Equity programmes for startups

Australia and New Zealand's leading mentor-led accelerator — a 12-14 week program with A$120,000 investment (at an A$1.5M post-money valuation for first-time raisers) and access to a 4,000+ founder and investor network across ANZ.

a16z Speedrun is an accelerator-style investment program that provides up to $1M in funding to startups, with a focus on the games industry. Founders get access to an operator team offering support across talent, recruiting, go-to-market, marketing, HR, legal, and visa assistance, plus a community of 600+ founders for introductions and feedback. Since 2023, the program has deployed more than $180M across over 200 startups.

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.

Missouri's flagship state-sponsored venture capital initiative - direct investments (equity or convertible debt) into promising early-stage, high-growth Missouri startups, leveraging state and federal funding to accelerate private investment.

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.

Deep-tech focused venture firm running accelerator programs for startups in Southeast and South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America through its Orbit Startups initiative.

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.

Europe's leading B2B accelerator (Estonia-based), running programs across the Baltics, Southern Europe, Turkiye, Ukraine and parts of Africa - around EUR 50,000 upfront for a negotiated 3-6% equity stake.

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.

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

Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA) describes itself as NYC's leading tech accelerator, with 400+ startups and $2.5B+ raised by its companies. The page says it offers access to a network of 500+ mentors, including serial entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and investors. It lists a $150K/6% Post-Money SAFE investment alongside its W'27 and S'27 cohorts.

Silicon Valley's flagship accelerator for enterprise, B2B and deep-tech startups - a six-month seed-stage program with an optional $25,000 stipend in exchange for a negotiable single-digit equity stake (commonly ~5%).

Concierge-style 12-week equity accelerator (separate from the free gBETA track) - $100,000 investment via SAFE for 7.5% equity, only 5-6 companies per cohort, with curated introductions to mentors, corporates and investors. Runs cohorts in multiple US cities/states.

Austin-based accelerator and VC firm, the most active investor in Texas for over a decade - unusually founder-friendly terms at just 1% equity for up to $100,000 in investment, plus mentorship, coworking and the largest investor network in Texas.

State-backed venture capital program (part of Nevada's SSBCI allocation) targeting Nevada-based startups and high-growth tech companies raising seed, Series A or Series B rounds.

HF0 Residency is a program for repeat founders, structured as a batch-based residency culminating in a Demo Day. It accepts applications for upcoming batches with specified start and demo day dates.

PearX is an accelerator for pre-seed founders that takes teams from idea to real traction in 12 weeks. Pear invests between $500K and $2M, tailored to each company's needs, and provides $4.5M in credits and deals, founder-to-founder mentorship, fundraising support, recruiting help, GTM support, and free office space at Pear Studio for up to 6 months.

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.

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

Bahrain's first angel investor network, backing local startups with BHD 20,000-30,000 (~$50,000-75,000) plus mentorship and connections across the Gulf, including support to expand into Saudi Arabia.

State-affiliated seed fund investing in Virginia-headquartered technology, life science, and cleantech startups, with initial checks up to $125,000 via a common Gust application.

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.

Golden Seeds is an angel investment network that invests in exceptional women-led startups. It is committed to supporting and funding U.S.-based women-led startups across all industry sectors. Founders can learn about the investment criteria and process, and apply for funding.

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.

Cambridge Angels is a UK business angel network providing smart capital from entrepreneurs to entrepreneurs, and has been investing since 2001. It supports more than 150 companies through an invitation-only membership, largely made up of exited entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs can get free, no-obligation one-on-one feedback from an experienced investor through its office hours.

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.

Angel Academe's EIS Fund is described as the UK's first EIS fund for female founders, investing alongside its angel network. Female founders can apply to pitch to the network. The page does not state investment amounts or deadlines.

The SFC Angel Fund raises money for early-stage businesses by investing in SEIS and EIS eligible ventures. The page says SFC invests in 15-20 companies per fund and works with universities, spin-outs, accelerators, incubators and angel investors. It also has a 'Start Raising' section for startups seeking capital.

Leading early-stage venture fund based in Utah with a second office in Colorado, investing in pre-seed and seed rounds for enterprise software, fintech, healthtech, marketplace, and consumer SaaS startups across Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

State-backed seed investor operating four regional offices across Pennsylvania, funding early-stage tech and manufacturing companies with $100,000-$500,000 plus business support services.

Founders, Inc. describes itself as the first check for founders solving hard problems in emerging domains such as AI, AR/VR, hardware and robotics. Selected founders are invited to its campus at Fort Mason in San Francisco, where they get their first check and access to a community of top founders.

Europe leading pre-seed fund investing year-round with no batch deadlines. Backs exceptional founders across the continent from first call through partner pitch.

India-focused accelerator and founders academy helping early-stage teams go from idea to market, connecting founders with mentors and seed investors across the region.

12-week impact-focused accelerator investing in tech startups tackling climate and sustainability challenges, with dedicated tracks including an Africa agritech cohort.

IAN Group invests in innovative companies that solve real-world problems, driven by technology and targeting large markets. Its investment strategy draws on the Group's mentor and expert pool and global networks. Investment is made through funds including the IAN Alpha Fund and the IAN Angel Fund.

14-week accelerator (New York/Philadelphia) for HealthTech, UrbanTech and SecureTech startups with early revenue or pilot traction - $50,000-$100,000 investment for 6% equity, with equity not exercised until Series A.

Leading MENA seed accelerator with location-specific programs across Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain and Palestine, backed by regional seed funds.

Barcelona-based seed-stage accelerator running two five-month cohorts a year (plus Madrid and Galicia editions), providing over EUR 400,000 in services, mentorship, and investor access in exchange for 4-7% equity.

Venture fund and non-profit dedicated exclusively to digital health startups, connecting founders with healthcare-focused investors and industry expertise.

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.

Founders Factory is a venture studio and startup accelerator that co-founds and funds companies at idea, pre-seed and seed stage, offering capital plus operational support from a 60+ person team and access to corporate partners across Fintech, Health, Industrials and Deep Tech sectors. It runs multiple sector-specific accelerator programs globally (e.g. Fintech, Mining Tech, Climate, Health) in partnership with corporates like Aviva, Rio Tinto, WA Government, MSWA and HSBC.