Wards Finance Seminar Series.Managerial Springboards: Employee Spillovers of Startup Accelerators
Published: 27 October 2025
5 November Wards Finance Seminar Series with Dr Juanita Gonzalez Uribe. London School of Economics
Dr Juanita Gonzalez Uribe, London School of Economics
"Managerial Springboards: Employee Spillovers of Startup Accelerators"
Wednesday 5 November 2025. 15:00-16:30
Room 487 The Adam Smith Business School Building
Abstract
This paper examines whether business accelerators enhance workers’ long-term career trajectories,
beyond improving startup performance. Using matched Crunchbase–LinkedIn data across the Americas
and a quasi-experimental design in Colombia, we find that employees of accelerated startups experience
lasting gains—seeing a 1.5 times higher wage increase and 3 times higher likelihood of transitioning
into managerial roles within seven years, without increased unemployment risk. These effects are not
explained by transitions to other companies within the accelerators’ network, persist even when
ventures fail, and are strongest among workers without formal business training. Accelerators thus act
as institutions of human capital formation, accelerating experiential learning and diffusing managerial
talent across the innovation economy.
Bio
I am an Associate Professor in Finance at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). I specialize in entrepreneurship, private equity, and innovation, with a focus on Latin America, the UK, and the US. I am also a research fellow at the Centre for Economic and Policy Research, where I co-organize the WE_ARE Women in Economics seminar series.
As Co-director of LSE’s Financial Markets Group, I help lead cutting-edge research on global financial markets. I also head PositiveImpactMPG, advising clients on impact, sustainability, policy, and corporate innovation. Additionally, I serve on the advisory boards of Startup Coalition and the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association. I am a member of the Academic Speakers Bureau.
For further information, please contact business-school-research@glasgow.ac.uk
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First published: 27 October 2025