US accelerators for international founders: who takes you, who helps with the visa, in their own words

Yes, founders from outside the US can join most American accelerators, Y Combinator included. YC's FAQ says a team based abroad doesn't need to incorporate in the US or get a visa before it applies: "If we accept your application, we'll help you get visas and incorporate." a16z speedrun says founders from around the world are welcome and runs a Global Founders Program for visas and relocation, and Alliance says it has supported many founders with visas.

Others take you but leave the visa to you. ERA in New York welcomes applications from anywhere and says work visas are your responsibility, and 500 Global wants founders who are in the US already or will be within six months. This guide quotes what each program says about founders from outside the US, with the page and the day we read it (2 October 2026). It doesn't cover immigration law; the last section points to the US government's own page on it.

01The short answer

• Visa help once you're accepted: Y Combinator, a16z speedrun and Alliance.
• Apply from anywhere, the visa is your job: ERA. Parallel18 asks non-US teams to be able to apply for a visa.
• International startups as a priority: Berkeley SkyDeck.
• In the US already, or within six months: 500 Global.
• On site for the whole program, wherever you're from: PearX and SOSV.
• Can't sponsor a visa, or only for people who can already work in the US: the Solo Founders Program, Activate and the Tory Burch Foundation Fellows.
• Stay where you are: Techstars Anywhere and the other programs in remote accelerators.

None of the programs we read promises you a visa. The ones that help describe connecting admitted founders with immigration attorneys.

02Programs that help with the visa once you're in

Y Combinator. Its FAQ (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, answers the question most founders from abroad ask first: "We are not based in the US. Do we need to do anything to apply to YC? (e.g., incorporate in the US, get visas or business licenses) No need to do any of that. If we accept your application, we'll help you get visas and incorporate."

For founders already in the US on a work visa, the same FAQ: "In most cases, yes. YC works with excellent immigration attorneys that have helped hundreds of our founders get visas to move to or stay in the US." And: "If you apply and are invited to join YC, we will connect you with an immigration attorney who will work with you to develop an individualized immigration plan for you."

The batch is in person in San Francisco, and the FAQ adds: "Of course, after the 3 month program, you can go wherever you want." YC's deal and format are compared in YC vs Techstars vs a16z speedrun. YC on the list.

a16z speedrun. Its FAQ (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "Founders from around the world are welcome to apply, and our Global Founders Program can help you navigate visas and relocation." You can apply without a visa: "I don't currently have a visa. Can I still apply to speedrun? Absolutely." The 12 weeks are in person, though: "participants must be able to attend on site in San Francisco." The same answer goes on: "If relocation poses a challenge, or you'll need help navigating visas, please reach out—we're open to discussing individual circumstances!"

Its Global Founders Program page (opens in a new tab), read the same day, lists what the help covers besides the visa: preparing "for consular interviews and border crossing", "detailed guidance on neighborhoods and housing options", desk space "at our offices in San Francisco and Santa Monica during the program", and banking partners that "work effectively and efficiently with founders regardless of immigration status." a16z speedrun on the list.

Alliance, the crypto and fintech accelerator. Asked whether it supports founders who need visas, its home page (opens in a new tab) answers, as we read it on 2 October 2026: "Yes – we’ve supported many founders in navigating immigration and visa-related challenges as part of our program." And: "We also work with experienced immigration attorneys and advisors, and can connect you to trusted legal resources." It is careful about the outcome: "While final decisions rest with the relevant authorities". Alliance asks for two weeks in New York at the start and a week at the end; the rest is remote (accelerators in New York). Alliance on the list.

03Apply from anywhere, but the visa is up to you

ERA (Entrepreneurs Roundtable) in New York. Its FAQ (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "We welcome applications from anywhere in the world." The next answer is just as plain: "Our startup is based outside the United States and none of us are U.S. citizens/residents. Will ERA help with work visas? No. You are responsible for determining and independently obtaining any work visas that may be required."

ERA runs its four months in person at its New York space (accelerators in New York), so the visa has to be sorted before the program starts. ERA on the list.

Parallel18, in Puerto Rico. Its program page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "No, P18 is an international program open to startups from anywhere in the world! But, you should definitely be willing to live on the island during the duration of the program." On visas, the same page: "If not a U.S. citizen, the team must have the capacity to apply for a visa to enter the U.S." It asks for at least the team leader in Puerto Rico for the whole program; that rule and its terms are in accelerators in Latin America. Parallel18 on the list.

Betaworks Camp also takes companies from anywhere and asks for set weeks in New York (accelerators in New York). Betaworks Camp on the list.

04International startups first: Berkeley SkyDeck

Berkeley SkyDeck says outright that it wants startups from abroad. Its application page, read on 2 October 2026: "Startups from all over the world are eligible and encouraged to apply. Historically, about 2/3 of the startups were founded outside the US. UC-affiliated companies and international startups continue to be a priority for SkyDeck."

The program itself is in Berkeley. The same page calls it "a 6-month acceleration process" and says cohort teams "participate in mandatory sessions, are matched with a Lead Advisor, have designated work space at SkyDeck, and present at Demo Day." It says nothing about visas, so ask. We don't link that page because the application form lives there; the quote and its source are on SkyDeck's page on the list. Its check, next to Techstars', is in Techstars alternatives.

05Programs that want you in the US

500 Global describes itself this way:

A016500 Global·In their words

“500 Global (formerly 500 Startups) is a venture capital firm with $2.3B¹ in AUM investing in founders with a global outlook building fast-growing startups.”

A global outlook doesn't mean you can stay abroad. Its flagship page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "We’re looking for founders who've started building and thinking globally already. You might have just started or you already have your first users, revenue or pilots. You're in the U.S. already, or you plan to be within six months." The program is four months in San Francisco (accelerators in San Francisco). 500 Global on the list.

