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What do Airbnb, Reddit, Coinbase, and Stripe all have in common?
Their success was pushed by accelerators. In general, startup accelerators are organizations that offer mentorship, capital, and connections to startups with promising ideas and founders, as a way to scale growth rapidly.
Here you find the full list of startup accelerators:
#10 - Alchemist Accelerator
The Alchemist Accelerator calls itself the “world’s best accelerator for startups that monetize from enterprises. They accept about 25 teams per class, offering them $25k in funding. The average ask is 5.0% of equity, but that ask is often negotiated for later-stage companies.
The interesting thing about the Alchemist Accelerator is that it is designed by experienced enterprise entrepreneurs. The over 3,00 faculty members and mentors and over 5,000 investors worldwide really help startups monetize from enterprises.
Alchemist has made a total of over 560 investments leading to over 45 exits. One of the most prominent companies is Wise.io, which General Eletric acquired.
#9 - OnDeck
Not your usual accelerator but definitely on the rise. OnDeck is a curated community where the world’s top talent comes together to connect and possibly build together.
It was founded in 2015, and in the last 18 months, over 650 companies have been created and over $800M raised.
The 8 to 10-week programs will help you build deep connections and supercharge your path forward.
Since 2022 On Deck also has its own accelerator ODX, where they invest $125k for 7%.
I totally recommended to check it out.
#8 - Antler
Antler was founded in 2017 in Singapore by an experienced team of entrepreneurs, investors, and company builders.
They are a global early-stage VC that enables and invests in the world’s most exceptional people.
They run cohorts in over 21 locations worldwide, most of which are around 6 months long. In this time it’s all about finding a co-founder, a business idea and validating it. And the end you have the chance of receiving around 100k in the investment committee for a small stake of your company.
In total Antler has created over 500 companies so far with a combined value of over 2 billion dollars.
#7- Entrepreneurs First
If we are talking about accelerators, we have to mention Entrepreneurs First. It was founded in 2011 and is backed by the founders of Stripe, LinkedIn Wordpress, and Github - only to mention a few.
Entrepreneurs First has offices and cohorts all over the world.
The unique thing about EF is that it is the world's first talent investor. They select the world’s most talented people to join their cohorts before they even have a business idea. The program is 3 months long, and during the ideation phase, EF funds you as an individual.
After that, they can invest £80,000, along with the stipends paid in the first part of the program, for 10% of your company.
Along the way, we provide access to world-leading advisors and venture partners, the opportunity to pitch for pre-seed funding, and an introduction to our network of investors.
Over 500 companies with a portfolio value of over $10B were founded at Entrepreneurs First.
So if you are still looking for a co-founder and idea, you have to check EF out.
#6- Plug & Play
Plug and Play is an innovation platform bringing together startups and large corporations through acceleration programs. They run their programs globally in over 40+ offices.
Some of the most well-known startups that went through Plug & Play are Dropbox, Paypal or N26. They have over 1300 investments and 140 exits.
#5- SoSV
SOSV is a global venture capital firm that offers multi-stage investment, starting with pre-seed startup development programs designed for founders with breakthrough technologies.
They run programs worldwide focused on deep tech, health tech, and climate tech. In total, they have over 2300 investments with 57 exits.
#4- 500 Startups
500 Startups is a global venture capital firm known for its startup accelerator programs. They started their first one in 2010, and since then, they have invested in over 2800 companies with over 330 exits.
In the 4 months long program, they help founders with every challenge that arises from scaling your company. Beyond that, they are investing $150.000 for 6% of your company.
You can find the 500 Startups Programs all around the world.
#3- MassChallenge
One of the not so well know accelerator programs is MassChallenge. They offer a global, zero-equity accelerator program in 6 locations.
The main value of the 4-month MassChallenge program is connecting startups with corporations, and mentors and helping them grow.
At the end of the program, startups can compete for investment.
#2- Techstars
Founded in 2006 Techstars is an operational investor supporting you on your entrepreneurial journey from idea to building the most successful business possible.
It is built and run by entrepreneurs themselves that understand the complexities of putting your ideas into action and scaling them.
Techstars contributes $20,000 in return for 6% equity until the company raises a priced equity financing of $250k or more. The program is three months long and centered around mentorship and access to the Techstars network. You can find it in over 50 locations worldwide.
Techstars has made over 3500 investments that led to >360 exits - with the most prominent companies being Sendgrid, Outreach, SalesLoft and ClassPass.
#1- Y-Combinator
The accelerator of all accelerators. Starting in 2005 many consider Y Combinator as the pioneer. Y Combinator now funds a new cohort of startups twice a year, investing $125k in each startup in exchange for 7% equity. On top of that, you’ll get a 375k uncapped Safe Note on top of that.
During the three months of the cohort, Y Combinator works “intensively” with the startup leading up to Demo Day when startups present their businesses to an invite-only audience.
YC has over 4000 investments, leading to over 440 exits.
The most prominent companies that came out of YC are Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe and Reddit.
In my opinion, the thing that you get most from going to YC is the signaling. It is almost like a badge for you and your startup.
