Ok. You have a great thing going with your new startup and are thinking about applying to an accelerator. Good on you. You have done your research to figure out if your company is a fit for a program like YCombinator, Techstars, UpRamp, or one of the many others in the world and now you are ready to start the online application process. Good friggin’ luck, because you have likely already lost the game.

Out here in Colorado there is a consortium of 70+ accelerators called the Global Accelerator Network, and their members report that 30% or less of their accepted cohort startups come to them from online submissions. The other 70% is accepted based on investor, mentor & alumni referrals. Knowing that the typical accelerator only accepts 1% of...