In addition to providing financial support, collaborations with bigger companies provide an opportunity to tap into a deep well of knowledge and senior-level management expertise that only a more established brand can provide. One unintended benefit was that Rebate Bus added five new jobs to the St. The large company, for its part, added Rebate Bus's valuable new technology to its arsenal to stay competitive in the marketplace. Rebate Bus, one of the startups in our 2017 cohort, used the investment and mentorship to get off the ground and scale growth.ĭuring its accelerator phase, Rebate Bus received funding and mentorship and has since secured a partnership with a large company to run a 90-day trial.

We saw a successful example of this at the Ameren Accelerator in St. In successful collaborations, the relationship is symbiotic, with many layers of engagement. The incubator, known as IN2, has invested nearly $6 million in 20 companies since its inception. In 2014, Wells Fargo created its own startup incubator to nurture new clean-tech businesses in the marketplace. Companies across a wide range of industries, from technology and retail to media and telecommunications, are investing in startup partnerships.

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