For startup owners seeking funding, guidance, or a little bit of both, startup accelerators and incubators can be revolutionary resources. Finding the right program for your company, though, can sometimes be a challenge.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at some of the best startup accelerator/incubator programs in California to help you find a program that will set your company up for long-term success.
Startup Incubators and Accelerator Programs in California
In no particular order, we’ve highlighted some of the best startup accelerators and incubators that the Golden State has to offer.
1. Alchemist Accelerator
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Best For: Seed Stage Startups, B2B Startups
- Funding Amount: $25,000
Alchemist Accelerator is one of California’s largest and most well-known accelerator programs. Since being founded in 2012, Alchemist Accelerator has worked with over 500 startups. Alchemist Accelerator is an industry-agnostic program and is open to technical founders regardless of industry, location, product, business model, or stage. However, a few of their most prominent program sectors include industrial IoT, fintech, cybersecurity, climate tech, digital health, and diversity.
Qualifying startups receive $25,000 in funding in exchange for a 5% equity stake in the startup as well as access to early customer adopters and over 5,000 investors and 3,000 mentors. Noteworthy companies in the Alchemist Accelerator portfolio include NFTpay, Outwork, and Cattle Scan.
2. 500 Global
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Best For: Seed Stage Startups, Tech Startups
- Funding Amount: $150,000
The 500 Global Flagship Accelerator Program is a startup accelerator that provides support and resources to early-stage startups around the world. The program is operated by 500 Global, a well-established venture capital firm that provides valuable support and resources to startups around the world.
The accelerator program is designed to help startups accelerate their growth and bring their products to market quickly. The four-month program provides intensive mentorship and support, as well as access to a network of investors and industry experts. Participating startups receive $150,000 in funding in exchange for a 6% equity stake in their company. The cost of the program is $37,500 which can be deducted from the investment amount.
3. IndieBio
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Best For: Biotech Startups
- Funding Amount: Up to $525,000
IndieBio is a VC firm that is committed to promoting startups that are solving engineering challenges with the help of biology. Since 2014, IndieBio has worked with over 200 companies, helping early-stage startups scale their ventures.
IndieBio focuses on working with early-stage biotech companies. Notable companies in the IndieBio portfolio include Upside Foods, Carbix, and Bucha Bio. The firm invests up to $525,000 to program participants and has committed to a follow-on investment with 97% of startups that have participated in the accelerator program.
4. Y Combinator
- Location: Mountain View, CA
- Best For: Tech Startups
- Funding Amount: $500,000
Y Combinator is a large and well-known California startup accelerator that invests in early-stage startups across numerous industries. Their accelerator, the YC Program, is offered twice a year for three months and includes a demo day, weekly meetups, an in-person retreat, and more. Y Combinator provides $500,000 in participants of the YC Program made on two SAFEs: $125,000 on a post-money SAFE in return for 7% equity and $375,000 on an uncapped SAFE with provisions.
Since 2005, Y Combinator has funded over 5,000 companies, with a combined valuation totalling a $600 billion. Noteworthy companies in the Y Combinator portfolio include Stripe, Instacart, and Gusto.
5. Village Global
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Best For: Tech Startups, Pre-Seed Startups, Seed Startups
- Funding Amount: $250,000-$1.5 Million
Village Global is a VC firm that provides startup founders with access to a network that is made up of some of the world’s most successful founders. This includes founders such as Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sara Blakely.
Not even counting the funding that Village Global directly provides, companies in the Village Global portfolio have managed to raise a combined total in excess of $5 billion. A few examples of companies that have found success with help from Village Global are AirOps, Brightside, and Living Carbon.
6. StartX (Stanford-StartX Fund)
- Location: Palo Alto, CA
- Best For: Pre-Seed Startups, Series A Startups
- Funding Amount: Varies
StartX (also known as the Stanford-StartX Fund) is a startup accelerator that is offered in partnership with the Stanford Graduate School of Education. This program focuses on helping early-stage startup founders secure funding, hire talent, and seek guidance from the Stanford University Alumni Network.
