Accelerator Program Design – Wharton School Professor Valentina Assenova

Valentina Assenova is the Edward B. and Shirley R. Shils Endowed Term Assistant Professor of Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She is renowned for her insightful research on entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly in how cultural and societal factors influence entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world. She recently released a study “Exploring the relationship between accelerator program design and startup performance.” She has a Ph.D. from Yale University and an M.B.A. from the University of Cambridge and has collaborated with organizations like FINCA International and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to advance entrepreneurship globally. We discuss the dynamics of Capital and Ideas, and define what an accelerator is, why program design matters so much, and how corporates can receive and deliver the most value from their work with entrepreneurs.