Common Accelerator Mistakes: Lessons from 50 HK Founders

Synthesising conversations with 50 HK founders who have been through accelerator programmes, the most frequent regrets are: choosing an accelerator based on brand name rather than sector fit (a prestigious generalist accelerator that cannot help with your specific industry is less valuable than a lesser-known sector specialist); underestimating the time commitment (founders consistently report that the programme demands more time than expected, leaving less time for product development and customer work); failing to build relationships with other cohort members (cohort peers are often the most valuable long-term network from the programme, yet many founders treat them as competitors rather than collaborators); and assuming that the accelerator will ‘make introductions that lead to funding’ without the founder actively driving the fundraising process. The consistent message from experienced founders: an accelerator is a tool, not a solution. The accelerator provides the network, the structure, and the brand — but the founder must provide the execution.