Startup accelerators are mentor-based programs that provide needed guidance, funding, and support to startups in exchange for equity in the company. Unsurprisingly, there are many, many accelerators in New York that can help startups of all sizes start on the path to becoming viable businesses.
If you’re looking to start a startup in The Empire State, it’s important to find one that offers mentorships and support that is suited to your project. This guide takes a look at some of those accelerators and incubators.
NYC Accelerators and Incubators
There are dozens of startup incubators and accelerators in New York. The following are some of the programs that we think you should check out. They range in size and support type, so you may need to keep looking until you find the right partner for your brand.
1. Forum Ventures
Best For: B2B SaaS Startups
Funding Amount: $50,000-$100,000
Forum Ventures is best known as an early-stage and startup venture capital firm and is headed by CEO Michael Cardamone. It also has a Forum Seed fund for Seed to Series A investments. Across all five funds, the group has raised $51.6 million. Some of the businesses in its portfolio include Fireflies.ai, Firstbase, Ascendo, and Allbound.
The group’s accelerator program is built for business-to-business (B2B) SaaS founders. Built by former SaaS founders and operators, the program supplies entrepreneurs with a fractional cofounder to provide personalized support from idea to minimum viable product (MVP) to fundraising and beyond.
Participating startups receive an initial investment of $50,000 or $100,000, mentor matches, introductions to more than 25 curated funds, and more.
2. Big Idea Ventures
Best For: Food & Beverage Startups
Funding Amount: $200,000
Big Idea Ventures is based in New York and works on other stages such as seed, venture, early-stage venture, and private equity. A capital venture firm, the program has three funds totaling $250 million. The newest fund is New Protein Fund II, which has raised a total of $75 million. It invests in companies working with plant-based or cell-based foods, technologies, and ingredients.
Big Idea’s accelerator is a five-month program available in three cities: New York, Singapore, and Paris. To participate, startups must be within the food sector, specifically focused on sustainable proteins, fats, ingredients, sweeteners, flavorings, or monocrops. The startup must also already have an initial, market validated product.
Eligible startups will receive $200,000 in funding from the program, $125,000 in cash and $75,000 for the program itself. Participants will also receive lifetime expert support, office, kitchen, and lab access, and exclusive network access of over 300 mentors, investors, and industry professionals.
3. GENIUS NY
Best For: Aerospace and Air Mobility Startups
Funding Amount: $500,000-$1 Million
Genius NY is a venture capital firm founded in 2017 that has raised over $100 million. It refers to itself as a $3 million business accelerator that focuses on uncrewed aerial systems, big data startups, and robotics. It collaborates with Starburst — itself an aerospace and defense accelerator — to invest in early-stage startups.
Every year, five startups are selected to participate in the accelerator. The first place startup receives $1 million in funding while the other four receive $500,000 investments. Participating startups also receive support in business development, industry networking, investors relations, executive advisory services, free office space, and fundraising.
4. Luminate
Best For: AR, VR, Cybersecurity, and IoT Startups
Funding Amount: $100,000-$2 Million
Luminate is a global foundation that funds existing organizations to collaborate and come up with new solutions and initiatives for advocacy work. It supports work that aims to improve the inclusivity of political and civic life while removing barriers. It also offers early-stage support and seeding solutions.
What makes this program more exclusive is that Luminate does not accept unsolicited proposals. Instead, it reaches out to potential partners itself by identifying the strongest opportunities to scale. Eligible startups receive $100,000 in initial funding as well as coaching from industry leaders and Luminate staff. The top companies in the accelerator receive an additional $2 million in funding.
5. XRC Ventures
Best For: Retail Technology, Consumer Healthtech, and Consumer Goods Startups
Funding Amount: $200,000
XRC Ventures is a venture firm and startup accelerator located in New York City. The firm focuses on retail technology, the consumerization of healthcare, and consumer goods.
The firm’s XRC Accelerator Fund & Program invests in pre-seed startups, providing operational support, mentoring, and access to a network of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders. Eligible startups receive $200,000 on a post-money SAFE, which includes the $50,000 accelerator fee, in exchange for 7% equity in the company.
6. Echoing Green
Best For: Social Impact Startups
Funding Amount: $80,000
Echoing Green is a 501c3 charity. It has invested over $37 million in over 700 fellows located in over 86 countries around the world. The group’s accelerator program, called Fellowship, provides leadership development, wellness and wellbeing support, and resources from experts. Qualifying startups also receive an 18-month stipend of seed funding totaling $80,000 in recoverable grants.
7. ICONYC labs
Best For: Early-Stage Israeli Startups
Funding Amount: Undisclosed
ICONYC Labs is an accelerator and value-add investor. It works with early-stage Israeli startups within the technology space, including digital health, drones, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. Specific investment stages include seed and early-stage ventures. To apply, entrepreneurs can reach out to one of the program’s co-founders directly to share information about their startups or apply on their website.
8. Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator
Best For: Early-Stage Software Startups
Funding Amount: $150,000
Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator has raised over $2 billion in funds and has over 300 alumni. It runs two four-month programs annually, with one starting in January and the other running in June. ERA has no stage requirements, but it does request that applicants have an initial product and a solid team. Eligible startups receive $150,000 in seed funding on a 6% post-money SAFE as well as potential access to follow-on funding. Plus, participants receive additional sponsor benefits such as Azure credits, Amazon Web Services (AWS) web hosting credits, and Stripe credits, to name a few.
ERA works in the technology space, and it says it has a bias toward companies with two-to-four-person foundation teams. Past investments include Flyhound, Keye, and Pharmesol.
9. 43North
Best For: Seed Stage Startups
Funding Amount: $1 Million
43North is a startup accelerator based in Buffalo, New York. It invests $5 million annually and has raised over $1 billion in venture capital. It works with startups that are ready to scale (usually seed-stage startups) and has a portfolio including brands such as AMPAworks, ASARASI, BetterMynd, Bounce Imaging, and BIG.
Industries that 43North has worked with include manufacturing, software, life sciences, clean tech, and consumer products. Chosen applicants go through three rounds of selection, including an in-person, on-stage pitch.
Qualifying startups receive $1 million in funding in exchange for 5% equity, one-on-one mentorship, and access to customers, vendors, and network of nearly 1,000 investors. However, chosen startups are required to relocate to Buffalo for one year to work out of the 43North headquarters.
10. Lair East Labs
Best For: Startups Looking to Scale Globally
Funding Amount: $150,000
Lair East Labs is a startup accelerator based in New York City. It focuses on helping early-stage venture, seed, and venture startups in pre-seed or raising seed stages. It has 31 investments and nine diversity investments primarily focused on disruptive technology solutions.
Through the company’s 10-week program, eight to 12 startups receive up to $150,000 to help them expand into Asian markets. Its portfolio includes enterprise, deeptech, hardware, consumer, entertainment, and health industries, with brands such as Modality.ai, Goop, and Sinc.
11. URBAN-X
Best For: CleanTech Startups
Funding Amount: $100,000
URBAN-X states that it is a resource for startups working with urbantech solutions. Its goal is to make cities more resilient, livable, and sustainable. The accelerator program is for seed-stage founders with a prototype in the CleanTech industry (or branches of it).
Additionally, URBAN-X aims to support and empower underrepresented founders with 35% of the program’s startup founders being women and 43% being people of color. Some past companies that have participated in the accelerator include Seam Social Labs, Studio1Labs, and LimeLoop.
12. Blueprint Health
Best for: Healthcare Startups
Funding Amount: None
Blueprint Health is a community of entrepreneurs in the healthcare space that help healthcare IT companies grow. The mentors work with the companies for three months to help them grow or reach their individual business goals.
To participate in the accelerator program, startups must be willing to give 6% of their company’s equity to Blueprint Health. This is in exchange for one-on-one mentorship, fundraising support, and the opportunity to pitch in front of 400-500 investors at the end of the program.
13. Squared Circles
Best For: Social Startups
Funding Amount: None
Squared Circles is a group of entrepreneurs that works as a venture studio. It invests in brands aiming to improve the world and has raised $80 million in capital to date. Squared Circles works with companies such as Mud\Wtr, Mate.Bike, Tarform, and Pangaia. Notably, it also works in partnership with Nike Valiant Labs.
The venture studio offers an intricate program to help realize entrepreneurs ideas with an AI-powered playbook and key stages. The program works as a five-step process, from concept to build and launch, and lasts between 12-18 months.
14. ConsenSys Mesh’s Tachyon
Best For: Web3 Startups
Funding Amount: $150,000
ConsenSys Mesh is working to help with the global adoption of Web 3.0. Founded in 2015, it invests, incubates, and helps with research, development, and acceleration. It presently supports 5,000+ founders and builders such as Gnosis, Tribute Labs, and Starkware.
Through its 12-week, fully remote accelerator program Tachyon, it has helped over 80 startups with acceleration. The program is open to web3 startups with technical founders and offers $150,000 in investment as well as advisory and mentoring opportunities.
15. Waldencast
Best For: Beauty and Wellness Startups
Funding Amount: Varies
Waldencast has the goal of building a global beauty and wellness platform with multiple brands. It works as an accelerator, incubator, venture capital firm, and private equity firm investing in convertible notes, early-stage ventures, late-stage ventures, private equity, seed, and venture stages.
Waldencast has nine portfolio companies. Each company chosen for investment gains access to product development, finance, marketing, supply chain human resources (HR), and more types of valuable support to help build their businesses.
16. Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab
Best For: Early-Stage Tech Startups
Funding Amount: $250,000
The Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab is an in-house startup accelerator. Its goal is to promote financial inclusion and help companies with underrepresented founders get capital for their early-stage technology or tech-enabled companies.
Of the 92 companies that have been a part of the lab so far, $200 million in funding has been raised following participation. Startups that participate in the program receive $250,000 in funding in exchange for a 5% equity stake in their company. The program also provides access to the Morgan Stanley network, mentorship, and a pitch day to additional investors post-program.
