🇺🇸 Accelerators, incubators and startup programs in the United States
349 accelerators, incubators and startup programs in the United States, from the Open Ecosystem Atlas — Community, Event, Program, Accelerator, Incubator and University. Most are based in New York, San Francisco and Pittsburgh. 48 of them offer free access.
Open in the Atlas mapAccelerators, incubators and startup programs in the United States
OpenVC
Community · Online · Free access
Free platform founders use to find and pitch investors, listing 16,000+ investors.
Offers: info, investment
VC Conf (Virtual 1:1 VC Pitch Conf)
Event · Online
Recurring virtual conference by Max Pog where founders get 20 automatched 1:1 pitches with VCs, angels and family offices in 2.5 hours; 23 events run so far.
Offers: investment, community
SBIR / STTR (America’s Seed Fund)
Program · Nationwide
Federal non-dilutive R&D funding across 11 agencies including NIH, NSF, DoD, DOE and NASA. Phase I up to $323K, Phase II up to $2.15M, new Strategic Breakthrough Awards up to $30M. Over $4B distributed annually, reauthorized through 2031.
Offers: funding
O-1A Visa for Founders
Program · Nationwide · Free access
The most realistic founder visa route: no annual cap, no lottery, roughly 94% approval rate, filed whenever a founder qualifies rather than waiting on a visa number.
Offers: info
International Entrepreneur Rule (IER)
Program · Nationwide · Free access
Federal parole program letting founders remain in the US to grow a startup formed within the last 5 years, requiring at least $264,147 in qualifying investment or $105,659 in government grants.
Offers: info
EB-1A / EB-2 NIW Green Card
Program · Nationwide · Free access
Self-petition permanent residency routes for founders with extraordinary ability or work in the national interest, no employer sponsorship required, often building on evidence gathered for an O-1A.
Offers: info
Y Combinator
Accelerator · San Francisco, CA
The most recognized accelerator globally, four batches a year, $500K per company via a $125K post-money SAFE for 7% plus a $375K uncapped MFN SAFE. 4,500+ alumni startups including Airbnb, Stripe, DoorDash and Coinbase.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Techstars
Accelerator · Boulder, CO
Founded 2006, backed 6,300+ companies for a combined portfolio valuation over $120B including 21+ unicorns. $220K standard deal, 3-month programs across 30+ cities. 74% of graduates raise capital within three years.
Offers: funding, mentoring
500 Global
Accelerator · San Francisco, CA
2,500+ portfolio companies across 80+ countries, $150K for 6% standard deal, especially strong access in Southeast Asia, Latin America, MENA and Africa markets.
Offers: funding, mentoring
South Park Commons
Accelerator · San Francisco, CA
One of the highest-capital accelerator alternatives, $1M per founder ($400K for 7% plus $600K guaranteed), built for the pre-idea and solo-founder stage.
Offers: funding, community
Alchemist Accelerator
Accelerator · San Francisco, CA
Enterprise-tech focused accelerator, roughly 5% equity, average net proceeds around $30K after program fees, strong access to enterprise pilot customers.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Openfor.co
Incubator · Palo Alto, CA
Openfor.co is a virtual incubator for individuals: accelerator-grade support for the 99% who are locked out of the venture-backed path. Membership-priced, no company required, joinable from anywhere. Members become AI-defensible personal assets first, with products as extensions. Backed by 250+ mentors across 30 countries, 50+ institutional partners.
Offers: mentoring, community, funding
Founder Institute
Incubator · Palo Alto, CA
The world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator and incubator network, founded 2009 by Adeo Ressi in his Palo Alto garage. Chapters in 200+ cities across 100+ countries, alumni have raised over $1.9B, and graduation requires actually incorporating a company.
Offers: mentoring, community
AngelPad
Accelerator · San Francisco, CA
Boutique seed-stage accelerator, small cohorts of about 15 teams every six months, up to $1M for 10% via SAFE. Alumni have raised $2.2B+ in aggregate including Buffer and Postmates.