Since being founded in 2011, StartX has invested in 700 different companies with a current total valuation of over $40 billion. A few companies in the StartX portfolio include Alation, Kodiak, and Bolt.
7. Illumina Ventures Labs
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Best For: Genomics Startups
- Funding Amount: Varies
Illumina Ventures Labs is an accelerator program with an emphasis on supporting innovative genomics startups. Startups that are selected for this program will receive seed investment opportunities and business guidance, as well as access to Illumina sequencing systems, reagents, and fully operational lab space in the San Francisco Bay Area or Cambridge, UK.
Illumina’s startup program was founded in 2014 and has since invested in several companies such as Encoded Therapeutics, Mantra Bio, and DermBiont.
8. Draper Goren Holm
- Location: Westlake Village, CA
- Best For: Blockchain Startups
- Funding Amount: Varies
Draper Goren Holm is a blockchain venture studio and fund that focuses on accelerating and incubating blockchain startups. Startup founders that are accepted into this program can look forward to funding opportunities, hands-on guidance, and partner benefits such as strategic business advisory services and a formal introduction to the Draper Venture Network.
9. Plug and Play Tech Centers
- Location: Sunnyvale, CA
- Best For: Early-Stage Startups
- Funding Amount: None
Plug and Play Tech Center offers 100 different industry-focused accelerator programs that are targeted toward startups in more than 20 different industries. This includes programs for advanced manufacturing startups, energy startups, fintech startups, and numerous others. Additionally, Plug and Play members may gain access to a corporate matching service through Playbook, an invite-only platform by the company.
10. CITRIS Foundry
- Location: Berkeley, CA
- Best For: Deep Tech Startups, Student-Founded Startups
- Funding Amount: None
CITRIS Foundry is a startup incubator program offered by the University of California that focuses on supporting deep tech startups. Along with funding opportunities, CITRIS Foundry also provides accepted startup founders with access to the CITRIS Foundry community and the resources, labs, and facilities at the University of California.
11. ideaTree Inc.
- Location: West Hollywood, CA
- Best For: Fintech Startups, AI Startups
- Funding Amount: Varies
ideaTree is a startup accelerator that focuses on supporting disruptive startups in the mobile and internet space. This includes startups working in sectors such as fintech, social media, point of sale, sports, AI, cloud data, blockchain, crypto, and travel.
12. Founder Institute
- Location: Palo Alto, CA
- Best For: Pre-Seed Startups
- Funding Amount: None
Founder Institute is a startup accelerator program that works with seed and pre-seed startups in a variety of industries. Startup founders that are accepted to this program are given access to a diverse pool of investors, Founder Institute’s virtual advisory program, and over $2 million in partner discounts from well-known services such as Dell, AWS, Google, and Stripe. The program costs $799 to participate.
Since 2009, Founder Institute has helped startups raise $1.75 billion in funding. Noteworthy companies in the Founder Institute portfolio include Peerby, Udemy, and Lily AI.
13. MuckerLab
- Location: Santa Monica, CA
- Best For: Early-Stage Startups
- Funding Amount: None
MuckerLab is a startup accelerator that invests in seed and Series A stage companies, and the program is designed specifically for software startups located outside of Silicon Valley. MuckerLab only accepts 20–25 startups per year to its program, but startup founders that are selected can look forward to a year-long program that includes product development and pitch building support through hands-on business guidance.
14. LAUNCH
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Best For: Deep Tech Startups, Consumer Products Startups
- Funding Amount: $125,000
The LAUNCH accelerator program is a 15-week program for pre-Series A startups that provides startup founders with the opportunity to pitch their idea to over 700 investors along with one-on-one guidance from LAUNCH’s network of experienced business mentors. LAUNCH also operates the Syndicate, a venture capital fund which directly invests in select startups.
