Evaluating Business Accelerator Participants’ Experiences: Effectuation at Play?1

Abstract

Responding to the new phenomena in entrepreneurship ecosystems in Poland, the author undertakes the study that aims to explore experiences of the participants of (pre)accelerator programme for start-ups. Clipster is a business acceleration and incubation programme, where participants have a unique co-living opportunity and work on their new venture ideas. With phenomenological interviews with six nascent entrepreneurs – participants working on their new venture ideas andemployment of inductive research approach, the author uses grounded theory analysis methods. The results provide 4 key categories that reflect effectuation heuristics. The findings contribute to acceleration and incubation literature by providing insights into the interactive and dynamic nature on the micro level of individual and interpersonal behaviours and processes among the programme participants.