Offers: funding, mentoring
StartX
Accelerator · Palo Alto, CA · Free access
Stanford-affiliated nonprofit accelerator and founder community, equity-free, 1,500+ founders and 700+ companies supported raising over $26B. Startups can also access direct investment from the Stanford-StartX Fund.
Offers: mentoring, community
Berkeley SkyDeck
Accelerator · Berkeley, CA
UC Berkeley’s startup accelerator, invests $210K for 7.5% equity plus a $7.5K program fee, open beyond just Berkeley-affiliated founders.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Capital Factory
Accelerator · Austin, TX
The dominant accelerator and startup hub in Austin, taking just 1% equity, among the lowest-dilution named programs anywhere.
Offers: funding, space, community
gener8tor
Accelerator · Milwaukee, WI
Runs accelerators across the Midwest (Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana) plus gBETA, a free pre-accelerator track, $100K for 7.5% equity in its core program.
Offers: funding, mentoring
a16z Speedrun
Accelerator · San Francisco, CA
Andreessen Horowitz’s own accelerator for early-stage founders, investing up to $1M per accepted company, moved permanently to SF-only in 2026.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Dreamit
Accelerator · Philadelphia, PA · Free access
Sector-focused accelerator (secured commerce/fintech) that takes no equity until a startup reaches Series A.
Offers: mentoring
Techstars Anywhere
Accelerator · Remote (US-based)
Techstars’ fully remote program, same standard deal as its in-person cohorts, built specifically for founders who cannot relocate.
Offers: funding, mentoring
MassChallenge
Accelerator · Boston, MA · Free access
Zero-equity accelerator, up to CHF 1M in prizes, 3,200+ startups supported, no equity taken from any participant.
Offers: mentoring, community
TinySeed
Accelerator · Remote (US-based)
A year-long remote accelerator for bootstrapped SaaS, requiring at least $500 MRR, with dividend-style terms instead of pushing hypergrowth.
Offers: funding, mentoring, community
Solo Founders
Accelerator · San Francisco, CA
A three-month in-person program for solo founders run by Julian Weisser, investing $100K on founder-friendly terms (2.5% to participate), plus a Carta-data report on solo-founder fundraising.
Offers: mentoring, community
Thiel Fellowship
Program · San Francisco, CA · Free access
$250,000 over two years for people 22 or younger to build instead of attending university, with no equity taken. About 12 fellows a year; past fellows built Figma and Ethereum.
Offers: funding, mentoring, community
Z Fellows
Program · San Francisco, CA · Free access
A $10,000 stipend plus an in-person founder week with mentorship and investor access, without asking fellows to quit school or their jobs.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Emergent Ventures
Program · Arlington, VA · Free access
Tyler Cowen’s fast grant and fellowship program at the Mercatus Center, funding individuals with unusual ideas across tech, science and policy.
Offers: funding
Sputnik ATX
Accelerator · Austin, TX
Austin pre-seed accelerator and fund.
Offers: funding, mentoring
TechNexus
Accelerator · Chicago, IL
Venture collaborative that backed FourKites at seed.
Offers: funding, investment
The O.H.I.O. Fund
Program · Columbus
Ohio fund active in 2026 seed rounds.
Offers: investment
Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA)
Accelerator · New York, NY
New York seed accelerator.
Offers: funding, mentoring
AlphaLab
Accelerator · Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh accelerator run by Innovation Works.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Boomtown Accelerators
Accelerator · Boulder, CO
Boulder accelerator.
Offers: funding, mentoring
1871
Community · Chicago, IL
Chicago's tech hub and incubator.
Offers: space, community
Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC)
Accelerator · Atlanta
Georgia Tech's startup incubator.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Atlanta Tech Village
Community · Atlanta
Atlanta startup hub.
