Startup accelerators in Latin America and the Caribbean: where each program runs, what it offers and who can apply

The programs on our list based in Latin America and the Caribbean are very different from each other. Parallel18 is an accelerator in Puerto Rico that invests through a SAFE and asks your team leader to spend its 16 weeks on the island. Impacta VC is an impact fund with offices in Santiago and Montevideo that leads or co-leads rounds. The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator is paid for by the European Union and takes a startup and a corporate as a pair, from two of three regions: the EU, Latin America and the Caribbean.

European programs add more options: Rockstart has an office in Bogotá, Wayra counts Brazil among its main markets, and Antler lists Brazil too. This guide quotes each program's own pages, as we read them between 30 September and 2 October 2026. The list is short on purpose: a program is here only when its own pages tell us where it runs and what it offers. Some well-known names in the region aren't on our list yet; they're named at the end.

The cost column shows each program's terms in the short form our posters use; Rockstart's shows its fee. Hover a cell for the full sentence.

01The short answer

• You want a classic accelerator with a check, and one of you can spend 16 weeks in Puerto Rico: Parallel18.
• You're building an impact startup and raising a round: Impacta VC.
• You sell digital technology, already have revenue and have a corporate partner in another region: the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator.
• You want a European program with an office in Colombia: Rockstart, which charges a fee.
• You're raising a round and want a corporate investor: Wayra.

02Parallel18: an accelerator in Puerto Rico

Parallel18 calls itself "a global startup accelerator and investment platform" on its home page (opens in a new tab), read on 30 September 2026, for Puerto Rican and international startups.

Where. Its program page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, lists among its requirements: "Your startup's team leader is available to participate through the 16-week term in Puerto Rico." So one person moves for the program. By that line, the rest of the team doesn't have to.

The money.

A055Parallel18 (P18)·Terms

“#P18ners will receive a $100k investment via SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity).”

Our reading: $100k investment via SAFE

We re-read the line on 2 October 2026 and it was unchanged. The quote names the instrument but no cap or stake, so ask for both before you apply.

Is it in the US? That depends on what you need the answer for. Puerto Rico is "the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a United States insular area", in the words of the US Department of the Interior's page on Puerto Rico (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026. Parallel18 requires incorporation in Puerto Rico or the US. For a founder in Mexico City or São Paulo, that can mean setting up a new company, so ask before you apply. Its own words on incorporation and visas, next to other US programs', are in accelerators for international founders.

We hold no deadline or review time for Parallel18. Check its program page for the next intake. Parallel18 on the list.

03Impacta VC: an impact fund in Santiago and Montevideo

Impacta VC is a fund, not a batch program. Its home page, in Spanish:

A077Impacta VC·In their words

“Impacta VC es un fondo de Inversión que invierte en Startup de impacto social y medioambiental.”

In English: an investment fund that invests in startups with a social and environmental impact. It says it backs impact-driven founders from Latin America.

Where. The home page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, gives two offices: "Chi: Av. La Dehesa #1540, Torre 1, Piso 3, Santiago. Uru: Tiburcio Gomez #1330 of 004, Montevideo." So Chile and Uruguay.

The money.

A077Impacta VC·Terms

“Lideramos y co-lideramos rondas con un ticket entre U$100k - U$500k y te acompañamos a tus siguientes rondas, con follow-ons de hasta U$1M.”

Our reading: Leads or co-leads rounds with a US$100k–500k ticket; follow-ons up to US$1M

In English: it leads or co-leads rounds with a ticket of US$100K to US$500K, and joins your later rounds with follow-ons of up to US$1M. A lead investor usually negotiates the round's terms with you, and the page doesn't state a stake or an instrument: ask for both.

The page invites founders to apply ("Aplica a Impacta VC"), but we hold no format, review time or deadline for it. Impacta VC on the list.

04EU-LAC Digital Accelerator: a startup and a corporate, together

Its home page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator matches and accelerates corporate-startups partnerships across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean."

Who can apply. Its open call page, read on 2 October 2026: "You have to be TWO partners for one application: at least 1 corporate and 1 startup." The two partners come from two different regions of the three, and the startup needs 2 to 50 staff and €50K to €10M in annual turnover. That rules out the idea stage: you need revenue and a corporate partner before you apply.

