Startup Accelerators in the US (2026)

The US hosts the best-known accelerators in the world, including Y Combinator, a16z speedrun and Techstars — most of them open to founders from anywhere. We list 46 programs below, with each one's cheque size, equity and application questions.

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  a16z Speedrun

  Andreessen Horowitz's flagship accelerator. 12-week in-person program in SF. Access to a16z's massive operatio...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $1000K

  Log in to apply
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  Sequoia Arc

  Sequoia Capital's curated seed platform. 10-week program helping founders refine positioning, distribution, an...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $1000K

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• 

  Y Combinator (YC)

  The most influential startup accelerator in the world. 3-month batch program culminating in Demo Day. YC alumn...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $500K · 7%

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• 

  PearX (Pear VC)

  Pear VC's flagship accelerator. Highly personalized — small cohorts with dedicated partner support. 90% of gra...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $2000K

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  a16z START

  a16z's pre-seed program. $500K on a standard SAFE with deep access to their specialized practices in AI, crypt...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $500K

  Log in to apply
• 

  Alchemist Accelerator

  The best accelerator for B2B/enterprise startups. 6-month program focused on sales and customer acquisition. S...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $200K

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  The Residency (Founders Inc.)

  Unique format: 3-month all-expenses-paid retreat in Oregon then coworking in SF. $600K on an uncapped SAFE wit...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $600K

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• 

  Boost VC

  Run by Adam Draper. Focuses on "sci-fi" tech — if it sounds like it belongs in a movie, they're interested. AI...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $500K

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• 

  betaworks Camp

  betaworks' accelerator runs thematic cohorts (AI Camp, Synth Camp, etc.). Strong in consumer AI and media. The...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $250K

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  Berkeley SkyDeck

  UC Berkeley's startup accelerator. Taps into the university's research ecosystem. Strong for deep tech and AI....

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $200K

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  ERA (Entrepreneurs Roundtable)

  NYC's premier accelerator. 4-month program with strong focus on fundraising and GTM. Deep NYC investor and cor...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $100K · 8%

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• 

  Forum Ventures

  If you're building B2B SaaS, this is laser-focused on your needs. Sales coaching, SaaS metrics, and a network...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $100K

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• 

  gener8tor

  Largest accelerator network outside the coasts. 41+ locations across 22 US states. 80% of startups are outside...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $100K · 7%

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  43North

  Up to $1M in cash grants with zero equity. Catch: you must relocate to Buffalo, NY for 1 year. If you can do t...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $1000K · 0%

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• 

  Endless Frontier Labs (NYU)

  NYU's accelerator for deep tech and frontier science companies. Connects academic research with venture capita...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $500K

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• 

  Ben Franklin Technology Partners

  Pennsylvania's state-funded technology investment program. $50K-$250K via loans or royalty agreements (minimal...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $250K

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  MetaProp

  The #1 PropTech accelerator. $250K investment with deep real estate industry connections. Partnership with Col...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $250K

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  NC IDEA

  North Carolina grant foundation. Up to $250K with zero equity. Must be NC-based. Connected to Research Triangl...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $250K · 0%

  Log in to apply
• 

  AI2 Incubator

  Allen Institute's incubator. Small checks but unmatched access to 200+ AI researchers and academic IP. Must re...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $150K

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• Mu

  MuckerLab

  MuckerLab is Mucker Capital's structured accelerator (different from their VC fund). B2B/SaaS focused with a p...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $150K · 7%

  Log in to apply
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  AlphaLab

  Pittsburgh accelerator connected to Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh research ecosystem. Small but...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $100K · 5%

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  Amplify LA

  LA-based accelerator with strong ties to entertainment and media industry. Good for consumer and content start...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $100K · 8%

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  EXPERT DOJO

  Santa Monica-based accelerator. Known for being international-founder-friendly. $100K investment with LA tech...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $100K · 7%

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• 

  LAUNCH Accelerator

  Run by angel investor Jason Calacanis (early Uber investor). Access to his angel syndicate and LAUNCH festival...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $100K · 6%

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• 

  SixThirty

  Fintech/insurtech accelerator based in St. Louis. Connected to the regional financial services industry (home...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $100K

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• 

  Boomtown Accelerators

  Boulder-based accelerator in Colorado's growing tech scene. Heavy mentorship model with 300+ mentors.

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $50K · 6%

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• 

  Dorm Room Fund

  Student-run pre-seed fund backed by First Round Capital. Only for current university students. Quick decisions...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $50K

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• 

  Launchpad LA

  Los Angeles mentorship-driven accelerator. Good for consumer startups wanting LA entertainment and media conne...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $50K · 5%

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• 

  XLerateHealth

  Louisville-based health tech accelerator. Connected to Humana and regional health systems. Good for digital he...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $50K · 6%

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• 

  NEO

  One of the most exclusive programs for young technologists and AI founders. $20K grant with no equity. 3-week...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  $20K · 0%

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• 

  a16z Crypto Startup School

  a16z's crypto-focused accelerator. Only for Web3/crypto founders. Access to the a16z crypto team and their the...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  —

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• 

  Accelerator Centre (Waterloo)

  Waterloo-based, connected to University of Waterloo's talent pipeline. No equity taken. Strong Canadian tech e...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  0%

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• Co

  Conviction Embed

  Sarah Guo's fund (Conviction) embeds founders-in-residence who explore AI ideas with the firm's support, then...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  —

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• 

  DMZ (Toronto)

  Ranked #1 university-linked incubator in the world (UBI Global). No equity taken. Based at Toronto Metropolita...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  0%

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• 

  Dreamit Ventures

  Focused on startups with revenue or pilots ready to scale. Strong in securetech, healthtech, and urbantech ver...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  —

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• 

  EvoNexus

  San Diego-based. Completely free: no fees, no equity. Office space, mentorship, investor intros. Connected to...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  0%

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  gbeta

  gener8tor's free pre-accelerator. No equity, no cash investment. 6-week program to validate your idea. Great o...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  0%

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  Gold House Fellowship

  Fellowship for Asian American and Pacific Islander founders. Investment plus access to Gold House's community...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  —

  Log in to apply
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  HF0 Residency

  Residency for technical founders exploring ideas. Investment upon formation. Good for engineers who want to go...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  —

  Log in to apply
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  IDEO CoLab Ventures

  IDEO's venture arm. Combines world-class design methodology with seed investment. Unique for startups that nee...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  —

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  Newlab

  Brooklyn Navy Yard-based studio for hardware and frontier tech. Investment plus prototyping facilities. Corpor...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  —

  Log in to apply
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  NEXT AI

  Canada's AI accelerator. No equity taken. Access to Canada's AI research hubs (Mila, Vector Institute). Good f...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  0%

  Log in to apply
• 

  NEXT Canada

  Canada's premier founder program. 9-month intensive in Toronto. Connected to Creative Destruction Lab. Strong...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  —

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  South Park Commons

  Not a traditional accelerator — it's a community for people between things. Explore ideas with smart peers, ge...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  —

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  StartX Stanford

  Stanford's nonprofit accelerator. No equity, no fees. Must have Stanford affiliation (student, faculty, alum)....

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  0%

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• Ta

  Tacklebox

  NYC-based accelerator that's especially good for idea-stage founders. Helps you validate and build before you...

  answer time varies

  Rolling

  —

  Log in to apply