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Accelerators, Incubators, Residencies and Other Programs for 2026 AI Startup Founders

January 2026

A no-nonsense list of the top 2026 founder opportunities — fellowships, accelerators, residencies, and early-stage programs, backed by VC firms and others and organized by stage and focus with key dates and deal terms.

How to Use This Resource

Start with programs matching your stage: pre-idea founders should look at fellowships and residency programs first, while founders with traction should target VC-backed accelerators. Apply broadly but prioritize programs offering the specific resources you need most (compute credits, network access, or capital). Most applications take 1-2 hours, so batch your applications and reuse content where possible.

Founder Fellowships & Residency Programs

Best for: Pre-idea to very early stage, technical founders exploring ideas, researchers transitioning to startups

Ideal if: You need compute credits, technical mentorship, or co-founder matching more than capital

• The Bridge Residency — Entrepreneur First — Apply by Feb 16, 2026 (Summer) — July 2026, 8 weeks Bay Area, up to $250K for 8%, European grads 2023+

• EWOR Fellowship — EWOR — Rolling — €500K (€110K + €390K uncapped SAFE) for 7%, virtual-first, Europe, unicorn-founder mentorship

• HF0 Residency — HF0 — Rolling — 12 weeks SF, up to $1M uncapped SAFE for 5%, repeat/technical founders

• On Deck Founder Fellowship (ODF) — On Deck — Rolling — ODF27 Feb 2026, 1-week SF sprint + year-long community, pay-what-you-can (~$1K suggested), no equity

• Google Summer of Code (GSoC) — Google — Apply Mar 24-Apr 8, 2026 — 12+ weeks, stipend, open source development

AI & Deep Tech Accelerators

Best for: Technical founders building AI-first products, researchers commercializing novel AI research

Ideal if: You need cloud/compute credits, technical mentorship from AI experts, or access to cutting-edge tools

• CrowdStrike/AWS/NVIDIA Cybersecurity Accelerator — CrowdStrike — 2026 cohort running Jan-Mar — 8 weeks free, AI security focus, Demo Day Mar 24 SF

• Presight AI Accelerator — Presight/G42 — Apply by Jan 31, 2026 — 3 months hybrid (Abu Dhabi), $50K in-kind SAFE, G42 ecosystem access

• Accel Atoms AI Cohort 2026 — Accel + Google AI Futures Fund — Apply by Jan 26, 2026 — Feb-May 2026, 3 months, up to $2M, Indian/Indian-origin founders, $350K Google Cloud credits

• AI Grant — Nat Friedman & Daniel Gross — Rolling — $250K uncapped SAFE, AI-native products, $600K+ in credits

• AI2 Incubator — Allen Institute for AI — Rolling — Up to $600K + $1M compute credits, 12 months, Seattle, AI-first startups, technical founders

• Conviction Embed — Conviction — Rolling — $150K-$250K uncapped MFN SAFE, 8 weeks, AI-native, $350K AWS + $350K Azure + $500K+ other credits

• OpenAI Converge — OpenAI Startup Fund — Periodic cohorts — $1M equity investment, 5-6 weeks, early access to OpenAI models, 10-15 startups

• Alchemist Chicago — Alchemist + UChicago — Rolling — Phase II Jan-Mar 2026, $50K, deep tech/quantum/AI

• Boost VC — Boost VC — Rolling — $500K for 15%, deep tech (crypto, VR/AR, AI, space, robotics, biotech), housing included

• Google for Startups: AI First (North America) — Google — Future cohorts TBD (last ran Apr-Jun 2024) — 10 weeks, NO EQUITY, up to $350K credits, Seed-Series A

• AWS Generative AI Accelerator — AWS — 2026 dates TBD (apps typically Jun-Jul) — 8 weeks hybrid, up to $1M credits, global

VC-Backed Programs for Founders

Best for: Founders with MVP or early traction, established founding teams

Ideal if: You want top-tier VC access, are building enterprise AI, or need strategic guidance over capital

• Alchemist Accelerator — Alchemist — Rolling (next class starts Jan 22, 2026) — 6 months SF, $25K for 5%, B2B/enterprise focus

• Greylock Edge — Greylock — Rolling — 3 months, flexible funding (seed to uncapped SAFE), $500K+ credits

• Betaworks Camp — Betaworks — Rolling — 12 weeks NYC, up to $500K, thematic AI focus

• Collaborative Fund AIR — Collaborative Fund — Rolling — 10 weeks NYC, $500K for 10%, consumer AI focus

• Designer Fund — Designer Fund — Rolling — $100K-$1M, design-led startups

• Afore Capital Founder-in-Residence — Afore Capital — Rolling — 10 weeks SF, $100K+, -1 to 0 stage

• Drive Capital Seed Program — Drive Capital — Rolling — $500K for 6%, Columbus OH, pre-seed/seed stage

