How much equity accelerators take: the published terms, program by program

There is no standard answer, because accelerators publish very different deals. Among the programs on our list that name a fixed stake, it runs from 3% (AlphaLab) to 10% (a16z speedrun), and a few ask for more: TinySeed says 10–12%, Iterative "roughly 10-15%", and SOSV says it needs above 10%. Many programs publish only how much they invest, not what they take for it. And a group of programs take no equity at all.

This guide quotes each program's terms from its own pages, as we read them on 30 September 2026 (StartX on 29 September). Where a program states both a check and a stake, we show the arithmetic that compares them. It is division, not advice: we are not lawyers, and the terms you sign are the ones in the documents a program sends you.

01The short answer

• A fixed stake for a fixed check. The classic accelerator deal: a set amount of money for a set percentage, often on a SAFE (a simple agreement for future equity).
• A check, and the stake is negotiated. Many programs, especially those run by venture firms, publish a check size or a range and nothing about the percentage.
• No equity. Nonprofits, university programs, corporate programs and fellowships that fund without taking a stake.
• Fees. A few programs charge you to take part, sometimes offset by their investment.

Most of the fixed stakes quoted below sit between 5% and 10%.

02Programs that publish a fixed stake

These programs publish both the check and the percentage. To compare them, divide the check by the stake: the result is the company value each deal implies.

Y Combinator, Techstars and a16z speedrun. YC invests $500,000: $125,000 for a fixed 7%, plus $375,000 on an uncapped MFN SAFE. Techstars invests $220,000: $200,000 on an uncapped MFN Safe and $20,000 through a convertible equity agreement for 5% of the company in common stock; its terms page names one exception, a $100,000 uncapped MFN Safe in its Asia-Pacific programs. a16z speedrun invests $500K for 10% on a SAFE, and another $500K in your next round within 18 months. How each of the three works, with each program's own worked example, is in YC vs Techstars vs a16z speedrun.

Entrepreneurs Roundtable (ERA, New York):

A026Entrepreneurs Roundtable·Terms

“We invest $150,000 on a post-money SAFE in return for 6% of each company selected.”

Our reading: $150K for 6% on a post-money SAFE

$150,000 ÷ 6% = $2.5M.

LAUNCH. Its site (opens in a new tab): "We invest $125k for 7% of a startup. Because of the tremendous value that our program creates, these terms are non-negotiable." $125,000 ÷ 7% ≈ $1.79M, the same as the fixed part of YC's deal. LAUNCH on the list.

Forum Ventures. Its accelerator page (opens in a new tab): "Our terms are $100k USD for 7.5% equity on a standard, post money SAFE." $100,000 ÷ 7.5% ≈ $1.33M. Forum Ventures on the list.

South Park Commons Founder Fellowship. Its fellowship page (opens in a new tab): "Terms: $400K upfront for 7% on a standard SAFE, plus $600K guaranteed in your next external funding round." $400,000 ÷ 7% ≈ $5.71M. South Park Commons on the list.

Startmate (Australia and New Zealand) does the arithmetic for you: "$120,000 AUD at a $1.5m post-money valuation – 8% of the company." Startmate on the list.

AlphaLab (Pittsburgh) has the smallest fixed stake on the list, paired with a SAFE that has no cap:

A017AlphaLab·Terms

“Our standard investment terms are 3% via a fixed percentage convertible equity instrument, plus a $100K uncapped SAFE, deployed as two $50K SAFEs.”

Our reading: 3% via fixed-percentage convertible equity + $100K uncapped SAFE (two $50K tranches)

Ranges. TinySeed, which funds SaaS businesses: "TinySeed invests $120k-$220k per company for 10-12% equity." Iterative (opens in a new tab): "We invest between US $150,000 and US $500,000 using a "post-money" SAFE in return for roughly 10-15% of your company." SOSV (opens in a new tab): "we have to be able to get above a 10% ownership position for our $550k average check size". Pages on the list: Iterative, SOSV.