Offers: space, community
Capital Innovators
Accelerator · St. Louis
St. Louis accelerator.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Village Capital
Accelerator · Washington, DC
Peer-selected accelerator for impact founders.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Halcyon
Accelerator · Washington, DC · Free access
Zero-equity incubator for impact founders.
Offers: mentoring
Techstars Atlanta
Accelerator · Atlanta
Techstars programme accelerating 12–15 companies a year.
Offers: funding, mentoring
TMCx
Accelerator · Houston
Texas Medical Center's health-tech accelerator.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Atlanta Ventures Studio
Accelerator · Atlanta
Pre-seed venture studio.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Launch Tennessee (LaunchTN)
Program · Nashville
State organisation running Tennessee's SSBCI venture programmes, including a $28M regional seed fund.
Offers: funding, investment
Ben Franklin Technology Partners
Program · Philadelphia, PA
Pennsylvania's state-backed seed investor since 1982, with regional partners.
Offers: funding, investment
Life Sciences Greenhouses
Program · Harrisburg
Pennsylvania's state-backed life-sciences investor.
Offers: funding, investment
Virginia Innovation Partnership Corp (VIPC)
Program · Herndon
Virginia's innovation agency running an $89.3M SSBCI venture programme.
Offers: funding, investment
Washington State Venture Capital Fund
Program · Seattle, WA
$64M SSBCI fund-of-funds for Washington startups.
Offers: investment
Empire State Development Pre-Seed and Seed Matching Fund
Program · New York, NY
$40M SSBCI programme matching early-stage equity in New York.
Offers: funding, investment
Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation
Program · Lexington
Runs Kentucky's pre-seed and seed SSBCI equity programmes.
Offers: funding, investment
Ohio Third Frontier SSBCI Venture Programs
Program · Columbus
$86M Ohio programme funding early-stage funds and startups.
Offers: funding, investment
State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI)
Program · Washington, DC
$10B US Treasury programme funding state venture and loan programmes.
Offers: funding
Visible Hands
Accelerator · Boston, MA
Pre-seed accelerator for overlooked founders.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Techstars Boston
Accelerator · Boston, MA
Techstars' Boston programme.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Harvard Innovation Labs
Accelerator · Boston, MA · Free access
Harvard's i-lab, Launch Lab X and Venture Program.
Offers: space, mentoring
MIT delta v
Accelerator · Cambridge, MA
MIT's summer accelerator with up to $20K equity-free funding.
Offers: funding, mentoring
MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund
Program · Cambridge, MA
MIT's funding programme for student ventures.
Offers: funding
Georgia Tech CREATE-X
Accelerator · Atlanta
Largest startup-launch programme at an engineering school.
Offers: funding, mentoring
CMU Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
Accelerator · Pittsburgh
Project Olympus incubator and Venture Bridge.
Offers: mentoring
Princeton Keller Center
Accelerator · Princeton, NJ
eLab accelerator.
Offers: mentoring
Penn Venture Lab
Accelerator · Philadelphia, PA
Penn's student venture programmes and Startup Challenge.
Offers: mentoring
Purdue Innovates
Accelerator · West Lafayette
Incubator, accelerator and in-house fund.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Cornell Entrepreneurship (eLab)
Accelerator · Ithaca
eLab and Blackstone LaunchPad.
Offers: mentoring
NYU Future Labs
Accelerator · New York, NY
NYU Tandon's incubator network.
Offers: space, mentoring
Idealab
Accelerator · Pasadena
Long-running technology incubator.
Offers: funding, mentoring
ASU Skysong Innovations
Program · Scottsdale
Arizona State's tech-transfer and venture arm.
Offers: funding, investment
HF0
Accelerator · San Francisco, CA
Residency programme for AI founders.
Offers: funding, mentoring
AI Grant
Program · San Francisco, CA
Grant and investment programme for AI-native founders.
Offers: funding
Cyclotron Road
Accelerator · Berkeley, CA · Free access
Berkeley Lab fellowship for science entrepreneurs.
