The Brandery ranked a Top 10 U.S. startup accelerator

Cincinnati's consumer marketing incubator hasn't yet reached it first birthday but already has been named a Top 10 program in a prestigious national study.

The Brandery, which launched in July 2010, was listed 10th out of the top 15 U.S. startup accelerators in a joint study by the Kauffman Fellows, Tech Cocktail and the Kellogg School of Management.

The Brandery launched this past summer to offer funding, mentoring and partnerships around local consumer marketing businesses. The incubator works with tech-based, consumer businesses including Internet, media and entertainment companies. The first class started late last fall, and currently the organization is taking applications for the next class set to start this summer. The application deadline is June 1.

"We're excited that The Brandery landed in the top 10, despite being less than a year old. With the momentum going into our sophomore class in 2011, we think we'll be able to crack the top 5 next year," Knox said in a blog post about the announcement.

Knox said he didn't know The Brandery was in the running, but the study validates the organization's work. "It was actually a complete surprise to us, it came from nowhere," he said.

At the top of the list was TechStars in Boulder, Colorado, followed by Y Combinator in Mountain View, Calif. The Brandery was one of four Midwestern incubators on the list, and ranked ahead of organizations in New York City, Salt Lake City and Austin.

The study is the first of its type, designed to distinguish the most effective incubators across the country. The rankings were based on several weighted criteria, including percentage of participating companies receiving funding after completing a program, and the success of companies following graduation. The methodology was complimented by interviews with venture capitalists, investors and accelerator participants to gauge the accelerators reputation.

"With all the startup accelerator programs popping up across the country we were curious to find out which programs would offer the biggest bang for the time, money and effort spent in the program," explained the study announcement at Tech Cocktail.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Sources: Dave Knox, founder of The Brandery and Tech Cocktail

You can follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiawrites