South Park Commons
Deal: $400K for 7% equity (SAFE) upfront + $600K guaranteed in your next outside-led round. $1M total.
Duration: No fixed end date. Starts with a bootcamp phase (8-10 weeks), then open-ended residency.
Location: San Francisco, New York City, or Bangalore.
What happens: Small cohorts with one partner for every two companies. 1:1 mentorship multiple times per week. No mandatory demo day. No forced timelines. Up to $1M in credits from OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure, AWS, and others.
Notable graduates: Comun, Orb, Column Tax, Pulley, Doppel, Profound.
You don't need an idea to apply. You need to show how you'd generate one. Technical founders and researchers are encouraged. You get funded immediately upon acceptance.
How to apply: Apply at southparkcommons.com/apply. Applications open twice a year (Spring and Fall).
Techstars
Deal: $220K total. $20K for 5% common stock (post-money CEA) + $200K uncapped MFN SAFE.
Duration: 3 months. Multiple programs across cities and verticals worldwide.
What happens: Mentor-driven. First two weeks are "Mentor Madness" — you meet dozens of potential mentors and pick the best fit. City-specific (NYC, Boulder, London, Tokyo) or vertical-specific (fintech, climate). $2M+ in partner perks and credits.
Notable graduates: SendGrid, Zipline, DigitalOcean, ClassPass, Outreach. 4,700+ companies, 17 unicorns, $30B+ raised by alumni.
Asia-Pacific programs offer $120K ($100K SAFE + $20K CEA) instead of $220K. No fees to join any program.
How to apply: Pick a program at techstars.com/accelerators. Rolling deadlines. 74% of companies raise follow-on within three years.
500 Global
Deal: $150K for 6% equity.
Duration: 4 months, in-person in Silicon Valley.
What happens: Growth and marketing focused. Customer discovery, product-market fit, go-to-market, pitch development, fundraising. 500+ mentors globally. Rolling admissions.
Notable graduates: Canva, Credit Karma, Talkdesk, Grab, Udemy. 40+ unicorns. 2,700+ companies in 77 countries.
500 Global charges a $37.5K program fee deducted from the $150K investment. Effective cash received: $112.5K.
How to apply: Submit at flagship.aplica.500.co. MVP preferred. Acceptance rate: 1.5%.
AngelPad
Deal: $120K for ~7% total (5% common stock + ~2% from investment).
Duration: 10 weeks. Tiny cohorts of ~15 teams per batch.
Location: NYC/SF.
What happens: Founded by Carine and Thomas (ex-Google), who personally review every company. Focus on team strength and hard metrics over idea novelty. Two batches per year.
How to apply: Submit at angelpad.com. In-person interviews if shortlisted. Acceptance under 1%.
Entrepreneur First (EF)
Deal: Up to $250K total. $125K from EF via post-money SAFE for 8% equity + optional $125K from Transpose Platform via uncapped MFN SAFE. Equity-free grant during initial phase.
Duration: 6 months total. 12-week FORM phase (London or Bangalore) + 12-week LAUNCH phase (San Francisco).
What happens: You don't need a co-founder or an idea. EF selects individuals based on talent, then helps them find co-founders. Within 8 weeks, 80% of participants find a match. Portfolio valued at $16B+.
Notable graduates: Tractable ($1B valuation), Cleo, Magic Pony Technology (acquired by Twitter).
No idea or co-founder needed. Technical backgrounds strongly preferred. EF provides visa assistance and relocation support. Apply at joinef.com.
Antler
Deal: Varies by region. US: ~$200K for 8% + up to $300K follow-on. Europe: ~€100K for 10% + living stipend. Total potential up to $500K.
Duration: 6-week residency, followed by investment phase.
Location: Global. 30+ cities including New York, Austin, London, Singapore, Stockholm, Berlin.
What happens: You can join without a co-founder or idea. Antler matches founders during residency. 20-45% of founders in each cohort get funded.
Notable graduates: Airalo (unicorn), Lovable (unicorn). 1,500+ investments.
How to apply: Apply at antler.co. Accepts under 3% of 100,000+ yearly applicants. $2,500 relocation grant available.
Seedcamp
Deal: €100-200K for 7-7.5% equity.
Duration: Year-long platform support. Europe's first accelerator (founded 2007).
What happens: Rolling admissions with bi-annual Seedcamp Weeks. Focus on founders with global ambition building from Europe.
How to apply: Rolling applications at seedcamp.com.
StartupWiseGuys
Deal: Up to €65K pre-seed for equity, with follow-on up to €300K.
Duration: 5-month hybrid program.
Location: Tallinn, Estonia. Tracks in SaaS, cybersecurity, sustainability.
How to apply: Multiple cohorts yearly at startupwiseguys.com.
Boost VC
Deal: $500K for 15% equity. Includes housing and office space.
Duration: 3 months. Two cohorts per year, 7-10 companies each.
Location: San Mateo, California.
What happens: Deep tech focused. Invests in "Sci-Fi founders" building in blockchain, VR/AR, space, robotics, AI, biotech, climate, energy. $200M+ AUM.
Notable graduates: Etherscan, Radiant Nuclear, K2 Space. 6 unicorns, 250+ investments across 33 countries.
Boost VC provides physical housing, which is rare among accelerators. Apply at boost.vc/apply. Must demonstrate your company can impact 1 billion lives.
More Programs Worth Knowing
These programs don't fit the traditional accelerator mold, but they offer real capital and support.
Pioneer
Deal: 1% equity for program access + optional $20K at $2M valuation. Founded by Daniel Gross (ex-YC partner), backed by Marc Andreessen and Stripe. 150+ companies funded in 50+ countries.
Pioneer stopped making new investments in 2024. The program is no longer active for new applicants.
Pear VC
Deal: $250K-$2M SAFE. 12-week program + 6 months free office. Cohort of 20. Partners who previously built $1B+ companies. 90% of graduates raise seed. Apply at pear.vc.
Greylock
Deal: Custom SAFE or priced round + $500K in credits. 3-month bespoke program for pre-idea to seed founders. Referral preferred. Direct access to Greylock's enterprise AI partners.
Conviction
Deal: $150K uncapped MFN SAFE. Hands-on "embedded" partner support in first 90 days. B2B SaaS and infrastructure focus. Warm intro or online form.
OpenAI Converge
Deal: $1M equity investment + compute credits. For AI-focused builders. Application-based.
AI Grant
Deal: $250K uncapped SAFE. Low-dilution funding for builders aligned with AI progress.
Google for Startups
Deal: Equity-free. Up to $100K in cloud credits + $350K GCP credits. Tracks for AI, Climate, Africa, Women Founders. Seed to Series A with traction.
Accel
Deal: $500K-$1M. Direct VC investment, not a traditional accelerator. Seed and Series A focus.
APX
Deal: Up to €500K lifetime, initial €50K for 5%. 100-day masterclass + optional follow-ons. Corporate pilot access. Rolling applications.
How to Pick the Right One
Every accelerator has a personality. The best one for you depends on where you are right now.
1
No idea and no co-founder
Entrepreneur First or Antler. Both are built for individuals who want to find a co-founder and build from scratch.
2
Pre-idea but technical
South Park Commons. Patient capital, no forced timelines, and $1M total if you find your thing.
3
Maximum brand signal and network
YC or a16z Speedrun. The alumni networks alone are worth the equity.
4
Want $1M and Sequoia's frameworks
Sequoia Arc. Small cohorts, 1:1 partner access, and the largest upfront check in the accelerator world.
5
Outside the US and want remote-friendly
Techstars (multiple global programs) or Antler (30+ cities worldwide).
6
Building deep tech
Boost VC. They back "Sci-Fi founders" and provide housing so you can focus entirely on the build.
7
Need growth and marketing help
500 Global. Their curriculum is built around customer discovery, PMF, and go-to-market.
8
Based in Europe
Seedcamp or StartupWiseGuys. Local networks, European investor access, and programs designed for the EU market.
Key Takeaway Apply to multiple programs. Most applications are free and take under an hour. The worst outcome is practice articulating your vision. The best outcome changes your trajectory.