What you get. The same page: "€10,500 in grants available for startups to execute their PoC with the corporate partner." The services themselves are free and paid for by the EU, and the page we read states no equity. The grant pays for a proof of concept with your corporate partner, not for the company in general, so read it as a funded pilot rather than an investment.

When. The open call, read on 2 October 2026, gives a deadline of 30 November 2026. The live date is in the Next deadlines strip in room 03. EU-LAC Digital Accelerator on the list.

05European programs with a foot in the region

Rockstart and Wayra are based in Europe; what they say about themselves there is in accelerators in Europe.

Rockstart has an office in Bogotá, alongside Amsterdam and Copenhagen. It invests on a SAFE and charges a fee for its support package; both are quoted in the equity guide. Rockstart on the list.

Wayra counts Brazil among its main markets. It is Telefónica's corporate venture arm, investing alongside venture firms. Its ticket range is in the equity guide. Wayra on the list.

Antler lists Brazil among its locations. Its terms differ by country, so read the page for the city you'd join. Antler on the list.

06Global programs with an Americas track

• Google for Startups has an accelerator region for the Americas, and its program takes no equity (accelerators that take no equity). Google for Startups on the list.
• Techstars Anywhere is remote and built for American time zones (remote accelerators). Ask whether yours counts. Techstars on the list.
• Founder Institute runs local chapters, each with its own fee. Founder Institute on the list.

07Not on our list yet

Two programs for founders in the region aren't on our list yet, so we haven't checked their terms and they have no row above:

• Start-Up Chile. Its site (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, signs itself "Start-Up Chile de Corfo" and says: "Potenciamos a fundadores y a sus startups para que generen impacto desde Chile hacia el mundo" (roughly: we help founders and their startups make an impact from Chile to the world).
• Platanus. Its site (opens in a new tab), read the same day: "Respaldamos a los mejores fundadores técnicos en Latinoamérica" (we back the best technical founders in Latin America).

If we add them, their terms will be in this guide with the day we read them.

08What to check before you apply

1. What kind of program it is. An accelerator with a check (Parallel18), a fund that leads rounds (Impacta VC), and an EU-funded partnership program with grants (EU-LAC) answer different needs. Compare like with like.
2. Where your company has to be registered. Parallel18 requires Puerto Rico or the US. Ask the others which entity they invest in or sign with.
3. Your stage. EU-LAC asks for turnover and a corporate partner. Impacta VC leads rounds, so come with a round for it to lead.
4. Currency. Parallel18 and Impacta VC state US dollars; EU-LAC, Rockstart and Wayra state euros. Convert on the day you compare.
5. Time in person. Parallel18's team leader spends the 16 weeks in Puerto Rico. We hold no format for Impacta VC or EU-LAC: ask.

If none of these fits, the programs whose own pages say you don't have to move are in remote accelerators, and programs in other regions are in accelerators outside the US. Put the programs you pick in My launch with the + on each poster:

09How we checked

Every quote about a program on our list comes from its own pages. We read Parallel18's terms and description on 30 September 2026 and its requirements on 2 October 2026, when we also re-read its terms; Impacta VC's and EU-LAC's pages were read on 2 October 2026. Puerto Rico's status is from the US Department of the Interior's page, and the lines from Start-Up Chile and Platanus from their own sites, all read on 2 October 2026. A program is on this page when its own pages place it in Latin America or the Caribbean, or say it works there. What we did: we read each program's own pages and checked its link; each table row and poster shows the date of our last link check. Terms and dates change between intakes, so read the current page before you apply. This is not legal or investment advice.

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

10Questions

01

What are the best startup accelerators in Latin America?

We don't rank them. On our list, the programs based in the region are Parallel18 in Puerto Rico, Impacta VC in Santiago and Montevideo, and the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator. Rockstart has an office in Bogotá, and Wayra and Antler work in Brazil. Each is in this guide with the day we read its page.

02

Is Parallel18 a US accelerator?

It runs in Puerto Rico, which the US Department of the Interior calls a United States insular area, and it requires a company incorporated in Puerto Rico or the US. Its team leader has to be in Puerto Rico for the program.

03

Are there equity-free programs for Latin American startups?

The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator offers free services and grants for a proof of concept, and states no equity. Google for Startups Accelerator, which has an Americas region, says it takes no equity; see accelerators that take no equity.

04

Do I need revenue to apply to the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator?

Yes. Its open call asks for a startup with a minimum annual turnover, applying together with a corporate partner from another of its three regions.