Startup grants and accelerators in Global

The most prominent startup accelerator in the world. Runs quarterly batches offering funding, mentorship, and access to a vast alumni network across virtually every industry.

NLnet Foundation offers grants of €5,000 to €50,000 for a first grant to support technical development of open-source software, hardware, or content under open licenses and standards. Applicants can apply to several theme funds (e.g., Restack, CodeSupply, or an open call) with a short proposal describing the project, budget breakdown, and team background.

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.

Global, virtual-first fellowship backing early-stage founders, run by a group of unicorn entrepreneurs. Two tracks: Ideation for founders without revenue traction, Traction for founders already generating revenue, users, pilots or patents. Roughly 35-40 startups accepted a year.

Vertical fintech accelerator matching startups with banks, payment networks and corporate partners for pilots, funding access and market entry support.

Snowflake for Startups helps startups build, grow and scale on the Snowflake AI Data Cloud. Eligible startups get free Snowflake usage, technical expertise, go-to-market guidance and access to a global network of investors, partners and customers. Through the Startup Challenge, startups can apply for a chance to receive up to $1 million in investments from Snowflake and mentorship from NYSE-listed company leaders.

The Seed Grants Program provides grants up to $25,000 in STRK as non-dilutive funding to early-stage teams building applications in the Starknet ecosystem. Teams must have an MVP or proof of concept and clarity on what they want to build on Starknet. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and reviewed in rounds.

Global early-stage venture capital firm and founder residency program. Accepts applicants even without a co-founder or fully formed idea, across 27 cities worldwide.

The Conflux grant program supports developers and entrepreneurs building key components of the Conflux technology stack, with a focus on growth. Funded projects should enhance the ecosystem by attracting liquidity, increasing network activity, and building developer tooling and infrastructure. A committee evaluates whether each project benefits the ecosystem, and grants are paid out against agreed milestones.

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.

Leading Web3 accelerator running 12-week Base Camp programs covering core Web3, DePIN and RWA tracks, with support on tokenomics, community and product.

The Graph grants program funds contributions to the web3 ecosystem, including protocol R&D, Subgraph and Indexer tooling, data services, and community growth. Grants go to individuals, projects and initiatives that are open source and contribute to the growth of The Graph ecosystem. The page states that you do not have to be technical to receive a grant, and it also lists requests for proposals (RFPs) for specific work.

The Walrus Foundation's RFP program funds projects that advance and support the Walrus ecosystem, including new tooling, integrations, and novel use cases. Funding and support are offered for proposals that respond to targeted needs set out in individual RFPs released from time to time. Selection weighs technical strength, product alignment, ecosystem engagement, and commitment and resourcing.

Entrepreneur First is a talent investor that helps individuals find cofounders and build startups from scratch, supporting them from early idea through first revenue and fundraising. It provides equity-free grants, direct investment, office space in London, Bangalore and San Francisco, and connections to top Silicon Valley investors and advisors.

The Google for Startups Cloud Program provides tiered Google Cloud credits and support based on startup stage: $2,000 for pre-funded founders building an MVP, up to $200,000 (or $350,000 for AI-first startups) for Seed to Series A companies, and customized cloud solutions and support for Series B+ startups scaling their business. It also gives access to Google's AI stack including Gemini models, TPUs/GPUs, BigQuery, security tools, and Google Workspace.

The Arbitrum Foundation is offering $1 million in grants to builders who launch DeFi agents, agent templates, or contributions to Vibekit, an Arbitrum-native MCP agent framework developed by Ember. Each submission is capped at $10k. Eligible contributions include DeFi agents, agent add-ons and plug-ins, open source agent templates, and capability integrations.

The Together AI Startup Accelerator is a targeted, selection-based programme for startups building on Together AI's platform. It provides free platform credits for serverless inference, dedicated endpoints, fine-tuning and instant clusters, plus free forward-deployed engineering time. Startups also get exclusive AI engineering content, joint go-to-market amplification, community events and access to Together AI's VC network.

The dYdX Ecosystem Development Program offers grants to projects that involve, build on top of, or benefit the dYdX protocol and its community. Applications are assessed on relevance, benefit, feasibility, execution, qualification, originality and cost. Applicants complete an application form, and the Grants lead contacts them directly if the application is successfully considered.

Grand Challenges is a family of initiatives funded by the Gates Foundation that awards grants to innovators tackling global health and development problems. The program has made 4,163 awarded grants across 124 countries since 2003, covering a range of health and development topics. New grant opportunities are posted periodically for specific initiatives under the Grand Challenges umbrella.

Microsoft for Startups offers founders access to cutting-edge AI models, developer tools, and up to $150,000 in Azure credits. It also provides technical guidance, free access to best-in-class tools, and connections to Microsoft's global customer network to help startups build, scale, and sell their products.

Open Technology Fund offers multiple funding tracks for internet freedom technology, including the Rapid Response Fund for emergency digital security support, the Internet Freedom Fund for research and innovative anti-censorship tools, the FOSS Sustainability Fund for maintaining open source projects, and the Surge and Sustain Fund for large-scale anti-censorship tools. The program supports technical research, development, and operational costs for projects combating censorship and surveillance in repressive contexts.