• Soma Capital — Soma Capital — Rolling — $100K-$1M uncapped SAFE, 0% equity, strong YC network

• Unshackled Ventures — Unshackled Ventures — Rolling — $1M-$3M, immigrant founders only

• Village Global — Village Global — Rolling — $25K-$100K

• Backdrop Build — Backdrop — Rolling — $500K for 7%, AI-native products, SF-based

• AIX Ventures Studio — AIX Ventures — Rolling — $250K-$500K, AI/ML focus, technical founders

• Day One Ventures Catalyst — Day One Ventures — Rolling — Pre-seed to seed, AI infrastructure focus

• Sequoia Arc Intensive — Sequoia — Portfolio Only — 4-day intensive for Sequoia-backed founders

• Lightspeed Launch Program — Lightspeed — Portfolio Only

• Bain Founder's Studio — Bain & Company — Internal Only

Global Accelerators

Best for: First-time founders with a validated idea, teams seeking structure and accountability

Ideal if: You need hands-on guidance, brand credibility, or access to corporate partnerships

• Y Combinator — Y Combinator — S26 (February 9, 2026) — 3 months, $500K total ($125K for 7% + $375K MFN SAFE)

• Techstars — Techstars — Rolling by program — 3 months, $20K for 5% equity + $200K uncapped MFN SAFE

• 500 Global Flagship — 500 Global — Rolling (Batch 37 Q1 2026) — 4 months Palo Alto, $150K for 6%

• Antler — Antler — Rolling by location — US: Mar 16, 2026 deadline — 6 weeks + investment phase, $100K-$190K for 10-12%, 30+ global locations, co-founder matching

• Entrepreneur First (EF Global) — Entrepreneur First — Rolling by location — 3-4 months, $80K-$100K for 8-10%, co-founder matching, technical talent only

• AngelPad — AngelPad — Rolling (2 cohorts/year) — 10 weeks SF/NYC, $120K for 7%, #1 US accelerator by MIT rankings

• Seedcamp — Seedcamp — Rolling — €100K-€200K for 7-7.5%, Europe's seed fund, portfolio includes Wise, Revolut, UiPath

• Plug and Play — Plug and Play — Rolling — 12 weeks, NO EQUITY, corporate partnership focus, 25+ verticals

• MassChallenge — MassChallenge — Rolling by program — 4 months, NO EQUITY, $200K+ in prizes, Boston/Switzerland/Israel/Texas

• Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) — CDL — Expected Jul 2026 — 9 months, NO EQUITY, science/deep-tech focus, 15 global sites

• HAX — SOSV — Rolling — 6 months Newark (+ Shenzhen/Pune/Tokyo), $250K initial ($150K cash + $100K in-kind), hardware/robotics/climate

• IndieBio — SOSV — Rolling — 4 months SF/NYC, $525K total for ~10%, biotech/climate/food, lab access included

• Berkeley SkyDeck — UC Berkeley — Apply by Feb 13, 2026 — 6 months, $200K for 7.5%, 900+ advisors, Demo Day to 600+ investors

• APX — Axel Springer + Porsche — Rolling — Up to €500K (typically €50K for 5%), Berlin, pre-seed/seed stage

• Startup Wise Guys — Startup Wise Guys — Rolling — Up to €65K for equity, Europe, B2B SaaS focus

Traditional Accelerators & Incubators

Best for: Founders seeking capital + mentorship without top-tier VC pressure

Ideal if: You're optimizing for ownership percentage or prefer remote/flexible programs

• LAUNCH Accelerator — LAUNCH — Rolling — 14-15 weeks, $125K for 7%

• Pear VC (PearX) — Pear VC — Rolling — 12 weeks, $250K-$2M, max 20 companies

• Neo Accelerator — Neo — Expected May 2026 — 3 months, $625K ($125K + $500K Floor SAFE at $20M cap), 20 teams, technical recent grads

• Founder Institute — Founder Institute — Rolling — 4 months, equity-based (warrants), 200+ cities worldwide, structured curriculum

• IDEO CoLab Ventures — IDEO — Rolling — 3-month Creative Residency

• 1752vc (formerly Pegasus) — 1752vc — Rolling — $100K for up to $3.5M cap, remote-first, Southern California

• Seed Club — Seed Club — Rolling — 12 weeks, 3% tokens, web3/DAO focus

• AlleyCorp Startup Studio — AlleyCorp — Internal Only

Pre-Idea & Very Early Stage Programs

Best for: Technical talent exploring ideas, researchers, side-project founders

Ideal if: You want low-commitment exploration before going full-time

• South Park Commons — SPC — February 1, 2026 — Up to $1M ($400K upfront for 7%, $600K in next round)

