Article · 7 min read

Due Diligence on Accelerators: What Entrepreneurs Need to Know

Wiley Larsen · Entrepreneur Free Beginner

This is your actual question sheet: it tells you to interview program leadership about founder EXITS (not the staff's own startups), to demand named investors who wrote checks to portfolio companies, and it puts a hard number on equity (be wary above 6 to 8 percent, and hunt for hidden fees). It also says the quiet part out loud: run a background check on the mentors before you believe the mentor list.

• Ask leadership to name specific portfolio exits and specific investors who funded alumni, not vague success stories
• Treat equity above roughly 6 to 8 percent as a flag and separately ask what hidden fees exist
• Verify that named mentors have real, relevant track records instead of taking the brochure list on faith