Entrepreneur First names a stake for half of its US investment: $125K for 8% on a post-money SAFE, with the other $125K on an uncapped MFN SAFE, by its US FAQ (opens in a new tab) as we read it on 2 October 2026. $125,000 ÷ 8% ≈ $1.56M. Its grant before that takes no equity; both phases, next to Antler's terms, are in Antler vs Entrepreneur First.

03Uncapped money and caps

Some deals have no fixed stake up front. The stake is set later, by the terms of your next round.

• Neo: "Startups get $750K uncapped. We get participation rights in your next equity round up to 5% ownership." (Neo Residency page (opens in a new tab))
• AI House (Seattle): "We invest up to $600,000 on a SAFE with a $10 million cap." (its FAQ (opens in a new tab)) If that is a post-money cap, the full $600,000 converts into at least $600,000 ÷ $10M = 6%; the quote doesn't say which kind of cap it is.
• Z Fellows: "You can participate without money or we can give you a $10,000 investment at a $1B valuation cap." $10,000 ÷ $1B = 0.001%.

An uncapped SAFE converts at the price of your next round, so its stake falls as that price rises. YC's and Techstars' deals both include one; the comparison guide shows their examples.

04Check sizes without a stake

Many programs, most of them run by venture firms, publish only the amount. The stake depends on the round. The table shows each program's check in the short form our posters use; hover it for the full text.

In their own words:

• Antler (US): "Our initial commitment is typically $500K-$1M plus $650K in partner credits."
• PearX: "We invest between $500K and $2M, tailored to what your company actually needs."
• Seedcamp: "Our first cheque is usually between $350K-$1.25M."
• Boost VC: "We invest $500k to lead or co-lead pre-seed rounds!", with checks "flexible between $100k-$1M".
• 500 Global: "Companies in the Fellowship can receive up to $50K from 500 Global upon acceptance. Depending on your progress, there's potential for up to $1M more as well."

The rest are quoted on their pages on the list. When a program publishes only a check, ask for the instrument and the cap or stake before you apply, not after you're accepted.

05Programs that take no equity

Some programs on the list take no stake at all: Endless Frontier Labs and StartX, which also say they charge no fees, MassChallenge, Google for Startups Accelerator, Plug and Play, Village Capital, and two fellowships, Thiel and ODF. Each one's terms in its own words, and what each asks for instead, are in accelerators that take no equity.

06Programs that charge a fee

A few programs charge you to take part. Read these terms before you compare checks.

Alchemist charges tuition and offsets it with its investment. Its flagship program page (opens in a new tab), read on 30 September 2026: "We offset the program's required "tuition" fee with additional investment capital. The average investment proceeds to your company are $30,000 (net of the provided tuition fee offset)." The same page asks for equity too: "Along with the tuition fee (covered by the investment offset, see question number four), we request a single-digit grant of common equity or its equivalent, varying depending on the business." Alchemist on the list.

Rockstart invests on a SAFE, and its support package has a fee:

A056Rockstart·Cost

“Our Startup Support Package fee is €65k.”

Our reading: €65k Startup Support Package fee

Startup Wise Guys. Its flagship accelerator page, read on 30 September 2026: "Receive a convertible investment up to €100,000 (with a program cost of €35,000) and an additional €250,000 as a follow-on opportunity." At the full amount, €100,000 − €35,000 = €65,000 reaches the company. Startup Wise Guys on the list.

Founder Institute charges an entrance fee that varies by chapter. The one we read, for the Germany chapter:

A049Founder Institute·Cost

“Deadline Oct 13, 2026 Entrance Fee $849”

Our reading: $849 entrance fee (Germany chapter; fee varies by chapter)

ODF takes no equity and asks participants to pay what they can, with a suggested amount (its terms).

Others say plainly that they charge nothing. Iterative (opens in a new tab): "There is no program fee." Startmate: "There are no program fees – we invest in you, not the other way around." Endless Frontier Labs and StartX say they charge no fees either; their words are in accelerators that take no equity.