• Z Fellows — Z Fellows — Rolling — 1 week, $10K at $1B cap

• Founder University — LAUNCH — Rolling — 12 weeks, $25K for 2.5% or $125K for 7%

• Pioneer — Pioneer — No longer accepting applications — Was $20K for 1%, remote accelerator for ambitious outsiders

• Gold House Fellowship — Gold House — Expected Fall 2026 — $250K, for API founders

Sector-Specific Programs

Best for: Founders in niche verticals like fintech, climate, food tech, or specialized industries

Ideal if: You need industry-specific expertise, pilots, or corporate connections

• The Mint — Better Tomorrow Ventures — Rolling — 10 weeks NYC/SF, $500K for 10%, fintech-focused, pre-seed

• Forum Ventures — Forum Ventures — Rolling — $100K for 7.5%, B2B SaaS/fintech focus

• Third Derivative (D3) — RMI + New Energy Nexus — Rolling — 18 months virtual, optional $100K convertible note, 286+ portfolio companies, climate tech

• Greentown Labs — Greentown Labs — Rolling — Boston/Houston, largest climate tech incubator in North America, lab/prototyping access

• Google for Startups: Climate Change — Google — Future cohorts TBD — 10 weeks, NO EQUITY, up to $350K credits, Seed-Series A

• FoodSeed — FoodSeed — Rolling — €250K equity, European food & agtech focus

• ForgeUp Ventures — ForgeUp Ventures — Rolling — Venture Studio model, 12-16 week programs

• Founders Fellowship — Founders Fellowship — Rolling — $150K for 5-10%

Compute and GPU Programs for Founders

Best for: All AI founders, especially those building LLM applications or training models

Ideal if: Compute costs are your primary burn or you need specialized GPU access

• Google Cloud for Startups — Google — Up to $350K credits over 2 years

• NVIDIA Inception Program — NVIDIA — GPU access, technical support, go-to-market credits

• AWS Activate for AI — Amazon — Up to $100K credits

• Microsoft Founders Hub — Microsoft — Azure credits + OpenAI API credits

• Nebius for Startups — Nebius — GPU cluster credits, H100 access

• Oracle for Startups — Oracle — Free cloud credits + GPU discounts

• Lambda Labs GPU Cloud — Lambda Labs — Competitive GPU pricing, H100 clusters

• Together AI — Together AI — $25K+ credits for inference, model hosting

• Replicate — Replicate — $1K-$10K credits, serverless GPU deployment

• CoreWeave — CoreWeave — Enterprise GPU infrastructure, credits for qualifying startups

Key Upcoming Deadlines

🔴 Jan 26, 2026 — Accel Atoms AI Cohort 2026

🟡 Jan 31, 2026 — Presight AI Accelerator

🟡 Feb 1, 2026 — South Park Commons

🟡 Feb 9, 2026 — Y Combinator S26

🟡 Feb 13, 2026 — Berkeley SkyDeck

🟡 Feb 16, 2026 — The Bridge Residency (Summer)

🟢 Mar 16, 2026 — Antler US

🟢 Mar 24-Apr 8, 2026 — Google Summer of Code

Recently Closed Founder Programs (For Reference)

These programs have closed for their current cohorts but typically run annually. Check their websites for future application cycles.

• Anthropic Fellows Program 2026 — Anthropic — CLOSED (Jan 12, 2026) — May & July 2026 cohorts, 4 months, $3,850/week + ~$15K/month compute, no equity

• OpenAI Grove 2026 — OpenAI — CLOSED (Jan 12, 2026) — Jan 22-Feb 27, 5 weeks, $50K credits, ~15 participants, no equity

• Flagship Pioneering Fellowship — Flagship Pioneering — CLOSED (Jan 12, 2026) — Jun-Aug 2026, 12 weeks paid (stipend), scientists/AI builders, health/sustainability focus, Cambridge MA

• Founders, Inc. Artifact Program — Founders, Inc. — CLOSED (Dec 31, 2025) — Jan 12-Feb 13, 2026, 5 weeks SF, up to $250K + $500K credits for 4-7%

• Thrive Capital Summer Fellowship — Thrive Capital — CLOSED (Dec 1, 2025) — June-Aug 2026 NYC, 10 weeks, $40K grant, college students only (not founders)

• Robinhood Catalyst — Blue Ridge Labs — CLOSED (Nov 21, 2025) — Feb-Jun 2026, 4 months Brooklyn, $100K for 5.5%, social impact/economic mobility focus

• Startmate (Summer 2026) — Startmate — CLOSED (Nov 3, 2025) — 12 weeks, AUD $120K at $1.5M post-money, Australia/NZ

• a16z Speedrun — a16z — CLOSED (Sep 28, 2025) — SR006 Jan-Apr 2026, 12 weeks, $500K for 10% + $500K pro-rata + $5M+ credits

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