EIT Digital is proud to see the EIT Digital Accelerator being ranked among the Top 20 Global Accelerators in the annual Gust report that was released yesterday. The EIT Digital Accelerator focusses on late stage startups (scaleups) and has been ranked on 8th place.
The Global Accelerator Report 2016 provides an exclusive inside look at accelerator programs worldwide. This report aims to explain how the accelerator industry is evolving in the region, how accelerators support their activities, and how they impact local and regional tech startup ecosystems. The Gust report highlights a total investment of US $ 209,057,837 worldwide in 11,681 startups by 579 accelerator programs.
"We are excited to see the EIT Digital Accelerator listed among the Top 20 Global Accelerators. By providing tailor-made support to scaleups and helping them access new markets, secure customers and raise capital, we are actively bringing down the barriers deriving from a fragmented European market in order to help companies to grow to global players," says Dolf Wittkämper, Head of the EIT Digital Accelerator. He adds: "Our approach is different from other accelerators, as we don't take equity, work with a dedicated team of experts supporting the scaleup CEOs full-time instead of part-time mentors, and accept companies into the program on a rolling basis. More mature companies simply need a different approach then early-stage startups. It is great to see the report reflecting how acceleration models are evolving worldwide to meet changing demands."
The EIT Digital Accelerator supports European digital technology ventures to scale up in Europe and beyond by helping secure target customers and raise capital. A team of experienced business developers and finance experts operate from 13 cities across Europe as well as from a hub in San Francisco. Since 2012, they have supported more than 240 startups to access new markets and helped them raise more than €80 million in investment to date.
Update - 24 August 2017: The EIT Digital Accelerator was also ranked on 2nd place in the European Accelerator Report 2016.
