Snippets: Boosting start-up growth

Start-up accelerator programmes have been touted as one path to faster progress. Much like their famed Silicon Valley counterparts, emerging market accelerators aim to boost start-ups’ potential for raising growth capital. According to a Harvard Business Review article titled “Start-up accelerators have become more popular in emerging markets — and they’re working” by Peter Roberts and Randall Kempner, the effects of acceleration are remarkably similar for entrepreneurs across countries and even continents. The authors wanted to examine whether the boost that accelerators give in emerging market contexts is different from similar programmes in North America or Europe. Unfortunately, mismatched goals between investors and entrepreneurs as well as a potential cultural bias may both prove to limit the positive effect that accelerators have in emerging market contexts. Regardless, accelerators still have an important role to play that can help position entrepreneurs for success.

Business hard-talk

According to the findings of a Glassdoor survey, younger workers expect their organisations to be more socially responsible. Employees want their companies to take a stand on political and social matters as they believe this will have a positive effect on business and the employees lives. About 84 per cent of the employees in the US believe that companies have an important voice in legislation, regulation and executive orders, which affect their business and employees. With many countries putting restrictions on foreign companies and their hiring policies, it is time that corporates voice their concerns because their business is affected by such moves. About 75 per cent of respondents, aged between 18 and 34 years, expect their employers to take a stand on issues that affect the country, their constitutional rights, immigration policies, equal rights and climate change.