{"id":314709,"date":"2025-11-24T03:37:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T03:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/angel-investor\/how-to-support-startups-after-graduation-%e2%94%82-dealum-blog\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T03:37:48","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T03:37:48","slug":"how-to-support-startups-after-graduation-%e2%94%82-dealum-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709","title":{"rendered":"How to support startups after graduation \u2502 Dealum Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Strong alumni make accelerators stronger. By offering mentorship, funding, and business support after graduation, accelerators create a flywheel of success that boosts their reputation, attracts top startups, and keeps founders engaged long after the program ends.<\/p>\n

\n

\n \"\"\/
\n <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n

Many accelerators struggle with maintaining value for their alumni startups after the program concludes. It\u2019s definitely no easy feat to keep the alumni engaged, but it\u2019s worth it. Let\u2019s learn from the best and see how they do it.<\/p>\n

The flywheel effect of supporting startups\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Supporting startups after graduation isn\u2019t just about goodwill \u2013 it benefits both the accelerator and its founders. The more successful the alumni startups, the better for the accelerator\u2019s reputation and portfolio performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This creates a flywheel effect<\/strong> \u2013 strong alumni make the accelerator stronger. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When graduates succeed, they boost the accelerator\u2019s reputation, attract better startups, and often return as mentors or investors. Participating in the accelerator also becomes a stamp of credibility, opening doors for the alumni, attracting more investors and better deals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3 key ways to support accelerator alumni after the program ends\u00a0<\/h2>\n

1. Alumni networks and mentorship\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Some accelerators offer an active alumni network, where founders can seek advice from peers, past participants, and mentors in areas such as fundraising, hiring, and scaling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Y Combinator<\/strong>\u2019s alumni network is one of its biggest advantages. Founders get access to a private forum where they can ask for advice, share insights, and even get direct help from past YC founders. YC partners also remain available for guidance long after the program ends.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2. Follow-on funding and investor connections\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Accelerators can offer follow-on funding or growth-stage programs for alumni looking to raise later rounds. They can also introduce startups to investors and corporate partners for further investments or to facilitate secondary deals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Entrepreneur First<\/strong> continues to back promising founders with follow-on investments and connect them to top-tier VCs, acting like a talent incubator.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3. Business and marketing support\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Accelerators can help alumni secure partnerships, assist them in breaking into new markets, or feature their success stories on (social) media to boost visibility and credibility.<\/p>\n

maintaining value for their alumni startups after the program concludesPlug and Play Tech Center <\/strong>connects startups with Fortune 500 companies, offering ongoing business development opportunities.\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How to kick off that flywheel effect?\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Supporting your alumni post-graduation can seem like a lot of extra work, so take it one step at a time. Consistency always beats intensity \u2013 start small and figure out a level of support that\u2019s manageable for your accelerator.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Small steps compound over time. Once you get the wheel spinning, it starts turning faster and faster on its own.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Focus on these three key moves:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Start building a community early<\/strong> \u2013 don\u2019t wait until startups graduate. Create channels (Slack, private forums, meetups) that encourage sharing, support, and relationship-building from day one.<\/li>\n
  2. Celebrate alumni wins publicly<\/strong> \u2013 make a habit of featuring them in newsletters, social media, demo days, etc. Their success signals value to future applicants and investors.<\/li>\n
  3. Keep giving value<\/strong> \u2013 your startups are always going to be your babies, so keep supporting them after graduation, hold alumni events, introduce them to investors or partners, and offer access to mentors.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Treat alumni as your partners\u00a0<\/h2>\n

    Want to know what kind of support your graduates need and where you are already succeeding? Well, just ask them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    Run quick check-ins or surveys to learn what support they\u2019ve used \u2013 or wish they had. Take a look at the engagement: are they joining events, posting in forums, reaching out to mentors? Low activity can signal a mismatch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    Track outcomes, too. If many alumni hit the same wall (like post-seed fundraising), that\u2019s a clear sign of where you can offer more value. Finally, bring alumni into the loop \u2013 invite them to mentor, give feedback to the program, or co-create content. They\u2019ve lived the experience and can help you make it better.<\/p>\n

    The best accelerators treat alumni like collaborators, not just graduates.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Strong alumni make accelerators stronger. By offering mentorship, funding, and business support after graduation, accelerators create a flywheel of success that boosts their reputation, attracts top startups, and keeps founders engaged long after the program ends. Aug 13, 2025 \u2014 3 min read Many accelerators struggle with maintaining value for their alumni startups after the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":314710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12034],"tags":[3767,13314,19908,14901,952],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-314709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-angel-investor","tag-blog","tag-dealum","tag-graduation","tag-startups","tag-support"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to support startups after graduation \u2502 Dealum Blog - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to support startups after graduation \u2502 Dealum Blog - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Strong alumni make accelerators stronger. By offering mentorship, funding, and business support after graduation, accelerators create a flywheel of success that boosts their reputation, attracts top startups, and keeps founders engaged long after the program ends. Aug 13, 2025 \u2014 3 min read Many accelerators struggle with maintaining value for their alumni startups after the […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-24T03:37:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Cover-97.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a66cfe5cdcbceba9b5562fe085bcaba4\"},\"headline\":\"How to support startups after graduation \u2502 Dealum Blog\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-24T03:37:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709\"},\"wordCount\":666,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Cover-97.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Blog\",\"Dealum\",\"graduation\",\"Startups\",\"Support\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Angel Investor\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709\",\"name\":\"How to support startups after graduation \u2502 Dealum Blog - Som2ny Network\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Cover-97.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-24T03:37:48+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Cover-97.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Cover-97.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":500},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?bp_activities=1\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to support startups after graduation \u2502 Dealum Blog\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"description\":\"Daily Deals\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":86,\"caption\":\"Som2ny Network\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a66cfe5cdcbceba9b5562fe085bcaba4\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Fsom2nypost.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Fsom2nypost.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to support startups after graduation \u2502 Dealum Blog - Som2ny Network","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to support startups after graduation \u2502 Dealum Blog - Som2ny Network","og_description":"Strong alumni make accelerators stronger. By offering mentorship, funding, and business support after graduation, accelerators create a flywheel of success that boosts their reputation, attracts top startups, and keeps founders engaged long after the program ends. Aug 13, 2025 \u2014 3 min read Many accelerators struggle with maintaining value for their alumni startups after the […]","og_url":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709","og_site_name":"Som2ny Network","article_published_time":"2025-11-24T03:37:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Cover-97.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a66cfe5cdcbceba9b5562fe085bcaba4"},"headline":"How to support startups after graduation \u2502 Dealum Blog","datePublished":"2025-11-24T03:37:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709"},"wordCount":666,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Cover-97.jpg","keywords":["Blog","Dealum","graduation","Startups","Support"],"articleSection":["Angel Investor"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709","url":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709","name":"How to support startups after graduation \u2502 Dealum Blog - Som2ny Network","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Cover-97.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-24T03:37:48+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Cover-97.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Cover-97.jpg","width":1200,"height":500},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?p=314709#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?bp_activities=1"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to support startups after graduation \u2502 Dealum Blog"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/","name":"Som2ny Network","description":"Daily Deals","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#organization","name":"Som2ny Network","url":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","width":300,"height":86,"caption":"Som2ny Network"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a66cfe5cdcbceba9b5562fe085bcaba4","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Fsom2nypost.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Fsom2nypost.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/som2nypost.com"],"url":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=314709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/314710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=314709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=314709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=314709"},{"taxonomy":"dealstore","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fdealstore&post=314709"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/som2nypost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fofferexpiration&post=314709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}