The term “incubation” began to be heard in the business community in the early 1980’s.  In the mid-1990’s the term “acceleration” began to be more widely used and, in some cases, to replace the use of incubation.  Both refer to facilities, programs or practices provided by third parties which help early stage companies to start-up, grow and prosper.  Vista Ventures™ expertise and knowledge in business acceleration processes originated in the early days of the incubation of start-up companies. 

What are the keys to successful business acceleration processes?  While there is no formula for success, there are a number of important ingredients.

·        Market knowledge.  An incubation program needs to be designed to meet the needs and demands of the companies that will be its clients. 

·        Interchange of ideas.  Young entrepreneurs learn by the exchange of information, ideas and opportunities from other entrepreneurs, internal consultants and outside advisers. 

·        Critical mass of companies.  The successful exchange of ideas is requires a minimum number of companies in the facility with relatively easy access to each yet no so many companies that processes must become more formal and familiarity with more than a few becomes unlikely. 

·        Quality staff.  The key members of the staff need to have a variety of skills in order to administer the program, assess the needs of individual companies and attract quality resources with minimal cost. 

·        Access to capital.  In order to accelerate growth, the better companies will need to have access to sources of seed and venture capital. 

·        Right amount of turnover.  Successful companies will graduate from the program and others will fail.  Too much turnover will result in a lack of continuity but too little turnover will reduce the ability to learn from the exchange. 

·        Relationships with the local community.  The acceleration program is a center for new business ideas and community events.  The outside community provides resources for its programs and sales opportunities for its companies. 

·        Physical environment.  While the facility is not the most important ingredient, the location and quality of the facility must be sufficient to attract clients who will pay reasonable rates for the opportunity to participate in a quality program in that environment. 

What are the core competencies that Vista Ventures™ brings to the area of business acceleration? 

o        Almost twenty years of experience and familiarity in the industry including experience as an investor, service provider, client and evaluator of incubator and accelerator programs. 

o        Extensive knowledge of the practices of seed and venture capital investors. 

o        Design of programs that encourage the interchange of ideas among early stage companies and monitoring the effectiveness of those programs. 

o        Training and evaluation of the key managers of incubator facilities. 

o        Design of measurements to determine the quality of the incubator programs.  

o        Attraction of both investors and outside consultants to the accelerator’s programs. 

o        Familiarity with the major thought leaders, accelerator practitioners and trade associations in the US.  

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