PearX requires every team to relocate to the Bay Area for the program, and SOSV answers a founder who can't come to the US for its four to six months with "Probably not." Both are quoted in accelerators in San Francisco. Pages on the list: PearX, SOSV.

06Programs for people who can already work in the US

Some programs can't help with a visa at all, or are open only to founders and companies already in the US:

• Solo Founders Program: says it can't sponsor visas but works with founders on visa types (accelerators in San Francisco). Solo Founders Program on the list.
• Activate: fellows must be legally able to work in the US (deep tech accelerators). Activate on the list.
• Tory Burch Foundation Fellows, a fellowship for women business owners. Its FAQ (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, asks "IF MY COMPANY DOES NOT OPERATE IN THE UNITED STATES CAN I APPLY TO BE A FELLOW?" and answers "No, your company must be registered and operated in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and United States territories." Tory Burch Foundation Fellows on the list.

07Where the company has to be incorporated

A visa is about you; incorporation is about the company, and here the programs differ too.

• Y Combinator doesn't ask you to incorporate before applying. Its FAQ answers "Do we need to incorporate before applying?" with "Nope." But a company that already exists may need a new parent: "If your company is already incorporated somewhere other than the United States, Canada, Singapore or the Cayman Islands, in order to participate in YC you will need to create a parent company that is in one of those jurisdictions." YC says it connects you with lawyers for this, and that "it will require a significant effort on your part."
• ERA invests only in US companies. Its FAQ: "ERA will only invest in U.S. C Corporations. If you have an LLC or foreign entity, we will require you to “flip” the company to a U.S. C Corporation."
• Parallel18 asks for a company in Puerto Rico or the US. Its page: "The company is incorporated in Puerto Rico or in the United States with authorization to do business in Puerto Rico if selected."
• TinySeed, the remote SaaS program, invests only in US C-Corps and asks a company incorporated elsewhere to be willing to reincorporate if it gets an offer (quoted in SaaS accelerators).

Ask each program what it needs and by when, and get a lawyer's view before you change how your company is set up.

08If you can't move to the US

Several programs don't ask you to relocate. Techstars Anywhere is remote-first with no relocation, and is built for companies in American time zones; Techstars NYC says founders can be based anywhere and asks for set in-person weeks (accelerators in New York). AI House works with founders from across North America and asks for a month in Seattle, and Endless Frontier Labs takes startups from anywhere for two days in New York (remote accelerators quotes both). Pages on the list: Techstars, AI House, Endless Frontier Labs.

Any in-person part still means a trip to the US, so ask how the program handles travel and visas for those weeks before you accept.

Or pick a program outside the US. Programs by region are in accelerators outside the US, with their own guides for Europe and the UK. Some take founders by origin rather than address: Accel Atoms takes Indian-origin founders based anywhere (accelerators in India and Southeast Asia).

09Where to read the rules themselves

Immigration law is outside what we cover, and the programs above don't ask you to work it out alone: YC and speedrun say they connect admitted founders with immigration attorneys. Before that, the US government's own starting point for founders is the USCIS page Options for Alien Entrepreneurs to Work in the United States (opens in a new tab). Read on 2 October 2026, it describes itself as "an overview of some of the temporary and permanent pathways for alien entrepreneurs to work in the United States." Read it, then talk to an immigration attorney about your own case.

Before you apply, ask each program five things:

1. Do you help with visas, and does that help start before or after acceptance?
2. Which weeks do I have to be in the US, and where?
3. Where does the company have to be incorporated, and by when?
4. Who pays for the attorney and the travel?
5. What happens if my visa isn't ready when the program starts?

Deadlines change every batch. The live dates are in the Next deadlines strip in room 03. Put the programs you'll apply to in My launch with the + on each poster:

10How we checked

Every quote about a program comes from its own page. We read the pages of Y Combinator, a16z speedrun (its FAQ and its Global Founders Program page), Alliance, ERA, Parallel18, Berkeley SkyDeck, 500 Global and the Tory Burch Foundation on 2 October 2026, and the USCIS page the same day. A program counts as helping with visas only when its own page says so. We don't apply to these programs, and we can't tell you how often any of them admits founders from abroad beyond what its own page says. This is not legal or immigration advice. Each table row and poster shows the date of our last link check.

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

11Questions

01

Can foreign founders apply to Y Combinator?

Yes. YC's FAQ says teams not based in the US don't need to incorporate in the US or get visas to apply, and that if it accepts you it will help you get visas and incorporate. The batch itself runs in person in San Francisco.

02

Do US accelerators sponsor visas?

Some help. Y Combinator and a16z speedrun say they connect admitted founders with immigration attorneys, and Alliance says it has supported many founders with visas. ERA says founders are responsible for their own work visas, and the Solo Founders Program says it can't sponsor visas. None of the programs we read promises a visa.

03

Do I need a US company to join a US accelerator?

Not to apply, at most programs. YC says you don't need to incorporate before applying, but a company incorporated outside the US, Canada, Singapore or the Cayman Islands has to create a parent company in one of those places. ERA invests only in US C corporations, and Parallel18 asks for a company incorporated in Puerto Rico or the US.

04

Which US accelerators don't require moving to the US?

Techstars Anywhere is remote-first with no relocation, and Techstars NYC says founders can be based anywhere, with set in-person weeks. Other remote and hybrid programs are in remote accelerators. Y Combinator, a16z speedrun, PearX and 500 Global expect you in San Francisco or the Bay Area for the program.

05

Do I need a visa to apply to an accelerator?

Not at the programs we read that answer it: Y Combinator and a16z speedrun both say you can apply without one. Any in-person part of a program means a trip to the US, so ask each program how it handles visas before you accept.