Startup accelerators have become an integral part of helping early-stage companies build, fund, and bring to market new products and ideas. Countless startups wielding unicorn-status valuations can credit their rapid progress and success to programs like Techstars and Y Combinator. These programs run early-stage teams thru a 3-month boot-camp, infusing them with capital, space, resources, and expert mentors to push them to “do more faster” (in the words of Brad Feld and David Cohen.) In recent years, we’ve come to see museums such as the New Museum, ACMI, and Te Papa look to the models of accelerators and incubators to bring together entrepreneurs, hackers, and cultural practitioners in hopes of driving innovation and generating new ideas. In this panel discussion, we will explore: - The various traits of incubators, accelerators, and venture capital to find aspects that could be borrowed and adapted to drive positive change in the museum field. - The story of how NEW INC was formed and its impact on the New Museum and its companies. - Types of businesses that could be incubated and/or accelerated with access to museum resources. - The impact on museum culture of co-locating with entrepreneurs and start-up teams. - Beyond return on capital investment, what long term benefits might museums expect from developing close - relationships with early-stage businesses and their leaders? Speakers Session Leader : Brendan Ciecko, Founder & CEO, Cuseum Co-Presenter : Nancy Proctor, Executive Director, MuseWeb Co-Presenter : Sina Bahram, President, Prime Access Consulting MCN 2016 Presenting Sponsor: Piction New Orleans, LA