The idea for this study arose due to a perceived lack of consolidated information regarding the work of accelerators and incubators in Brazil, particularly how they engage businesses with a social or environmental mission, and also how they compare to organizations abroad that play a similar role. With these challenges in mind, the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and Instituto de Cidadania Empresarial (ICE) joined forces and outlined the following research objectives:

• To deepen understanding of the operational models of accelerators and incubators in Brazil, in relation to geographic and sector focus, type of support offered and revenue models.
• To investigate how accelerators and incubators in Brazil work with impactoriented businesses, and what differences and similarities exist between those that do and do not work with this type of business.
• To explore the differences and similarities between accelerators and incubators in Brazil and those in other parts of the world.

The study applies a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis to address these objectives, and the research was carried out from May to August 2016.