Accelerators for solo founders: which programs take one founder, in their own words

Yes, you can get into an accelerator without a cofounder. Y Combinator, a16z speedrun, PearX, Alchemist, AI House, Endless Frontier Labs and Antler all say on their own pages that they accept solo founders, and the Solo Founders Program in San Francisco takes nobody else. One program on our list says no: SOSV backs a company only "if there is more than one founder".

Accepting you is not the same as treating you like a team. YC advises against going alone, speedrun says it prefers teams, Alchemist says its bar for solo founders is "significantly higher", and AI House starts solo founders on a smaller check. This guide quotes the programs' own sentences on solo founders, with the page and the day we read each one, so you see the conditions before you spend a week on an application.

Most programs say nothing either way. That is covered at the end, with what to do about it.

01The short answer

• Built for solo founders: the Solo Founders Program, three months in San Francisco.
• Yes, with no conditions stated: PearX, Endless Frontier Labs and Antler.
• Yes, but they say teams have it easier: Y Combinator, a16z speedrun, Alchemist and AI House.
• No: SOSV.
• No statement on the pages we read: most programs, Techstars among them.

The table shows each program's terms in the short form our posters use. What each deal is worth is compared in how much equity accelerators take.

02A program built for solo founders

The Solo Founders Program is the only program on the list that takes solo founders and nobody else:

A057Solo Founders Program·In their words

“A three-month program in SF for solo founders. $100K investment.”

Its FAQ, read on 2 October 2026, says who it is for: "Solo founders building technology companies. You should be full-time on your company (or ready to go full-time)." And what it costs: "2.5% equity. Your first $100K comes on founder-friendly terms (uncapped MFN SAFE) designed to work alongside other funding, not compete with it. There's no program fee".

It is meant to sit next to other money, not replace it. Asked whether you can apply after raising or after another accelerator, the FAQ answers: "Yes. Some founders join after raising or completing another program." The program is in person for its three months; what it says about moving to the city is in accelerators in San Francisco. Solo Founders Program on the list.

03Programs that say yes

PearX. Its program page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "What if it's just me and I don't yet have a co-founder? Can I still apply? Absolutely—we welcome solo founders. If you're looking for a co-founder, we can help with that too." PearX expects you in the Bay Area for its 12 weeks (SF guide). PearX on the list.

Endless Frontier Labs, the nonprofit program at NYU Stern. Its FAQ (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "Do I need a cofounder or team to apply? No, we have had solo founders successfully complete the program. The key is that they are technically strong and able to execute on the advice provided by the mentors." That last sentence is the condition: the program pairs you with mentors, and expects you to carry out what they advise on your own. Endless Frontier Labs on the list.

Antler. Its US page welcomes solo founders too; its words, next to Entrepreneur First's, are in Antler vs Entrepreneur First. Antler on the list.

04Yes, but teams have it easier

Y Combinator. YC's FAQ (opens in a new tab) answers "Can a single person apply for funding?" with "Yes. We regularly accept solo founders." The same answer goes on, as we read it on 2 October 2026: "That said, our advice remains that one-person startups are tough and you're more likely to succeed with a co-founder." It then points to YC Co-founder Matching, "a free product we run to help people find co-founders". How YC's deal compares with Techstars' and speedrun's is in YC vs Techstars vs a16z speedrun, and the programs to look at instead are in Y Combinator alternatives. YC on the list.

a16z speedrun. Its FAQ (opens in a new tab) says "You can apply to speedrun as a solo founder!", and in the same answer that it generally prefers "teams with multiple founders who bring complementary skill sets". The sentence after that, read on 2 October 2026: "If you're a solo founder with a strong track record of execution, we strongly encourage you to apply." a16z speedrun on the list.

Alchemist. Its flagship program page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "Yes, Alchemist will accept solo founders. However, the bar for solo founders is significantly higher, given the difficulty of executing your vision before you have assembled your founding team." Alchemist is the one program here that puts the higher bar in writing. Alchemist on the list.

AI House (formerly AI2 Incubator, Seattle) is the one program that prices the difference. Its FAQ (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "Early allocations typically start at $100,000 for solo founders or $200,000 for co-founding teams, with the ability to increase up to $600,000 as the company hits early milestones." A solo founder typically starts on half a team's first check; both can grow to the same ceiling. AI House also expects every founder in Seattle for at least a month (remote accelerators). AI House on the list.