17. FoodFutureCo
Best For: AgTech Startups, Food Tech Startups
Funding Amount: None
FoodFutureCo is a scale-up accelerator. It works with small organizations that it believes have the potential to scale. It works in food-related industries such as local food, plant-based food, consumer products, food tech, food waste, and others.
The accelerator doesn’t invest in participating startups initially, however, after the four-month program is complete, startups may be subject to funding from the group as well as additional investors. The program offers startups investor introductions, pitch help, one-on-one mentorship, and the opportunity to demo at trade shows.
18. Virtual Force’s VFx+
Best For: Digital Health Startups
Funding Amount: None
Virtual Force’s accelerator program VFx+ offers services only to selected startups. Those chosen gain access to advisory, technology development, and growth hacking services as well as support to ready the company for scale and investment. The program relies on lean growth hacking strategies and boasts alumnus of companies such as Airlift and Oladoc.
19. Cornell’s eLab Accelerator
Best For: Student-Led Startups
Funding Amount: None
Cornell’s eLab Accelerator is aimed at helping student entrepreneurs launch their businesses. The program welcomes student teams in the fall semester and filters them in the spring based on their business models and performance.
The program is aimed at accelerating top Cornell University startups and has helped launch AI-Learners, StaffOnTap, Antithesis, and FloraPulse. Alumni have raised over $405 in capital.
20. Dreamit Healthtech
Best For: Heathtech Startups, Cybersecurity Startups
Funding Amount: Varies
Dreamit Healthtech is a vertical of Dreamit Venture. It works with over 70 customer partners, including Johns Hopkins, Geisinger, Intermountain Healthcare, and Cone Health as well as more than 1000 investors. The firm takes eligible startups through customer and investor ‘sprints’ to dramatically accelerate the customer acquisition and fundraising process for participating startups.
21. FinTech Innovation Lab
Best For: Fintech Startups
Funding Amount: None
FinTech Innovation Lab offers fintech startups from early to growth-stage refine their value proposition over the course of a 12-week program. The program has raised $2.7 billion in capital and has 270 alumni companies. It works with those in New York, London, and Asia-Pacific, with over 140 global partners in the financial sector.
This fund, called “The Partnership Fund for New York City,” is an investment worth $180 million. The goal is to spur new businesses, jobs, and opportunities for those living in New York. Alumni include Aimbrain, Albert, and Alloy.
22. Starta Accelerator
Best For: International Startups
Funding Amount: None
Starta Accelerator is a 3-month program built to help international startups scale their startups to the United States. The program offers access to mentorship and advisory services from industry experts to assist than their transitions into the US marketplace. Once the program is complete, three to four of the participating startups are targeted for investment from the firm’s $50 million investment fund.
23. Almaworks
Best For: Student Startups at Columbia University
Funding Amount: None
Almaworks is an accelerator program designed for student startups from Columbia University. It has made investments in companies including Grubify, Epsom-It, BOLD, and Forestry ML. The program spans eight weeks and includes workshops, mentorships, and networking opportunities to help participating startups reach market validation and product-market fit.
24. VentureOut
Best For: Tech Startups
Funding Amount: None
VentureOut is an accelerator providing tech startups with resources, mentorship, and access to vast networks of industry experts. It has operated since 2012 and provides programs for startups within several sectors from AI to enterprise tech to cybersecurity.
VentureOut has over 1,000 alumni and has raised over $2 billion. The company offers one-week and multi-month accelerator programs as well as pitch competitions to allow startups to gain funding opportunities from investors.
25. The Tech Garden
Best For: BIPOC Startup Founders, Cleantech Startups
Funding Amount: None
The Tech Garden calls itself New York’s “premier technology incubator.” It was founded with the intent of bringing together and supporting the startup community in Central New York. Today, it offers two main accelerator programs, including Epic Buildings Accelerator and Syracuse Surge Accelerator. Membership is required for applicants. The Tech Garden is also home to the Innovation Hot Spot and CleanTech Center.
26. Rho Acceleration
Best For: Software Startups, Digital Media Startups
Funding Amount: Varies
Rho Acceleration is an accelerator that works with software and tech-enabled businesses. Current brands include CloudPay, Snagajob, and Skyword. Qualifying startups receive capital to support market-leading companies achieve organic growth through the development of new products. To apply, your company should have $15 to $100 million in revenue and be growing in excess of 10% annually as well as have a subscription or predictable, recurring revenue business model.
27. Prospect Innovation
Best For: Mining Tech Startups
Funding Amount: Varies
As a one-of-a-kind platform, Prospect Innovation offers a place for innovation, investment, and venture creation in the metals and minerals mining space. The venture capital group builds companies and commercializes technologies from seed. It is open to working with technologies at any growth stage, including those in adjacent industries. Important partners and startups within the portfolio include BHP, Vedanta, Muonvision, Talpa, and SafeAI.