LAUNCH Accelerator is an industry-agnostic program that invests in startups across multiple verticals. Chatter, CloudNeuro, and SparkPlug are just a few of the companies in the LAUNCH Accelerator portfolio. Participating startups receive a funding amount of $125,000 in exchange for 7% equity stake in the company.
15. Expert DOJO
- Location: Santa Monica, CA
- Best For: AI Startups
- Funding Amount: $100,000
Expert DOJO is an international startup accelerator that focuses on helping both US and non-US companies quickly scale in the American and global markets. Expert DOJO provides a $100,000 initial investment to companies that are accepted into the program, along with opportunities for outside investments and an opportunity for an additional $1 million investment from Expert DOJO once the program is complete.
Since 2018, Expert DOJO has invested in over 260 companies located all over the globe. This includes companies such as Zeeve, Pharmacy Marts, and Yuva Pay.
16. AngelPad
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Best For: Seed Stage Startups, Tech Startups
- Funding Amount: $120,000
AngelPad is a startup accelerator program that has been ranked as the “Top US Accelerator” by MIT’s Seed Accelerator Benchmark nearly every year since 2015. Since 2010, AngelPad has helped launch over 150 different companies, and the average funding for AngelPad companies is a remarkable $14 million.
In total, AngelPad has helped startups raise $2.2 billion in funding. Notable companies in the AngelPad portfolio include Postmates, Pipedrive, and Buffer.
17. Berkeley SkyDeck
- Location: Berkeley, CA
- Best For: Startups With Berkley Affiliations
- Funding Amount: $200,000
Operated by the University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley SkyDeck is a startup accelerator that leverages the 500,000+ network of Berkeley Alumni to help startups succeed. Startups that are accepted to this program will receive access to investment opportunities as well as help with talent acquisition and guidance from the program’s 480 advisors and mentors.
Since 2012, Berkeley SkyDeck has helped startups raise over $1.7 billion in funding. Appa Health, DocuVision, and NextBiotics are just a few examples of successful companies in the Berkeley SkyDeck portfolio.
18. Cedars-Sinai Accelerator
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Best For: Healthcare Startups
- Funding Amount: $100,000
Cedars-Sinai Accelerator is a startup accelerator program that primarily focuses on innovative healthcare startups. This three-month program provides selected startups with a $100,000 initial investment, mentorship from more than 300 leading clinicians and executives, and access to a vast network of entrepreneurs and investors.
More than 80 healthcare startups have participated in the program since Cedars-Sinai Accelerator was founded in 2016. This includes companies such as Acolyte Health, CancerAid, and HomeHero.
19. MARL 5G Accelerator
- Location: Fremont, CA
- Best For: Mobility Startups, Deep Tech Startups
- Funding Amount: $50,000
MARL 5G Accelerator is a program designed to support startups creating deep-tech products and services for enterprise customers running on 5G. This program provides selected startups with a $50,000 initial investment in exchange for 5% equity, $500,000 worth of perks and benefits, and guidance from MARL 5G Accelerator’s 100+ experienced mentors.
MARL 5G Accelerator focuses on verticals such as mobility, VR/AR, logistics, cybersecurity, and AI. Notable companies in the MARL 5G Accelerator portfolio include eBottli, Logiety, and Perceive Now.
20. Sweat Equity Ventures
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Best For: Early-Stage Tech Startups
- Funding Amount: None
Sweat Equity Ventures bills itself as a “Value Accelerator,” providing guidance and expertise in exchange for equity. This program provides tailored, one-on-one support from Sweat Equity Ventures’ team of highly experienced operators, entrepreneurs, technologists, and founders.
Sweat Equity Ventures was founded in 2020. Since then, the program has worked with companies such as Chainlink, Aven, and Coda.