05The program that says no

SOSV. Its page Will SOSV invest in your company? (opens in a new tab), read on 30 September and again on 2 October 2026: "Are there any other requirements to receive SOSV funding? We will only back a company if there is more than one founder."

It is the only program on our list whose own page rules out solo founders. If SOSV is the program you want, find your cofounder before you apply, not after. SOSV also asks founders to spend months at one of its sites (SF guide). SOSV on the list.

06What the programs say they look for

Read the solo answers side by side and the same word keeps coming back: execution.

• Endless Frontier Labs wants solo founders who are "technically strong and able to execute".
• speedrun names "a strong track record of execution", and in the same answer says "We value founders who demonstrate the ability to build from scratch and overcome challenges independently."
• Alchemist's reason for the higher bar is "the difficulty of executing your vision before you have assembled your founding team."

So the gap a solo application has to close is the one a cofounder would fill: proof that you can build and ship without one. Put what you built alone, and how fast, near the top of the application.

If you want a cofounder after all, two programs above offer help on their own pages: YC's free Co-founder Matching, and PearX's "we can help with that too". Entrepreneur First builds its whole program around the search; how it works is in Antler vs Entrepreneur First.

07Where these programs meet

Accepting solo founders says nothing about where you work. In short, with the details on the page that quotes them:

• In person in San Francisco or the Bay Area: Y Combinator, a16z speedrun, PearX and the Solo Founders Program (accelerators in San Francisco).
• Hybrid: Alchemist (an in-person kickoff week), Endless Frontier Labs (two days in New York), AI House (at least a month in Seattle) (remote accelerators).
• At one of three sites: SOSV, in New York, San Francisco or Newark (SF guide).
• In person: Antler, at its US offices (Antler vs Entrepreneur First).

Deadlines change every batch. The live dates are in the Next deadlines strip in room 03, and when each program says it answers is in how long accelerators take to answer. Put the programs you'll apply to in My launch with the + on each poster:

08Programs that don't say

Most programs on the list publish no rule on solo founders on the pages we read. Techstars is one of them: we found no statement on solo founders on its pages (Techstars on the list).

Silence is not a no, but it isn't a yes either. Before you apply, read the program's FAQ, and if it doesn't answer, ask the program directly. A one-line reply from the program beats any list, ours included.

If you see a share of solo founders quoted for YC or any other program, check where it comes from. None of the pages we read gives one, so we don't print one.

09How we checked

Every quote comes from the program's own page. We read each program's answer on solo founders on 30 September 2026, and re-read the answers of Y Combinator, a16z speedrun, PearX, Alchemist, AI House, Endless Frontier Labs, SOSV and the Solo Founders Program on 2 October 2026, quoting the full answer where the page gives more than one sentence. A program counts as accepting solo founders only when its own page says so. We don't apply to programs, and we can't tell you how often any of them accepts a solo founder: none publishes that number on the pages we read. 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.

10Questions

01

Does Y Combinator accept solo founders?

Yes. YC's FAQ says it regularly accepts solo founders, and in the same answer advises that one-person startups are tough and that you're more likely to succeed with a co-founder. It points founders who want one to YC Co-founder Matching, a free product it runs.

02

Do I need a cofounder to get into an accelerator?

Not at most programs that answer the question. Y Combinator, a16z speedrun, PearX, Alchemist, AI House, Endless Frontier Labs and Antler say on their own pages that they accept solo founders, and the Solo Founders Program takes only solo founders. SOSV is the exception on our list: it backs a company only if there is more than one founder.

03

Which accelerators don't accept solo founders?

On our list, only SOSV says so on its own page. Most programs state no rule either way, so read the program's FAQ or ask it before you apply.

04

Is there an accelerator just for solo founders?

Yes: the Solo Founders Program, three months in person in San Francisco, with an investment on an uncapped MFN SAFE and no program fee. Its terms are quoted in this guide and on its page on the list.

05

Do solo founders get a smaller investment?

At AI House, yes: its FAQ says early allocations for solo founders start at half the amount for co-founding teams, with the same ceiling for both. None of the other programs in this guide states a different amount for solo founders on the pages we read.