07Credits are not investment

Some corporate programs on the list, such as Microsoft for Startups, Cloudflare Workers Launchpad and NVIDIA Inception, give credits for their own products, not money for equity. Credits lower your costs but don't go into your bank account or count as a round; each program's amounts and rules are in startup credits programs.

08Terms set per company

Sequoia Arc publishes no standard deal. Its page (opens in a new tab): "Does Sequoia have dedicated terms for early-stage companies? No. Every new pre-seed or seed stage partnership with Sequoia is unique. As such any terms are company specific." Wayra invests "tickets ranging from €150K to €5M" alongside venture firms, "taking minority stakes as a strategic investor".

09What to check before you sign

The terms pages themselves point to the questions. We can't give legal advice; these are the parts the programs' own pages spell out.

1. When the stake is fixed. A fixed percentage (YC's $125,000, AlphaLab's 3%, Techstars' 5% in common stock) stays that size until your priced round. An uncapped SAFE converts later, at the price of that round.
2. What comes with it. Participation or pro rata rights let a program invest again in later rounds: Neo's is stated above, and YC's is on its deal page (opens in a new tab).
3. Follow-on promises. Some programs commit money for your next round: a16z speedrun another $500K "within 18 months", South Park Commons $600K "guaranteed". Others say it is possible, not promised: 500 Global's "potential for up to $1M more", Startup Wise Guys' "follow-on opportunity".
4. Fees and deposits. Subtract them from the check before you compare deals.
5. Where you have to be. Several programs expect you on site for months: a16z speedrun's FAQ (opens in a new tab) says "In-person attendance is required" in San Francisco, PearX (opens in a new tab) requires teams "to relocate to the SF Bay Area for the duration of the program", and 500 Global's flagship is "four months in San Francisco".

Deadlines and answer times are in how long accelerators take to answer and in the Next deadlines strip in room 03. Put the programs you pick in My launch with the + on each poster:

10How we checked

Every term here comes from the program's own page, with the page and the exact words, as we read them on 30 September 2026 (StartX on 29 September 2026, Entrepreneur First's US FAQ on 2 October 2026). The arithmetic is ours and uses only the numbers in those quotes. Each poster and table row shows the date of our last link check. Terms change between batches, so read the program's current terms before you apply.

Nobody pays to be listed or to appear in a guide. Read how we check for the details.

11Questions

01

How much equity do accelerators take?

It varies by program. Among those on our list that publish a fixed stake, the smallest is AlphaLab's and the largest single figure is a16z speedrun's, while TinySeed, Iterative and SOSV state ranges or minimums above that. Many programs publish only a check size, and several take no equity at all. The terms of each program are quoted in this guide and on its page in room 03.

02

Which accelerators don't take equity?

On our list: Endless Frontier Labs, Google for Startups Accelerator, MassChallenge, Plug and Play, Village Capital (which asks for a refundable deposit) and StartX, which is only for the Stanford community. The Thiel Fellowship and ODF also take no equity. Entrepreneur First's grant is equity-free, but its investment once you form a company is not.

03

Do any accelerators charge a fee?

Yes. Alchemist charges a required tuition fee and offsets it with its investment, Rockstart charges a fee for its support package, Startup Wise Guys states a program cost, and Founder Institute charges an entrance fee that varies by chapter. Iterative, Startmate, Endless Frontier Labs and StartX say they charge no program fee.

04

What is an uncapped MFN SAFE?

A SAFE is an agreement to invest now for shares later. Uncapped means it has no valuation limit, so it converts at the price of your next round. MFN, most favored nation, means it takes the best terms you give later SAFE investors. Y Combinator and Techstars both use one; their own pages explain how it converts, and our comparison guide quotes them.

05

Are credits from Microsoft or Cloudflare an investment?

No. Microsoft for Startups and Cloudflare Workers Launchpad give credits for their own products, not money for equity. They lower your costs but are not a funding round. Each credits program's rules are in startup credits programs.