Startup grants and accelerators: EdTech

Z Fellows is a one-week programme that brings technical builders together with founders of billion-dollar companies. Participants are mentored by these founders, and the programme continues to help them for the life of their company. Participants can join without money, or receive a $10,000 investment at a $1B valuation cap that converts into stock at the next priced round.

Tokyo-backed seed investor with offices in Nairobi and Lagos, writing $50,000-$150,000 checks into early-stage African startups, with a track record across Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Morocco, and Cameroon.

AWS Activate provides startups with promotional cloud credits, ranging from up to $5,000 for self-funded founders to up to $200,000 for pre-Series B startups backed by an Activate Provider (accelerator, angel investor, or VC firm). Invite-only additional credits beyond $200,000 are available for AI startups ready to scale post Activate Portfolio.

Free 5-month residential fellowship in Washington, DC for early-stage social entrepreneurs - no fee, no equity stake. Includes a $10,000 stipend, free housing and workspace, pro-bono legal/business support, and AWS cloud credits.

TCA Venture Group, formerly Tech Coast Angels, is an angel investment organisation in Southern California with about 400 members and five angel funds. It supports startups through seed, bridge and early A-round funding, and provides connections, mentorship and operational support. Entrepreneurs can apply for funding through its website.

BANSEA is Asia's oldest angel investment network, established in 2001, and promotes early-stage investment in Southeast Asia. It offers startups investment opportunities from its angel investors, along with help to fine-tune business plans and mentoring. Startups can submit their company through the site to raise with BANSEA.

Open innovation marketplace connecting social entrepreneurs with non-dilutive grant funding, mentorship and a nine-month support program to scale impact solutions globally.

The ED/IES SBIR program funds education technology in two phases. Phase I supports rapid prototype development and evaluation of new education technology prototypes, and Phase II supports full-scale development and evaluation of new education technology products. The program is run for small, for-profit businesses, and it emphasizes commercialization so products can reach schools.

We select promising early-stage startups and build their MVP for free, in exchange for helping them get investor-ready. No equity taken as part of the grant itself. We evaluate applicants on product-market fit, technical feasibility, and founder commitment. Selected projects get a working, fundable product built by our team.

The Gold House Ventures Accelerator is a 14-week immersive program for diverse-led tech startups across the United States. Benefits include weekly masterclasses, 1:1 advising from experienced founders and operators, curated investor introductions, and a public Demo Day. Founders also get strategic networking with Gold House's network of Asian Pacific creatives, executives, and venture capitalists, and the page says they are eligible for seed funding.

XPRIZE Foundation runs a series of global 'Grand Challenges' that award large cash prizes to teams or innovators who develop breakthrough solutions in areas like quantum computing, water scarcity, healthspan, wildfire response, carbon removal, and rainforest conservation. Prizes range from $5 million to $119 million and are sponsored by various foundations and corporate partners such as Google Quantum AI, Musk Foundation, and HEVOLUTION.

The EdTech Accelerator call, part of the Digital Europe Programme, helps European EdTech startups and SMEs turn concepts for educational solutions into market-ready products. It offers business guidance and access to markets within an EdTech-specific accelerator environment. The call also includes short-cycle piloting of solutions in real educational or training settings.

Non-dilutive MICRO ($10,000) and SEED ($50,000) grants for North Carolina-based startups, twice a year. Requires at least one full-time founder residing in North Carolina.

LAN Accelerator runs a six-week acceleration programme for early-stage tech startups in Latin America, combining masterclasses, 1:1 mentoring, the LAN Brain team memory tool, and a Demo Day in Santiago de Chile. LAN takes equity through a SAFE at the startup's current valuation to cover the programme cost. The page says the top startups of the batch may receive cash investment through a SAFE at the cap of their own round.

A three-month hybrid accelerator program for growth-stage, deeply technical African startups, pairing founders with Google and industry experts to solve technical challenges and grow their business. Benefits include equity-free support, mentoring, technical bootcamps, early access to Google AI products, and eligibility for Cloud credits and free Cloud TPU access.

Echoing Green Fellowship is a full-time program that selects social entrepreneurs working on solutions to major social problems and provides them with seed funding, leadership development, wellness support, and expert resources. Fellows receive a stipend of $100,000 over 18 months, with for-profit organizations receiving funding as recoverable grants. The program also connects Fellows to a community of peers and experienced business leaders through convenings and pro-bono expert support.

Fast Forward's Accelerator is a three-month program for early-stage tech and AI-powered nonprofits, providing $25K+ in unrestricted funding, mentorship from tech and social impact leaders, and a curriculum covering both tech development and nonprofit management. Participants culminate in a Demo Day pitch and gain ongoing post-program support through Fast Forward's Portfolio Services, including peer circles and continued fundraising assistance.

Google for Startups Black Founders Fund: Africa provided equity-free cash awards along with ongoing Google mentorship, Google Cloud credits, and product support to help Black-led startups in Africa grow. The program ran as a hybrid, 6-month initiative, part of a broader global Black Founders Fund that has awarded more than $40 million since its 2020 launch.