160+ Startup Incubators and Accelerators Around the World

Startup companies are like babies, they must be constantly nurtured to survive. And only once proven can they be trusted to survive without any lifelines or support.

Startup incubators and accelerators all over the world have been created as lifelines for companies to take their first steps, grow, and thrive as a sustainable business. Most commonly, they provide resources like office space, mentorship, and in some cases, they even offer seed funding.

We scoured the internet to find incubators and accelerator programs all over the world. We researched each program to analyze the following criteria for each:

• Initial funding
• Mentorship
• Legal support
• Office space
• Demo day

Interactive Table

Below is an interactive table of the 160+ incubators and accelerators around the world. You can filter to find the programs that meet your specific criteria and contact information for each.

Accelerators vs. Incubators: What’s the Difference?

Although some people use the terms interchangeably, the difference between accelerators and incubators is usually the size and stage of the companies they seek to assist.

A founder typically enters an incubator with only an idea. The incubator provides a safe place where the idea can be tested, pivoted, and evolved into the early semblances of a real business. Incubators can help with product development, co-founder recruiting, business formation, business development, and more.

An established company typically enters an accelerator with a business plan, founding team, first-gen or later product in the market, and some early signs of revenue. The accelerator program helps these businesses scale their products or services to a wider audience.

What is a Startup Incubator?

A startup incubator is an entity that provides resources to turn ideas into early-stage startups. Incubator programs can be either for-profit or non-profit and operated by governments, universities, venture capital firms, philanthropists, and more.

Incubators are effectively a sandbox for entrepreneurs to build prototypes for their ideas, test those prototypes, and determine whether or not they can find initial product-market fit. Resources for this stage of product development will differ from those of a growth-stage startup that’s already achieved product-market fit.

A startup incubator could, for example, provide 3D printers and CNC milling machines for hardware startups, workflow infrastructure credits and senior consultants for software startups, business formation and startup resources for all startups, and more.

Once a working prototype is built, the product is in the hands of real paying customers, and the company is ready to scale to more customers, the startup could graduate to an accelerator program.

What is a Startup Accelerator?

A startup accelerator is an entity that provides resources to grow early-stage startups into businesses that are self-sustaining or are able to raise additional capital. Many accelerator programs have a rigid time frame, usually anywhere from a few days to multiple months, and a set curriculum for completing the program.

Accelerator programs are usually reserved for startups that have already reached a few significant milestones and are ready to grow their business quickly. Some accelerator programs will offer capital as a means of achieving growth, in exchange for an equity stake in the company. This is where the pros and cons of enrolling in an incubator or accelerator must be deeply considered.

Benefits of Incubators and Accelerators

Although there are some differences between the two, we will discuss the general benefits of both startup accelerators and incubators, although they can differ substantially from program to program.

1. Funding Opportunities

Some incubators and accelerators will provide funding opportunities as investors seek to benefit from equity appreciation or as local governments seek to benefit from economic development.

Accelerator programs have been widely adopted by venture capitalists, who essentially provide training facilities for their portfolio companies. Universities and governments are also encouraged to invest in their constituents and support innovation to reap the benefits of job creation and economic expansion.

Funding amounts from accelerators can range anywhere from a few tens of thousands of dollars to more than half a million dollars. For example, StartMate, an Australian accelerator, offers $75,000 honoring the terms of the most recent round of funding.

If the accelerator doesn’t provide initial funding, this doesn’t mean there aren’t funding opportunities available. Many accelerator programs have a network of angel investors, venture capitalists, and more who can assist with fundraising.

2. Free Office Space

Most accelerators provide co-working office space and a limited number of conference rooms. Office space is a huge win for startups for a number of reasons, including limiting recurring expenses, increasing collaboration, and more.

First, the cost of leasing office space for an unproven business model is extremely risky. Signing a six-month or longer lease on office space comes at a substantial cost which would certainly limit how long your company can survive pre-revenue.

Co-working space in an accelerator program is also beneficial for teams to gain exposure and learn from like-minded teams experiencing similar problems and discovering unique solutions. The office space also provides a professional place for meetings with investors, customers, and mentors.

3. Mentorship

Warren Buffett summed up the benefits of mentorship when he said, “It's good to learn from your mistakes. It's better to learn from other people's mistakes.”

As an entrepreneur, you will make many mistakes along the way, and the best way to limit those mistakes is with a combination of mentorship and open-mindedness. Every successful company or entrepreneur has been built on the backs of many more failures.

Accelerators bring the best and brightest in any given field to help the next generation achieve the same success. Learn from those who have been in similar situations before and can help you successfully navigate a tough industry.

4. Resources

Accelerators can also offer additional resources and strategic partnerships that can be vital to growth-stage startups.

Some accelerators, for example, will provide legal counsel that can help protect intellectual property, prevent expensive litigation, and provide other legal advice. Accelerators will also often have established partnerships with companies that will offer free or discounted products and services for startups.

Cloud computing credits, discounted SaaS subscriptions, and more resources are commonly available to the startups that join an accelerator. These resources will vary greatly depending on the accelerator program you decide to apply for.

Demo Day is also a common perk of going through an accelerator program. This is where the companies pitch their ideas, showcase their products, and network with investors to raise additional rounds of capital and build relationships.

Disadvantages of Accelerators

1. Giving Up Equity

Many accelerator programs come at a hefty price: equity in your company.

Equity in a successful business is finite and therefore a highly valued resource. Whenever new investors, advisors, employees, or anyone else joins the cap-table (the breakdown of equity ownership in a company) it’s important to think about how they will continue to contribute over the lifetime of the company.

In startup funding, this is known as smart money versus dumb money. Smart money is when an investor comes with more than just money, like a passion for the business and resources above and beyond the money — and they continue to help after the money has been spent. Dumb money is when an investor provides money but nothing else and only cares about their return on investment.

If the accelerator program lasts for only six weeks but takes six percent of the business, it’s important to consider how this dilutes the founding team’s equity, the ability to raise future rounds of funding, and whether the accelerator program will continue to provide support after the program ends.

Some accelerator programs tout follow-on funding rounds but again, it’s important to understand equity dilution and the impact on motivation. If the founding team gets diluted too much too early, they may not be motivated to pour their heart and soul into the company.

2. Not Enough Time or Funding

Another consideration when weighing the pros and cons of any given accelerator program is duration and funding amount. Startups are not built overnight, and if the program is too short, and funding inadequate, you might leave the program with little progress to show and even less money.

If the sales cycle in your business, for example, is six or more months and you join a three-month program with enough funding to give your company a six-month runway, you will leave the program with zero revenue and insufficient funds to survive until reaching revenue.

Scenarios like this force companies to raise more funding in a pinch and with no proven business model, which can result in a down-round — raising funds below the last round’s valuation.

Is an Incubator or Accelerator The Right Choice?

There are many stories of companies that went through an incubator or accelerator program and went on to achieve success. Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, and many more are rock-solid examples.

Decisions that will impact the business for the rest of its life should be thought about deeply — from deciding whether to incorporate as a c-corp, s-corp, LLC, or otherwise to deciding on your insurance coverage.

If your business needs support to get off the ground and into the stratosphere of success, incubators and accelerators can be viable options. Make sure you research the reputation and specifics of any incubator or accelerator program you enroll in.