Introduction: Today, the economies ofmany developed and developing countries are largely driven by small andmedium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and, more fundamentally, bysuccessful entrepreneurs. These firms play asignificant role inindustrial development and job creation. Consequently, innovative startups have become key contributors tothe success ofnumerous industries and national economies. In thiscontext, accelerators recognized asa specific category ofstartup-oriented organizations- provide structured development programs fortechnology-based startups toenhance their products and services. Through mentorship, networking, managerial support, professional expertise, access tostakeholder resources, and office space, accelerators facilitate startup survival and growth. Given the vital role of accelerators in supporting entrepreneurial success, this study aims to conduct astrategic analysis ofthe success factors ofinnovation accelerators located inPardis Science and Technology Park.

Methodology: This study is applied interms ofpurpose and descriptive–survey in terms ofdata collection. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining qualitative thematic analysis andquantitative evaluation using Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (Fuzzy DEMATEL) and Analytic Network Process (ANP). The statistical population consisted ofmanagers and experts associated with innovation accelerators inPardis Science andTechnology Park. Thirteen experts were selected through asnowball sampling method andparticipated inboth qualitative and quantitative phases. Data collection instruments included semi-structured interviews in the qualitative phase andpairwise comparison questionnaires inthe quantitative phase. Validity was ensured through face validity, andreliability was assessed using the inter-coder agreement method.

Findings: The results identified five main categories of success factors for innovation accelerators: strategic factors (networking, coherent programs, and action-oriented orientation); market-related factors (market knowledge andfinancial resources); product-related factors (type of product and strong branding); human factors (human capital andmentoring); and contextual factors (efficient ecosystem, appropriate location, and field of activity). The findings fromthe Fuzzy DEMATEL analysis revealed that strong branding, an efficient ecosystem, appropriate location, financial resources, coherent programs, andnetworking were the most influential factors, whereas mentoring, action-oriented orientation, field of activity, product type, market knowledge, andhuman capital were the most influenced factors. Moreover, the results indicated that contextual and market-related factors were themost influential dimensions, while human, strategic, and product-related factors were the most influenced dimensions of accelerator success. The ANP results showed that the highest weights among success factors belonged respectively to human capital (0.117), market knowledge (0.110), strong branding (0.105), financial resources (0.102), product type (0.097), mentoring (0.092), networking (0.080), action-oriented orientation (0.068), field of activity (0.064), coherent programs (0.062), efficient ecosystem (0.061), andappropriate location (0.046).

Conclusion/ Implications: The findings demonstrate thatthe success ofinnovation accelerators in Pardis Science and Technology Park depends on five interrelated dimensions: contextual, market-oriented, human, strategic, and product-oriented factors. The causal andweighted analysis ofthese factors using Fuzzy DEMATEL and ANP highlights the critical roleof human capital, market knowledge, strong branding, and financial resources in accelerator performance. Therefore, accelerator success requires amultidimensional approach grounded in the design of anefficient innovation ecosystem, the development of professional mentors, in-depth market understanding, and the formulation of coherent acceleration programs. The theoretical contribution of this study lies in proposing an analytical framework for prioritizing accelerator success factors, while its practical contributions include policy recommendations for supporting accelerators, standardizing accelerator performance, and strengthening innovation infrastructures in Iran.