Who Helps the Helpers? Resilience and Challenges of Business Accelerators and Incubators during the Pandemic in the U.K

Business accelerators and incubators assist young ventures by providing many critical services. Restrictions associated with COVID-19 are expected to have a significant impact on these programs. This paper provides the first analysis of the pandemic's effect on these programs in the U. K. The results of the article show that these programs have seen some unexpected results. More than a third of programs saw an increase in demand for their programs from their existing clients and their new clients. COVID-19 adds to the pressure placed on these programs by Brexit, which programs still consider presenting a sizable challenge. While government relief programs have helped some programs, the benefit was not consistent across the board. The findings of this study have a policy and managerial implications