액셀러레이터 연구 동향 분석: 통합적 문헌 고찰

초록

Over the past decade, startup accelerators have emerged as pivotal actors in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, achieving substantial quantitative growth. Following the 2016 revision of the Small and Medium Enterprise Startup Support Act, which granted them legal status, scholarly interest in startup accelerators in Korea has steadily increased. Despite this growth, systematic analyses of the effectiveness of Korean startup accelerators remain limited, even as their multifaceted impacts are widely discussed in the global context. To address this gap, this study conducted an integrative literature review of domestic research on startup accelerators, aiming to identify major research trends and suggest directions for future research. Sixty-one studies explicitly focusing on startup accelerators were selected and analyzed across three dimensions: (1) general research characteristics, (2) research contents, and (3) research methods. The review revealed five primary thematic areas: (i) concepts and structures of startup accelerators, (ii) accelerator-related systems and policies, (iii) operation of accelerator programs, (iv) investment decision factors, and (v) evaluations of accelerator effectiveness. Early studies predominantly focused on conceptualizing startup accelerators, while research volume expanded markedly after their institutionalization in 2016. Currently, empirical studies on accelerator effectiveness comprise the largest share, covering diverse types such as public-sector and university-affiliated startup accelerators. For empirical studies, we systematically summarized the samples, data collection and analysis methods, research variables, and results, thereby providing a methodological reference for future work. Based on these findings, we highlight the need to strengthen theoretical foundations, secure methodological diversity and rigor, and expand the contextual scope of research. This study represents the first comprehensive review of Korean accelerator research, offering both academic and practical implications by integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence within a systematic framework.

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