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Accelerators

Programs that give you a clear yes or no. No warm intros, no endless pitching — filter, pick, apply.

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116 programs

NC IDEA

Tier F
All sectors Seed Grant

North Carolina

Up to $250K grants. No equity. North Carolina.

Up to:
$250K
Equity:
No equity
Contract:
Grant
Remote:
No
Region:
US
International:
No
Application:
Rolling
Deadline:
Multiple per year
Cohort:
10
Acceptance:
10%
More about NC IDEA

North Carolina grant foundation. Up to $250K with zero equity. Must be NC-based. Connected to Research Triangle (Duke, UNC, NC State).

Perks: No equity, NC tech ecosystem, Research Triangle connections

Notable alumni: NC startup portfolio

Apply

AI2 Incubator

Tier F
AI Pre-seedSeed Fellowship

Seattle

$50K-$150K. Allen Institute. AI/ML only.

Up to:
$150K
Contract:
Varies
Duration:
6 mo
Remote:
No
Region:
US
International:
Yes
Application:
Rolling
Deadline:
Rolling
Cohort:
5
Acceptance:
5%
More about AI2 Incubator

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

Perks: 200 AI researchers on-site, academic IP access

Notable alumni: AI startup portfolio

Apply

Cleantech Open

Tier F
Climate Seed Grant

US

Up to $100K prizes. Cleantech. No equity.

Up to:
$100K
Equity:
No equity
Contract:
Grant
Duration:
6 mo
Remote:
Hybrid
Region:
Global
International:
Yes
Application:
Annual
Deadline:
Once per year
Cohort:
50
Acceptance:
15%
More about Cleantech Open

World's largest cleantech accelerator competition. No equity taken. Cash prizes and industry connections for clean technology startups.

Perks: No equity, cleantech industry connections, competition prizes

Notable alumni: Cleantech portfolio

Apply

Start-Up Chile

Tier F
All sectors Pre-seedSeed Grant

Santiago

Up to $100K grants. No equity. Chilean gov program.

Up to:
$100K
Equity:
No equity
Contract:
Grant
Duration:
6 mo
Remote:
No
Region:
LATAM
International:
Yes
Application:
Batch
Deadline:
Multiple per year
Cohort:
50
Acceptance:
10%
More about Start-Up Chile

Chilean government's world-famous grant program. No equity, up to $100K in grants, 1-year visa. Must relocate to Chile. Cornershop (acquired by Uber) is an alumnus.

Perks: 1-year visa, no equity, free coworking, LATAM market access

Notable alumni: Cornershop, 2, 000+ startups

Apply

Thiel Fellowship

Tier F
All sectors Pre-ideaPre-seedSeed Fellowship

San Francisco

$100K grant. No equity. Must be under 23.

Up to:
$100K
Equity:
No equity
Contract:
Grant
Duration:
24 mo
Remote:
Hybrid
Region:
Global
International:
Yes
Application:
Annual
Deadline:
Once per year
Cohort:
20
Acceptance:
1%
More about Thiel Fellowship

Peter Thiel's famous fellowship. $100K to drop out of college and build. No equity taken. Must be under 23. Alumni include Ethereum's founder.

Perks: $100K no strings attached, Thiel network, 2-year runway

Notable alumni: Vitalik Buterin, Austin Russell

Apply

Parallel18

Tier F
All sectors Seed Grant

San Juan

Up to $75K grant. No equity. Puerto Rico.

Up to:
$75K
Equity:
No equity
Contract:
Grant
Duration:
5 mo
Remote:
No
Region:
LATAM
International:
Yes
Application:
Batch
Deadline:
Multiple per year
Cohort:
40
Acceptance:
5%
More about Parallel18

Puerto Rico government-backed program. No equity, up to $75K in grants. Unique position: US territory with LATAM connections. Tax advantages for relocating founders.

Perks: US-based (PR), no equity, tax advantages, LATAM + US bridge

Notable alumni: LATAM/US startup portfolio

Apply

Dorm Room Fund

Tier F
All sectors Pre-seedSeed Fellowship

US

Pre-seed checks. Student founders only.

Up to:
$50K
Contract:
Varies
Remote:
Yes
Region:
US
International:
No
Application:
Rolling
Deadline:
Rolling
Acceptance:
5%
More about Dorm Room Fund

Student-run pre-seed fund backed by First Round Capital. Only for current university students. Quick decisions, small checks, strong network.

Perks: First Round Capital network, student community

Notable alumni: Capella Space, 330+ companies

Apply

NEO

Tier F
AIDeep tech Pre-seedSeed Fellowship

San Francisco

$20K grant + elite network. AI/deep tech focus.

Up to:
$20K
Equity:
No equity
Contract:
Grant
Duration:
3 mo
Remote:
No
Region:
US
International:
Yes
Application:
Annual
Deadline:
Once per year
Cohort:
25
Acceptance:
5%
More about NEO

One of the most exclusive programs for young technologists and AI founders. $20K grant with no equity. 3-week intensive retreat plus elite mentor network.

