because accelerator programs are proliferating and their variety is increasing. The paper employs a comparative case study approach. It analyzes and compares two programs of acceleration, both based in Italy. The chosen method is considered particularly appropriate to explore what characteristics have learning and how it occurs in the context of accelerator programs. Through the analysis and the comparation of the cases theoretical propositions to be tested in further research are developed. Empirical analysis confirms that acceleration programs are actually learning programs. The examination of the programs in a learning perspective reveals, despite some differences are found between cases, the promotion of experiential as well as not experiential learning. Entrepreneurial learning is promoted during the whole path of acceleration and through the use of similar tools, but with a different emphasis and a specific timeline. Implications: This paper have potential significant implications from an academic point of view, since it tries to open the box of learning within accelerator programs, which constitutes a promising area of research, still relatively unexplored by scholars. It can present also implications for practitioners, who can find useful insights to promote learning within accelerators, and policy makers, who can evaluate the opportunity to participate to programs of acceleration in order to promote entrepreneurial learning. Value: The value of this study consists in exploring new research paths within a still underexplored area of investigation: the phenomenon of accelerator programs is examined by using literature on learning, and this sheds new light on them, offering relevant insights on their planning and implementation.