At the SIR international outlook session on innovation, hosted by Jonas Michanek on behalf of SISP, experts from three continents shared their perspectives on how incubation and acceleration are evolving. Representatives from Quay Accelerators (New York), Cambridge Innovation Center (Tokyo), and TUM Venture Labs (Munich) discussed trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping ecosystems worldwide.
United States: Accelerators as a Service
Frances Simowitz, CEO of Quay Accelerators in New York, reflected on a decade of building accelerators as a service for U.S. government partners:
“In ten years, we’ve run programs for 25 different government partners, across 40 nationalities and 750 companies. We’ve touched a lot of industries and sectors,” she explained.
Simowitz pointed out that incubators and accelerators today compete much like startups, with different models and increasing pressure to deliver measurable outcomes.
“Clients are looking for leaner, shorter processes. There’s a trend toward one-on-one formats, and a higher demand for successful founders to share experiences, rather than providing knowledge you can now find through AI tools.”
While AI is transforming the way content is delivered, Simowitz stressed the enduring importance of human networks:
“A lot of the knowledge we share with startups can be found through AI. That means we need to level up our content. But trust and relationships cannot be replaced by technology, they remain the core value of accelerators.”
Looking ahead, he highlighted AI and advanced manufacturing as key growth areas, while crypto and blockchain have taken a back seat. Yet the funding landscape remains tough:
“Series A and B rounds are struggling. The bar is higher now, and our role is to prepare startups to tell a compelling story so they can secure the capital they need.”
Asia: Japan’s Innovation Landscape
Masara Nagura, PhD, Director at CIC Institute in Tokyo and specially appointed professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology, gave a perspective from Japan.
He noted that the number of incubators and accelerators has grown significantly in the last five years, with global players establishing a presence in Japan. Universities, too, are taking on stronger roles in startup development.
“We’re seeing momentum in deep tech areas such as space technology, nuclear fusion, quantum, and food tech,” Nagura explained. “AI and defense are also rising on the agenda, with strong visibility at the upcoming Global Startup Expo 2025.”
However, funding remains a challenge:
“VC investments peaked in 2021–2022, but have since declined. Japanese corporates are often slow to engage with non-Japanese startups, especially when it comes to acquisitions.”
Nagura also pointed to similarities between Sweden and Japan:
“We face the same challenges in funding. The contexts are different, but the resource gaps feel familiar.”
Europe: Munich’s TUM Venture Labs
Bastian Burger of TUM Venture Labs, part of the UnternehmerTUM ecosystem in Munich, described how their university-driven model integrates research with entrepreneurship.
“We have 50,000 students, 6,000 scientists, and more than 400 people working within the ecosystem. Each year, over 100 startups are created, attracting around €2 billion in investments. Bavaria has now surpassed Berlin as Germany’s top startup hub,” Burger shared.
The university’s track record includes 15 unicorns founded by TUM students, scientists, and alumni, with particular strength in AI.
“TUM has the most AI founders in Europe, ahead of Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College, and HEC. Our ecosystem is quite strong,” Burger boasted with a laugh.
Still, he warned of structural gaps:
“Funding is going down. Series A is low and series B are almost dead. We also see many successful student initiatives, but too few turn into real ventures. Germans tend to go for the safer options.”
On future opportunities, he noted:
“Dual-use technologies are emerging as an option. But the big question is: what do you do after the first incubation phase? Right now, there are no truly attractive options for startups once they’re a bit further along.”
A Shared Global Picture
From New York to Tokyo to Munich, the insights converge on a few clear themes:
- Accelerators are under pressure to deliver outcomes and adapt to founders’ changing needs.
- AI is reshaping content and processes, but trust and networks remain irreplaceable.
- Series A and B funding is a global bottleneck, creating hurdles for scaling companies.
- Deep tech fields such as AI, manufacturing, quantum, and defense are driving innovation agendas.
As industries evolve, ecosystems must evolve with them. As Jonas Michanek summarized:
“Industries are changing — and so must we.”