21. GSD Venture Studios
- Location: Menlo Park, CA
- Best For: Growth Stage Startups
- Funding Amount: None
GSD Venture Studios is an investment firm that operates a startup accelerator called GSD Super Scaler Accelerator. This program focuses on helping established, growth-stage startups reach unicorn status and scale globally. Unlike some venture capital firms or studios, GSD takes a senior operational role, such as co-founder, in companies that it works with.
Startups that are accepted to the GSD Labs Hyper Accelerator program are provided with the opportunity to pitch their company to a large network of investors along with an invitation to a 15-week course covering a range of business topics.
22. MedTech Innovator
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Best For: Digital Health Startups, Life Sciences Startups
- Funding Amount: None
MedTech Innovator is a startup accelerator program that focuses on supporting startups in the healthcare technology space. It is a virtual startup accelerator program that does not require any equity or fees for participation. However, participating startups are required to commit to travel for mandatory in-person events. The program is open to startups from early to mid-stage that are innovating a product or service within their primary areas of focus.
23. Founder Friendly Labs
- Location: Palo Alto, CA
- Best For: Software Startups
- Funding Amount: None
Founder Friendly Labs is an industry-agnostic startup accelerator that does not require any equity from startups accepted to the program. However, startups are responsible for a $1,990 program fee to participate.
This program provides selected startups with access to peer mentoring as well as credits from partners such as AWS, Stripe, and HubSpot. Startups that participate in the program are required to participate in the community actively, providing support to other startups within the program. Since 2011, over 200 startups have completed the Founder Friendly Labs program. This includes notable success stories such as Carta, Osmo, and Amiato.
24. Nex Cubed
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Best For: Black, Female, and Latino Founders, Pre-Seed Startups
- Funding Amount: $120,000
Nex Cubed offers programs in four different verticals: fintech, proptech, healthtech, and edtech. Each accelerator program provides startups with funding, resources, network access, advisory services, coworking spaces, and discounts on valuable products and services such as cloud computing and travel.
Since being founded in 2016, Nex Cubed has accelerated over 300 startups and has helped them raise over $500 million in total funding. Noteworthy companies in the Nex Cubed portfolio include CareSpace, Butterfly Health, and Allofus.
25. Aurelia Ventures
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Best For: B2B SaaS Startups, Stealth Startups
- Funding Amount: None
Aurelia Ventures Scale Program is a startup accelerator intended for stealth startups creating B2B SaaS products to grow to seed stage rapidly. The program centers around fundraising and sales support, offering one-on-one coaching and services tailored to the individual startup’s needs. Additionally, founders that are selected for this program can look forward to funding opportunities, support from a community of 200+ experienced B2B SaaS founders, and over $1.25 million in partnership benefits.
26. Techstars Music
- Location: Multiple Locations
- Best For: All Startups
- Funding Amount: Up to $120,000
Techstars offers a myriad of accelerator programs in California and across the globe. Each accelerator is tailored to a different vertical such as ecommerce, food and beverage, or healthcare. However, there are multiple industry-agnostic programs as well.
Startups that participate in Techstars Accelerator programs are eligible for up to $120,000 in funding: $20,000 cash in exchange for a right to 6% in common shares and an optional $100,000 in the form of a convertible note. Additionally, participating startups receive a litany of perks from cloud hosting credits to banking discounts and rewards.
27. Ad Astra Ventures
- Location: Solana Beach, CA
- Best For: Women-Led Startups
- Funding Amount: $25,000-$50,000
Ad Astra Ventures is a startup accelerator with a special emphasis on supporting women founders and women-led startups. Founders that are selected to Ad Astra’s Venture Builder program can look forward to 6-8 months of mentorship and strategic guidance along with opportunities for funding.
Ad Astra Ventures also provides a Founder Bootcamp that includes a 15-hour course on how to succeed as a female business leader. A few companies that Ad Astra Ventures has invested in since being founded in 2018 include Skylyte, Sash, and Uqora.