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Startup accelerators worth applying to

Accelerators trade a small slice of equity (or none) for funding, mentorship and a network that compounds for years. These are the marquee programs taking founders in 2026, several open to solo and pre-idea founders. Bursary matches the ones that fit your stage and drafts the application.

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6 programs · updated 2026-07-12
Y Combinator
$500K + ~$3.5M credit stack
Takes solo founders. Auto-unlocks the entire portfolio credit stack.
No company needed
Entrepreneur First (EF)
Up to $250K + $5M follow-on + $600K credits
Invests in individuals before they have a co-founder or even an idea: equity-free grant during ideation, up to $250K once a company forms, up to $5M follow-on, plus $600K+ in Azure/OpenAI/Anthropic/GitHub credits. Cohorts in London, Bangalore, and San Francisco.
No company needed
Techstars Accelerator
$120K ($20K for ~6% + $100K note)
Three-month mentorship-driven program across 20+ cities; standard deal is $20K for ~6% common plus a $100K convertible note. Accepts very early teams pre-incorporation; rolling deadlines per program.
No company needed
Antler Residency
~$100K initial + up to $30M follow-on
Backs individual founders from day zero (pre-team / pre-idea OK) on founder potential, not stage; requires full-time focus (no full-time job alongside). Under 0.2% of applicants accepted; equity terms set at the residency.
No company needed
Halcyon Incubator Fellowship
$10,000 stipend + 5 months housing
Residential program in Washington DC for early-stage social-impact founders; you must relocate to Halcyon House for ~5 months; ~8 ventures selected per year.
No company needed
Z Fellows
$10,000 (optional investment)
One-week cohort with founders of billion-dollar companies plus an optional $10K investment (at a $1B cap); open to all ages and stages including high-school dropouts, college students, and people with day jobs. Rolling, multiple cohorts a year, final day in person in SF or NYC.
No company needed
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Frequently asked questions

Who qualifies for startup accelerators?

Accelerators trade a small slice of equity (or none) for funding, mentorship and a network that compounds for years. These are the marquee programs taking founders in 2026, several open to solo and pre-idea founders. Bursary matches the ones that fit your stage and drafts the application.

Do accelerators take equity, and is it worth it?

Most take a small slice, often 6 to 7 percent, in exchange for funding, mentorship and a network that compounds for years. A few are equity-free fellowships. Bursary matches the ones that fit your stage and shows the equity terms.

How much funding is available?

Programs on this list go up to $500,000. Bursary ranks them by what you actually qualify for.

How many programs are on this list?

6 verified programs, re-checked continuously.

Is it free to apply?

Most are free to apply. Bursary reads the fine print and flags any program that charges a fee before you start.

Do I need a registered company?

Not for all of them. Bursary matches programs to your situation and tells you which require a registered entity and which accept individuals.

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