A facilitator is essentially a business mentor. The facilitator must have a minimum of two years of experience in guiding innovative start-ups and must agree to support the specific needs of the start-up, for instance by offering help with operational management, marketing, research and/or investment acquisition. The facilitator must be trusted and financially sound (the RVO advises the IND on the question whether a facilitator is qualified and trusted) and may not be related to the start-up entrepreneur. Companies can act as facilitators, too, as long as they are registered in the Trade Register of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce and have been declared to be trusted and qualified. Accelerator programmes and organisations such as Rockstart, Startup Bootcamp and Impact Hub, as well as educational institutions, investors or 'business angels' can all assume the role of facilitator. The agreement between the start-up and the facilitator must clearly state the nature of the mentoring; the conditions under which the mentoring is offered; and what the facilitator's potential interest in the company is. Facilitators charge for the support provided to start-up entrepreneurs in various ways. For example, they receive a stake in the company through a share construction (usually 10% to 12%, but never a majority stake), work for a fixed fee, receive a certain amount when the company proves to be a success, or receive an amount from the start-up for services purchased. The amount a start-up pays a facilitator varies, some facilitators have a low rate without much profit motive, others have a high rate. For some facilitators, the profit is more in that start-ups strengthen the business climate of the region or hub. There are different types of facilitators. Within the start-up landscape, incubators, accelerators and venture builders are common forms. Incubators focus on attracting larger numbers of start-up entrepreneurs in a broad domain. An incubator offers numerous services, including workspace, services, culture, coaching, network and access to capital. An incubator's programme often runs for more than a year. Accelerators operate within existing companies. An accelerator focuses on accelerating the development and scaling up of a start-up in a specific area. An accelerator often offers a workspace, coaches, seed capital and a network in a short-term programme with a duration of three to six months, after which the innovative company has to pivot. A final category are venture builders. They offer even more intensive guidance than incubators and accelerators and are also active in providing capital, finding the right staff and providing other services.
