Given the increasing disruption in every industry, firms can design new interfaces to further their strategic exploration efforts in order to remain competitive. Based on an inductive multi-case study research in a leading maritime port complex, we devised an actionable framework to design and run an industry-led accelerator through four steps: ecosystem orchestration, innovation funnel generation, flexible matching and scaling corporate start-up recurrent engagement. This framework can guide managerial practice and inform corporate start-up acceleration design in similar industrial contexts.