Y Combinator alternatives: accelerators and pre-seed programs worth knowing.

The words get used loosely, so it helps to pin them down before comparing anything:

• Accelerator: a fixed-length program for a cohort of companies, usually with an investment, mentoring and a demo day at the end.
• Incubator: longer, less structured support for earlier ideas, often with workspace and often tied to a university or corporation. Many do not invest.
• Residency or founder community: a program for people who may not have picked an idea yet, sometimes with funding attached.
• Pre-seed fund: an investor that writes first checks without running a program.

Terms as each program published them on September 13, 2026. Programs change their terms; the official page is the final word.

Techstars

A global network of three-month accelerators, organized by city and by industry. Its current offer is $220,000 at acceptance, made up of $200,000 on an uncapped MFN SAFE and $20,000 for 5% common stock, according to its investment terms page.

500 Global

The firm that began as 500 Startups runs a four-month, in-person Flagship Accelerator in Silicon Valley and offers accepted companies $150,000 for a 6% stake, subject to terms and diligence. It also runs regional programs abroad.

Alchemist Accelerator

Built for technical founders selling to businesses. Classes run for six months and can be joined from anywhere, after an in-person kickoff week in the Bay Area. Unusually, the program charges a required tuition fee, which it offsets with an optional small investment; it reports average net proceeds of $30,000.

PearX

Pear VC's 12-week program for pre-seed companies, starting with a three-day retreat and ending with a demo day. Pear says it invests between $500K and $2M.

Berkeley SkyDeck

UC Berkeley's accelerator selects roughly 20 startups every six months, and each receives $200,000 from the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund. It is for startups with a Berkeley connection.

StartX

A founder community for Stanford students, faculty and alumni that takes no equity and charges no fees.

South Park Commons

Built for the stage before a founder has settled on an idea. Its six-month residency has no cost or equity, and separately it funds founders building venture-scale companies with $1M to $10M.

Neo Residency

A three-month program in San Francisco for up to 20 startups and student teams, with a two-week bootcamp. Startups receive $750K on an uncapped SAFE, with participation rights in the next round up to 5% ownership; students receive a $40K equity-free grant each.

Antler

An inception-stage investor whose US residency brings founders together in person for up to three months in New York, San Francisco and Austin, including people who have not found a co-founder yet. Its initial commitment is typically $500K to $1M.

SOSV

A deep tech investor that says it makes about 60 pre-seed investments a year of up to $550K each, with founders working from its locations in San Francisco, New York and Newark.

Afore Capital

A pre-seed fund that publishes a range of $500K to $2M-plus for pre-traction companies, and runs a Founders-in-Residence program for people still testing an idea.

Hustle Fund

Writes a $150K first check into very early pre-seed software startups. There is no cohort program.

Plug and Play

A Sunnyvale-based platform that runs industry programs connecting startups with corporations. It does not state program terms on the pages we checked, so ask directly.

• Compare the equity, not just the headline amount. The same check can buy very different ownership depending on the instrument.
• Count the time. Three months in person, six months remote and no program at all are different commitments.
• Check the fit rules. University programs serve their own communities; some programs focus on one sector.
• Talk to recent founders from the program, in your sector if you can.
• Read the current terms and dates on the official page before applying. No program here promises admission or funding.

Programs and marketing are separate decisions, and no amount of marketing buys a place in any of them. If marketing is on your list too, our page on marketing for technology companies explains how we work.