The Sources of Accelerator Heterogeneity: Three Essays on Accelerator Participants and Geography (Doctoral Dissertation)
This dissertation examines the dynamic interplay among accelerators, their participants, and places, with a particular focus on their heterogeneous nature, cohort-based program design, and the geography of program participants. By integrating a systematic literature review with empirical analyses, this dissertation provides a comprehensive understanding of accelerator dynamics and their implications for regional economic development and startup growth.
This dissertation is autobiographical. Heterogeneity across entrepreneurial support organizations was the primary reason that I was interested in overseas study. The core findings of this dissertation respond to the questions that I had as a policy practitioner in 2016 and 2017 (it took 10 years to get answers to those questions). The mobility patterns of accelerator participants, the core findings of this dissertation, reminded me of my parents’ dedication; they never hesitated to move to unknown geographies for my family and me.
I would like to acknowledge that this work was made possible thanks to a myriad of support that I got from my mentors, family, friends, and neighbors. I was literally blessed with a lot of serendipitous moments throughout my doctoral journey.
Accelerator Niches in an Emerging Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: New York City
(Published in Local Economy)
In 2019, I had a chance to travel to New York City, which was my first solo trip to the city never sleeps. I enjoyed walking around many beautiful places in my three favorite movies (e.g., Intern, Begin Again, & The Devil Wears Prada).
Then, almost at the end of my trip (maybe somewhere around the mid-Manhattan area when I was walking back from Washington Square Park to Times Square), I noticed that I was surrounded by a number of entrepreneurship support organizations populating that area. Accelerators and coworking spaces intensifying the startup vibe in that area instigated my academic curiosity.
What led them to populate in the city that never sleeps? Was there any interesting pattern in their temporal emergence? Those questions led to my first publication in Local Economy. My co-authors and I found the shift toward specialization, coherent with the theories on Organizational Ecology. We also found the organizational ecology of accelerators in NYC started from the periphery, which approves the role of peripheral regions in industrial and organizational emergence.
(Co-authored with Paige Clayton and Maryann Feldman)
Policies for Creating Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
(Book chapter)
Entrepreneurs have a bunch of channels to access assets essential for starting a new business; various types of entrepreneurship support organizations (ESOs), such as accelerators, coworking spaces, and crowdfunding platforms, have been emerging in a number of entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world. Additionally, governments and policymakers are competing to launch public support programs for nascent firms. Based on a systematic literature review, my co-author (Maryann Feldman) and I categorize a variety of policy engagements into three: seeding capital, seeding opportunities, and seeding support. We also suggest key policy implications and future research topics. (Co-authored with Maryann Feldman)
Joonho Oh 