Learning to ride the high growth “Rollercoaster”: the role of publicly funded business accelerator programmes

Ross Brown*, Rachael Rees-Jones

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

High growth firms (HGFs) are a vital determinant of regional economic competitiveness. This paper examines the effectiveness of a Welsh publicly funded business accelerator programme (BAP) designed to nurture HGFs via relational support measures. The paper teases out both the support requirements sought by high growth entrepreneurs, together with the perceived effectiveness of the programme’s offering. Hitherto, the literature has been silent in terms of the mental well-being and psychological resilience of founders of HGFs. This study discovered how mental well-being and psychological resilience of entrepreneurs was very acutely and detrimentally affected when experiencing periods of rapid firm growth. The research also uncovered a disconnect between the support needs of HGFs and those provided by BAPs. To help develop the capabilities and durability of entrepreneurs, “growth readiness” coaching together with psychological resilience training seem appropriate policy measures to help entrepreneurs successfully navigate turbulent episodes of high growth.
Original languageEnglish
Article number00917
Number of pages20
JournalSmall Business Economics
Volume00
Issue number00
Early online date19 Mar 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 19 Mar 2024

Keywords

  • High growth firms
  • Business accelerator programmes
  • Mental health
  • Public policy

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