The Hashgraph Association provides co-funding support for start-ups, enterprises, and government initiatives developing Hedera-powered solutions. Start-up projects using Hedera are funded and empowered by the Hedera community through a grant management platform. Enterprises can seek co-funding for large-scale projects in digital assets and decentralized finance.

HubSpot for Startups offers eligible startups discounted access to HubSpot's CRM and marketing/sales/service software platform, with up to 90% off in year one, 50% in year two, and 25% in year three for venture-backed startups, or 30% off year one and 15% off year two for those affiliated with approved partner organizations. It also provides access to AI tools (Breeze AI Agents), startup resources like pitch deck examples, financial templates, and a founder community.

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation supports early-stage social enterprises with a three-year package of capacity-building support, capital, and community engagement. It provides up to $300,000 USD in unrestricted grant funding or investment capital, plus up to $500,000 USD worth of in-kind operational and technical support, including a board service role from a DRK team member.

Camp is a cohort-based investment and product development programme for early-stage startups building in frontier technologies. Each session runs 12 weeks in residence at Betaworks and gives access to help with product development, platform strategy, data science, branding and fundraising, plus the Betaworks team and network. Teams finish with a Demo Day pitch to investors.

The ElevenLabs Grants Program gives early-stage startups 12 months of free access to the full ElevenLabs voice AI platform, along with startup credits and support, so cost is not a blocker. It is open to startups and companies with fewer than 25 employees that have a business or monetization strategy. Grants cover products intended for long-term market launch, not one-off projects.

Mentorship-driven accelerator network running dozens of vertical and regional three-month programs worldwide, each backed by local investors and corporate partners.

NVIDIA's free programme for AI and accelerated-computing startups. It gives training credits, preferred pricing on enterprise GPUs and software, free cloud credits from NVIDIA and its partners, and introductions to investors through Inception Capital Connect. No cohorts and no fixed intake.

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.

Global network of zero-equity, zero-fee accelerator programs across multiple regions. Startups compete for non-dilutive cash prizes instead of giving up equity for funding.

Four-month in-person accelerator in Silicon Valley for early-stage founders building for the US and global markets, backed by one of the most active seed-stage VC firms.

Non-profit, distributed AI research and funding program backing exceptional founders and researchers building cutting-edge AI products from idea through early traction.

The Ethereum Foundation's Ecosystem Support Program (ESP) provides financial and non-financial support to builders creating free and open-source public goods for the Ethereum ecosystem, focusing on builder tools, infrastructure, research, and community resources. Support is offered through curated Wishlist and RFP funding opportunities, as well as non-financial Office Hours for project feedback and guidance.

An annual international awards programme for women impact entrepreneurs, run by Cartier. Awards come with a grant, a fellowship year and peer coaching. Separate regional awards and a Science & Technology Pioneer award.

Keiretsu Forum is a global investment community of accredited private equity angel investors, venture capitalists and corporate/institutional investors. It has 53 chapters on 4 continents, and its members invest in high-quality, diverse investment opportunities. Startups can apply through the site to present to its investors.

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

The Flare Grants Program supports innovative and impactful projects growing the Flare ecosystem. Grants are offered to builders and teams with products that align with Flare's vision and goals and that require funding to continue their work. Support also includes partnership introductions, co-marketing, technical and advisory assistance, and Google Cloud credits of up to $200k ($350k for AI-focused projects).

Builder Grants are small grants for builders with early ideas or initial prototypes who are working on projects on nights and weekends. The programme aims to get resources quickly to the people making the most meaningful contributions to Base. Grantees are found mainly through the team's own discovery process, and community members can submit nominations.

Founderpath provides non-dilutive capital to ambitious founders, with Revenue Financing, Term Loans and Merchant Cash Advances, and no equity taken. The page says founders can connect their data and get funded in under 24 hours. It is aimed at software, brick-and-mortar and CPG businesses with recurring or repeat revenue.

Fuse provides grants to advance Web3 projects, drive mainstream adoption, and simplify non-custodial consumer fintech application launches for businesses. Grants support businesses building Web3 payment systems, consumer clubs and loyalty programmes, non-custodial wallets and mobile fintech, and branded stablecoins. Selected applicants also receive technical mentorship and marketing support.

Equity-free technical accelerator giving growth-stage startups tailored training from Google experts through 1-to-1 mentoring, group sessions and sprint projects.

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.

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.

Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge is a global deep tech startup competition offering a €200K equity prize from DeepBright Ventures, access to 350+ VCs and CVCs at Investor Day, and year-round connections with investors, corporates, and industry leaders. Selected 'Deep Tech Pioneers' get global recognition, exhibition opportunities at the Hello Tomorrow Summit in Amsterdam, and finalists pitch on the Pioneers Stage in front of top investors and media.

The Shuttleworth Foundation Fellowship funds individuals ('Fellows') working on social impact and open-knowledge projects for one year. Funding consists of a fellowship grant covering the Fellow's time (amount based on external salary equivalent) plus $275,000 per year in project funding.

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.

GitHub Accelerator is a 10-week cohort program for open source maintainers and contributors building AI-focused projects, offering non-dilutive funding, mentorship, and technical resources. Selected teams receive live instruction, workshops, office hours with GitHub and Microsoft's M12 venture fund, and access to GitHub/Azure AI tooling. The program culminates in a Demo Day to showcase projects to the community.