If the blind lead the blind (will both fall into a canal?)

Currently startups are a hot topic and businesses respond to this by offering them support. Incubators and accelerators give access to resources and guidance in order to let the startup develop in an effective way. This research examines what happens in the support process in selected companies in Amsterdam and how this support is perceived by (digital) media startups. Previous research highlights several important components of this support process, such as different types of incubators, the selection process, the offer of business support and the access to a network. Also a lot of research is done on the entrepreneurial side of the process, where one neglected question is where entrepreneurial opportunity comes from and the idea of the individual entrepreneur is overthrown. A startup is built with a team, which possesses several entrepreneurial characteristics. The biggest challenge startups face is getting access to a network of useful resources. Support companies compensate by offering services and guidance. Therefore, this research is an addition to previous research as it includes both perspectives: about what the support companies offer and what startups need. Combining both perspectives leads to insights in the underlying processes. In order to create an interesting dataset an observation and 14 in-­‐depth interviews were conducted. Results indicate that support companies are well aware of the needs of startups and provide a cohesive support system. There is room for improvement, such as improving the quality of support and making the programs more customized. Interesting is that the researched support companies are young companies themselves, which face the same problems as startups do. In order to be successful, these companies need to learn about what works best and mature in order to create a sustainable ecosystem in Amsterdam. Moreover, the results provide insights in the experience of startups that receive support, where reputation, growth and becoming part of a network of other startups are the most important ones. Also the rational choices made by high positioned employees in the support companies are outlined, that answer question on with who they partner up, why they operate in clusters and how the design of the support process is build. Corporations, governments and universities help structure the support programs. This research concludes by outlining the tension between what (digital) media startup need and what support companies offer.