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Best Incubators and Accelerators for Startups

Discover incubators and accelerators that provide startups with the tools and guidance to scale quickly.

Last update: July 24, 2025

List author: Shaun Gold

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Joining an Accelerator or Incubator? Here’s What You Need to Know.

What is a startup incubator?

A startup incubator is a program designed to support very early-stage startups, often before they’ve launched a product, formed a team, or even finalized the business idea.

Incubators typically offer:

  • Mentorship and office space
  • Access to a founder community
  • Light operational support (e.g. legal, hiring, business model validation)

They’re ideal for first-time founders or pre-product teams who need structure, exposure, and time to build without the pressure of immediate investor returns. Most incubators are non-dilutive or offer small pre-seed funding.

What is a startup accelerator?

An accelerator is a fast-paced program built for startups that are a bit further along—typically with a product, some traction, or a committed founding team. These programs run in fixed-term cohorts and are designed to compress months of progress into just a few weeks.

Most accelerators offer a small equity investment (usually in the $100K to $250K range) alongside intense mentorship, hands-on support, and access to a broad investor network. Programs often culminate in a demo day, where founders pitch to a curated group of angels and VCs.

Some of the top startup accelerators like Y Combinator, Techstars, and 500 Global have helped launch unicorns. But smaller, niche accelerators can offer even more value depending on your sector, geography, or stage.

Founders considering an accelerator should absolutely check out our guide exploring if accelerators are actually worth it.

What are the differences between an incubator and accelerator?

The biggest difference is stage.

  • Incubators help you get started
    → You may not have a product or full team yet
    → It’s about building something from nothing

  • Accelerators help you speed up
    → You’re working on traction, growth, and investor readiness
    → It’s about compressing months of progress into weeks

Accelerators are more selective, fast-paced, and often include funding. Incubators are more foundational, with longer timelines and less pressure to scale immediately.

Both can work—if you’re in the right place at the right time.

What are the top startup accelerators?

Some of the best accelerators in the world (ones with the most successful funding) include:

  • Y Combinator (YC) – Seed funding, deep network, high credibility
  • Techstars – Global programs, mentorship-driven
  • 500 Global – Known for international reach and investor access
  • Alchemist Accelerator – Focused on B2B startups
  • Antler – Combines incubation and acceleration for idea-stage teams

Keep in mind: the best accelerator is the one that fits your stage and sector, not necessarily the most famous name.

What are the top incubators?

Looking for the best incubators? Here are a few that are well known for producing leading startups:

  • IndieBio – Biotech incubator with heavy lab support
  • Station F (France) – Europe’s largest startup campus
  • StartX – For Stanford-affiliated founders
  • MassChallenge – Non-dilutive and globally recognized
  • EF (Entrepreneur First) – Incubator that helps founders form teams and ideas

If you're early and need time to build, tech startup incubators like these can give you runway, structure, and access without rushing you toward a raise.

What are the benefits of incubators and accelerators?

Joining the right program can:

  • Build your network fast
  • Sharpen your pitch and business model
  • Get you in front of early investors
  • Boost credibility when fundraising
  • Connect you with a cohort of fellow founders

But the real benefit? Momentum. Good programs unlock confidence, urgency, and accountability, which is exactly what most early teams need.

When does it make sense to join an incubator or accelerator?

Generally, it depends on your stage:

  • If you’re pre-product, pre-team, or exploring ideas: Consider an incubator
  • If you’re building traction, prepping for a round, or want investor exposure: Go for an accelerator
  • If you’re somewhere in between: Look at hybrid programs (like Antler or EF)

You don’t need one to succeed, but the right one at the right time can 10x your progress.

How to find the right startup accelerators and incubators on OpenVC

You don’t need to scrape lists or hope for a cold email reply anymore.

OpenVC gives you a curated, filterable list of startup accelerators and incubators who are actively backing early-stage teams.

  • 🎯 Filter by industry, stage, geography, and type of program
  • 🔍 Search “Accelerator” or “Incubator”
  • ✅ See which programs offer funding vs. just support
  • 📬 Reach out directly via OpenVC and find intro paths if needed
  • 🧭 Track outreach in our CRM, send decks, and get replies (all for free!)

Whether you’re looking for the best accelerators, the top startup incubators, OpenVC helps you skip the noise and get moving.

Sign up for a free account now to get your raise in motion!

Frequently Asked Questions

OpenVC is a free fundraising platform where startup founders can search verified investors,  submit their pitch decks, and manage their entire raise. Users can search 20,000+ verified investors, shortlist the right ones, and submit your pitch deck directly. Our CRM, deck analytics, and warm intro tools help you run a smarter, more organized raise.

Founders raise with OpenVC because it is designed to cut through the noise and get founders in front of the right investors, fast. With built-in tools for CRM, analytics, and warm intros, it helps you stay organized and improve your chances of getting a reply.

OpenVC is for early-stage startup founders who want to raise capital efficiently. Find investors from dozens of industries including SaaS, AI, fintech, biotech, and more. Whether you’re pre-seed, seed, or Series A, OpenVC helps you find and pitch aligned investors without paying intro fees, aimlessly cold-emailing, or scraping databases.

Yes, OpenVC is completely free to use. You can search investors, submit your pitch deck, track engagement, and manage your raise—all without paying a cent. Premium features are available, but the core platform is free and always will be.

You create a free OpenVC account, build your investor shortlist, and submit your pitch deck directly through the platform. Investors receive a unique link to view your deck, and you get analytics on who opens it and how long they spend on it. No cold emails, no guesswork. For more info, check out our complete guide to fundraising on OpenVC.

Absolutely, OpenVC is designed for early-stage fundraising. You’ll find thousands of angel investors, pre-seed VCs, accelerators, incubators, and family offices who are actively backing startups across sectors and geographies. Use OpenVC’s filters to narrow your search and find the right investors for your startup.

Some examples of startups that successfully secured funding through OpenVC include Mobly (2.5M seed), Paxum ($1.2M seed), and Laennec AI ($400k pre-seed). OpenVC startups have gone on to raise more than $1 billion from top venture capital firms like YC, Sequoia, Google Ventures, and M12.

OpenVC was created by Stephane Nasser and Lucas Roquilly—two founders building tools to make startup fundraising more transparent and accessible. We launched OpenVC to help founders find investors, get replies, and raise smarter. The platform is bootstrapped, community-driven, and built with a lot of heart.

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