Offers: funding, mentoring
EvoNexus
Accelerator · San Diego, CA · Free access
Non-profit incubator since 2008 in San Diego and Irvine; portfolio raised $4.6B+.
Offers: funding, mentoring
BioLabs San Diego
Accelerator · San Diego, CA
Life-sciences coworking and incubator.
Offers: space
LogicBoost Labs
Accelerator · San Diego, CA
San Diego startup studio.
Offers: funding, mentoring
OC Startup Council
Community · Irvine
Orange County startup and investor network.
Offers: investment, community
CITRIS Foundry
Accelerator · Berkeley, CA
UC accelerator for deep-tech founders with seed funding and lab access.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Berkeley LAUNCH
Accelerator · Berkeley, CA
UC Berkeley startup competition and accelerator.
Offers: mentoring
Free Ventures
Accelerator · Berkeley, CA · Free access
Student-run accelerator.
Offers: mentoring
QB3
Accelerator · San Francisco, CA
UC life-sciences incubator network (QB3 Garage, Startup-in-a-Box).
Offers: space, mentoring
UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator
Accelerator · Los Angeles, CA · Free access
Equity-free pre-seed programme at UCLA Anderson.
Offers: mentoring
Startup UCLA
Accelerator · Los Angeles, CA
Ten-week summer accelerator for UCLA founders.
Offers: mentoring
UCSF Catalyst Program
Accelerator · San Francisco, CA
UCSF programme for health innovations.
Offers: mentoring
Santa Cruz Works
Accelerator · Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz accelerator and founder community.
Offers: mentoring, community
FourthWave Accelerator
Accelerator · Sacramento
Sacramento State's business accelerator.
Offers: mentoring
The Batchery
Accelerator · Berkeley, CA
Berkeley accelerator for early-stage companies.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Expert Dojo
Accelerator · Santa Monica
Accelerator and fund investing $50K for 3.5%.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Techstars Los Angeles
Accelerator · Los Angeles, CA
Techstars' LA programme, sector-agnostic.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Techstars NYC
Accelerator · New York, NY
Techstars' NYC accelerator, $120K per company.
Offers: funding, mentoring
AngelPad NYC
Accelerator · New York, NY
Selective B2B accelerator.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Cornell Tech Runway
Accelerator · New York, NY
12-month programme for deep tech and digital health, up to $100K.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab
Accelerator · New York, NY
Morgan Stanley's in-house accelerator, $250K investment.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Big Idea Ventures
Accelerator · New York, NY
Food and protein accelerator.
Offers: funding, mentoring
XRC Labs
Accelerator · New York, NY
Retail and consumer goods accelerator.
Offers: funding, mentoring
StartUp Health
Accelerator · New York, NY
Global health-tech founder community.
Offers: mentoring, community
R/GA Ventures
Accelerator · New York, NY
Marketing and tech accelerator studio.
Offers: funding, mentoring
MetaProp
Accelerator · New York, NY
PropTech accelerator and VC.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Blueprint Health
Accelerator · New York, NY
Health-tech accelerator.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Newlab
Community · Brooklyn
Deep-tech campus at the Brooklyn Navy Yard running pilots with cities and companies.
Offers: space, mentoring
Company (Grand Central Tech)
Community · New York, NY
Workspace and community, formerly Grand Central Tech's equity-free programme.
Offers: space, community
Urban-X
Accelerator · Brooklyn
Urban-tech accelerator.
Offers: funding, mentoring
Techstars Equitech Accelerator
Accelerator · New York, NY
Techstars programme for founders from underestimated communities.
Offers: funding, mentoring
BioLabs@NYU Langone
Accelerator · New York, NY
Life-sciences lab space and acceleration.
Offers: space
FinTech Innovation Lab
Accelerator · New York, NY
Partnership Fund programme linking fintech startups to banks.
Offers: mentoring