Business & Money · List
Every Startup Accelerator You Can Apply to Right Now (2026)
Curated directory of top startup accelerators with investment terms and details.
A comprehensive reference guide detailing active global startup accelerators, their standard equity terms, and cohort structures. It provides direct application guidance and historical context on acceptance rates and notable alumni to help founders pick the right program.
The list
Y COMBINATOR: $500K total — $125K for 7% (post-money SAFE) + $375K uncapped MFN SAFE. 3 months, SF, 4 cohorts/yr. Weekly office hours, dinners, Demo Day. Grads: Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, Coinbase, DoorDash, Instacart, Reddit, Twitch. Apply ycombinator.com/apply; short form + 1-min video; solo founders OK; ~1-2% acceptance; invests immediately on acceptance.
A16Z SPEEDRUN: $500K for 10% (SAFE) + $500K follow-on within 18 months (up to $1M). 12 weeks in-person SF, 2 cohorts/yr. Mentorship from a16z team, $5M+ credits, Demo Day for 1,000+ investors. <0.4% acceptance from 19,000+ applicants. Apply speedrun.a16z.com. No revenue required; no board seats; visa support.
SEQUOIA ARC: $1M upfront, company-specific terms. 4-5 weeks, hybrid NY/Bay Area. 'Catalyst' focused on company design; 1:1 with Sequoia partners. Apply sequoiacap.com/arc; no warm intros needed; pre-seed/seed; applications close twice a year.
SOUTH PARK COMMONS FOUNDER FELLOWSHIP: $400K for 7% + $600K guaranteed next round ($1M total). Open-ended; bootcamp 8-10 weeks. SF/NYC/Bangalore. 1 partner per 2 companies; no mandatory demo day; up to $1M credits (OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, AWS). Apply southparkcommons.com/apply; twice a year; no idea needed but must show how you'd generate one.
TECHSTARS: $220K — $20K for 5% common + $200K uncapped MFN SAFE. 3 months, city- and vertical-specific programs worldwide. Mentor Madness first 2 weeks; $2M+ perks; Demo Day. Grads: SendGrid, Zipline, DigitalOcean, ClassPass. 74% raise follow-on within 3 years. Apply techstars.com/accelerators, rolling. APAC programs: $120K instead. No fees.
500 GLOBAL: $150K for 6% (minus $37.5K program fee → $112.5K effective). 4 months in-person Silicon Valley; growth/marketing curriculum; Demo Day. Grads: Canva, Credit Karma, Grab, Udemy; 40+ unicorns. Apply flagship.aplica.500.co; ~1.5% acceptance.
ANGELPAD: $120K for ~7%. 10 weeks, tiny ~15-team batches, NYC/SF. Ex-Google founders review every company; metrics over idea novelty. Apply angelpad.com; <1% acceptance.
ENTREPRENEUR FIRST: up to $250K — $125K for 8% via SAFE + optional $125K MFN; equity-free grant for living costs. 6 months: 12-week FORM (London/Bangalore) + 12-week LAUNCH (SF). No co-founder or idea needed; matched on talent; 80% find co-founder in 8 weeks. Grads: Tractable, Cleo, Aztec. Apply joinef.com, rolling; technical backgrounds preferred; visa support.
ANGLER: US ~$200K for 8% + up to $300K follow-on; Europe ~€100K for 10% + stipend. 6-week residency in 30+ cities; founder matching; 20-45% of each cohort funded. Grads: Airalo, Lovable (unicorns). Apply antler.co; <3% acceptance; $2,500 relocation grant.
SEEDCAMP: €100-200K for 7-7.5%. Europe's first accelerator (2007); year-long support; bi-annual Seedcamp Weeks; rolling at seedcamp.com.
STARTUPWISEGUYS: up to €65K pre-seed + follow-on to €300K. 5-month hybrid, Tallinn HQ; SaaS/cybersecurity/sustainability tracks. Apply startupwiseguys.com.
BOOST VC: $500K for 15%, incl. housing and office. 3 months, San Mateo; deep tech 'Sci-Fi founders' (blockchain, VR/AR, space, robotics, AI, biotech). Grads: Etherscan; 6 unicorns incl. Radiant Nuclear. Apply boost.vc/apply, rolling; must show impact on 1 billion lives.
PIONEER: 1% equity + optional $20K at $2M valuation; remote 3-month program + SF Summit. Founded by Daniel Gross. NOTE: stopped making new investments in 2024 — no longer active.
QUICK REFERENCE — OTHERS: Pear VC ($250K-$2M SAFE, 12 weeks, pear.vc); Greylock (custom SAFE + $500K credits, 3-month bespoke); Conviction ($150K uncapped MFN, B2B SaaS/infra); OpenAI Converge ($1M + compute credits, AI builders); AI Grant ($250K uncapped SAFE); Google for Startups (equity-free, up to $100K cloud + $350K GCP credits, 3x/yr); Accel ($500K-$1M direct VC); APX (€50K for 5% initial, up to €500K lifetime, rolling).
HOW TO PICK: no idea/co-founder → EF or Antler; pre-idea + technical, patient capital → South Park Commons. (Article truncated beyond this point.)
What it's for
- Compare standard equity terms and check sizes across top accelerator programs
- Identify programs that fund solo founders or support founder matching without an existing idea
- Select suitable accelerator tracks based on stage, vertical, or regional preference
Key points
- Breakdown of deal terms including SAFE structures, check sizes, and equity percentages
- Details on program duration, location format (in-person vs. hybrid), and batch sizes
- Direct application links and cohort application timing
- Alumni highlights and historical acceptance rates for each program
- Guidance on program selection based on team composition and idea maturity
- Status indicators on legacy programs, including inactive funds
Pricing
Free
Details
- Type
- List
- Category
- Business & Money
- Topic
- Startup Accelerators
- Open source
- No
- Platforms
- Web
- For
- Pre-seed and seed-stage startup founders looking for institutional funding and mentorship.
- Tags
- accelerators, startups, venture capital, fundraising, pre seed, y combinator
Why it was saved
- @fardeentwt: A single reference for choosing and applying to accelerators without needing a job offer, connections, or paid tools.
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