Perks: Elite mentorship network, no equity taken

Notable alumni: Top AI founders

Apply

Conviction Embed

Tier F
AIDeep tech Pre-idea Fellowship

San Francisco

Founder-in-residence. Investment at company formation.

Contract:
Varies
Remote:
No
Region:
US
International:
Yes
Application:
Rolling
Deadline:
Rolling
Acceptance:
5%
More about Conviction Embed

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

Perks: Sarah Guo network, AI thesis support

Notable alumni: Conviction portfolio

Apply

Founder Institute

Tier F
All sectors Pre-ideaPre-seedSeed Fellowship

Global

100+ countries. Structured pre-seed program.

Equity:
3.5%
Contract:
Varies
Duration:
4 mo
Remote:
Hybrid
Region:
Global
International:
Yes
Application:
Rolling
Deadline:
Check website
Cohort:
15
Acceptance:
20%
More about Founder Institute

World's largest pre-seed accelerator. 100+ countries. Structured program that pushes you to hit milestones. Small equity (3.5%). Good if there's no other program in your city.

Perks: Global network, 8,900+ alumni, structured curriculum

Notable alumni: Udemy, Toptal

Apply

Gold House Fellowship

Tier F
All sectors Pre-seedSeed Fellowship

San Francisco

Fellowship for AAPI founders. Investment + network.

Contract:
Varies
Remote:
Hybrid
Region:
US
International:
No
Application:
Annual
Deadline:
Once per year
Cohort:
15
Acceptance:
5%
More about Gold House Fellowship

Fellowship for Asian American and Pacific Islander founders. Investment plus access to Gold House's community of AAPI leaders in tech and entertainment.

Perks: AAPI investor network, Gold House community

Notable alumni: AAPI founder portfolio

Apply

HF0 Residency

Tier F
All sectors Pre-idea Fellowship

San Francisco

Fellowship + investment. Technical founders only.

Contract:
Varies
Remote:
No
Region:
US
International:
Yes
Application:
Rolling
Deadline:
Rolling
Cohort:
10
Acceptance:
5%
More about HF0 Residency

Residency for technical founders exploring ideas. Investment upon formation. Good for engineers who want to go from 0 to 1 with peer support.

Perks: SF housing/workspace, technical community

Notable alumni: Technical founder portfolio

Apply

On Deck Founders (ODF)

Tier F
All sectors Pre-ideaPre-seedSeed Fellowship

SF / Remote

Founder fellowship. Top VC intros via network.

Contract:
Varies
Remote:
Yes
Region:
Global
International:
Yes
Application:
Rolling
Deadline:
Rolling
Cohort:
100
Acceptance:
10%
More about On Deck Founders (ODF)

Founder fellowship connecting you to top VCs and other founders. Great for co-founder matching and getting warm intros. Alumni have raised from Sequoia, a16z, Founders Fund.

Perks: Co-founder matching, VC intros (Sequoia, a16z, etc.)

Notable alumni: Shepherd, many VC-backed startups

Apply

South Park Commons

Tier F
All sectors Pre-idea Fellowship

San Francisco

Community + small checks. For founders still exploring.

Contract:
Varies
Remote:
No
Region:
US
International:
Yes
Application:
Rolling
Deadline:
Rolling
Acceptance:
5%
More about South Park Commons

Not a traditional accelerator — it's a community for people between things. Explore ideas with smart peers, get small checks when ready. Many SPC members go on to raise from top VCs.

Perks: Community of ex-FAANG/startup founders, SF space

Notable alumni: Multiple funded companies

Apply

StartX Stanford

Tier F
All sectors Pre-seedSeed Fellowship

Palo Alto

No-fee, no-equity. Stanford-affiliated.

Equity:
No equity
Contract:
Grant
Remote:
No
Region:
US
International:
No
Application:
Rolling
Deadline:
Rolling
Cohort:
30
Acceptance:
20%
More about StartX Stanford

Stanford's nonprofit accelerator. No equity, no fees. Must have Stanford affiliation (student, faculty, alum). Companies raise $2M+ on average. $3B+ raised by alumni.

Perks: Stanford network, no equity, no fees, $3B+ raised by alumni

Notable alumni: Lime, Presto, PolarityTE

Apply

Z Fellows

Tier F
All sectors Pre-ideaPre-seedSeed Fellowship

San Francisco

Fellowship + investment for young ambitious founders.

Contract:
Varies
Remote:
Hybrid
Region:
Global
International:
Yes
Application:
Rolling
Deadline:
Rolling
Cohort:
20
Acceptance:
5%
More about Z Fellows

Fellowship for young ambitious founders. Investment plus community and mentorship. Good for early founders who want structure and a peer group.

Perks: Community, mentorship, SF access

Notable alumni: Growing portfolio

Apply