Speeding Up Social Entrepreneurship: Improving the Sustainability of the Accelerator Program

Abstract: In the past decade, a new entrepreneurial phenomenon aimed at seeding start-up companies has emerged across the globe: the social enterprise (SE) accelerator program. These accelerators focus on scaling social entrepreneurs by accelerating their journey to the market. Different actors like business reporters, entrepreneurs, and angel investors have expressed skepticism around the viability of the accelerator model. To research this sustainability, this thesis studied the revenue models of SE accelerators. Four semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts working at SE accelerators in Stockholm. These four identified getting revenue from partnerships, government institutions, and philanthropy and donations. Consulting contracts, equity shares and fees were not used by these four but were discussed as potential revenue streams. All respondents emphasized the importance of revenue model diversification and were currently working on strategies to act on this. Diversifying the revenue models of SE accelerators will increase the sustainability of their revenue models. This might be the first step from the focus of monetary gain towards a society where business is created to do good.