Startup accelerators in San Francisco: the programs that put you in the city, and for how long

Most accelerators that run in San Francisco want you in the city for the whole program. On our list, PearX requires teams to relocate to the SF Bay Area, 500 Global's flagship is four months in San Francisco, Neo's Residency is three months at its SF space, and the Solo Founders Program says it has no remote option. Y Combinator and a16z speedrun run in person in San Francisco too, and SOSV counts SF as one of its three sites.

Two more programs bring you to the city for part of the time: LAUNCH for a few sessions, Alchemist for a kickoff week in the Bay Area. Antler has an SF office. Below is what each program's own page says about where you work and for how long, as we read it on 30 September 2026, most of it again on 2 October 2026.

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

01The short answer: how long you'd be in SF

• PearX: the 12 weeks of the program, relocated to the Bay Area.
• a16z speedrun: a 12-week cohort in San Francisco.
• Y Combinator: the three-month batch in San Francisco.
• Neo: three months at its SF space, plus a two-week bootcamp in Texas.
• Solo Founders Program: three months, in person only.
• 500 Global: four months in San Francisco.
• SOSV: four to six months, at its site in San Francisco, New York or Newark.
• LAUNCH: two or three sessions per cohort; the rest is online.
• Alchemist: an in-person kickoff week in the Bay Area.
• Antler: one of its three US offices is in San Francisco.

Deadlines change every batch. The live dates are in the Next deadlines strip in room 03, each with the day we read it.

02Programs that ask you to move

PearX. Its program page (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "Does PearX happen in person or virtually? What if I'm not based in SF? All PearX teams are required to relocate to the SF Bay Area for the duration of the program. We've found that companies have the best outcomes when they participate in person with the Pear team and other founders in the cohort."

The same FAQ says how much of your week the program takes: "12 weeks. Each week includes a group check-in, at least one meeting with your Pear partner, and a mix of tactical workshops, speaker events, and cohort activities, averaging around 2 hours of group programming per week." You move for the program, but most of the week is still yours to build. Pear's site lists "Offices in San Francisco & Menlo Park": ask which one your cohort works from before you pick a place to live. PearX on the list.

500 Global. Its flagship page (opens in a new tab), read on 30 September 2026: "It's four months in San Francisco, California with your cohort, Unicorn founders, and top VCs in Silicon Valley." Read again on 2 October 2026, the page says the next program "begins on November 30 in San Francisco". 500 Global on the list.

Neo. Its Residency page (opens in a new tab), read on 30 September 2026: "Work side-by-side for 3 months at our beautiful SF space. Maximize your productivity and build lasting relationships with founders and mentors at our intensive 2-week Texas bootcamp." So plan for two places, not one. The same page invites you to "Join a curated cohort of up to 20 startups and student teams". Neo on the list.

Solo Founders Program, for founders without a cofounder:

A057Solo Founders Program·Kind

“The Solo Founders Program is three months building alongside other solo founders in San Francisco.”

Our reading: accelerator

Its FAQ is the most direct answer on this page, read on 2 October 2026: "Do I have to move to San Francisco? Yes — the program is fully in-person. No remote option. You should plan to be in SF for the full three months starting in Feb. 2027." The same page offers a room, if you want one: "Private bedroom above the office, $1,500/month. Already have a place in SF? Same program either way." On visas, the FAQ says: "We can't sponsor visas, but we work with founders on various visa types." Its rule on who can apply is in accelerators for solo founders. Solo Founders Program on the list.

03SOSV: San Francisco is one of three sites

SOSV runs its programs in three places and asks you to join one:

A035SOSV·Kind

“We also expect the founders to join one of our programs, SOSV NY, SOSV SF or HAX, at one of their locations, in New York City, San Francisco, or Newark, NJ”

Our reading: accelerator

The same page (opens in a new tab) says how long, in its answer to a founder who can't come: "I cannot come to the United States for the 4-6 months required in the programs. Will you still invest? Probably not." Read on 2 October 2026, it gives the reason: "founders succeed at much higher rates when they benefit from being located in the world's most active venture funding markets (San Francisco Bay Area and New York)".

So SOSV is a San Francisco program only if you join SOSV SF, and four to six months is the longest stay on this page. It also backs only companies with more than one founder (solo founders guide). SOSV on the list.

04Y Combinator and a16z speedrun

Both run in person in San Francisco: YC's batch at its campus in the city, speedrun's 12-week cohorts in San Francisco. Their own words on format, with their deals and deadlines side by side, are in YC vs Techstars vs a16z speedrun. Both accept solo founders (solo founders guide). If YC is the program you're measuring the others against, Y Combinator alternatives sorts them by the reason you're looking. Pages on the list: Y Combinator, a16z speedrun.

05Part of the program in SF

You don't have to move for these, but you do have to come:

• LAUNCH: mostly online, with two or three sessions in San Francisco (remote accelerators). LAUNCH on the list.
• Alchemist: an in-person kickoff week in the Bay Area, then from wherever you work (remote accelerators). Alchemist on the list.

Antler is in person too, at its US offices in NYC, SF and Austin; its terms, next to Entrepreneur First's, are in Antler vs Entrepreneur First. Antler on the list.

Two university programs on the list are tied to Bay Area campuses: StartX, for the Stanford community, and Berkeley SkyDeck. We hold no quote from either on where their programs meet, so they are not in the table above.

06Before you move: what to plan for

The pages above answer some of the questions a move raises. What they say, side by side:

1. How long. From 12 weeks (PearX, speedrun) to four months (500 Global), and four to six months at SOSV. Neo adds two weeks in Texas.
2. When. Cohorts start on fixed dates. PearX runs two cohorts a year, winter from January to April and summer from July to October, by its page. 500 Global's next program begins on 30 November, the Solo Founders Program's in February 2027.
3. Where you sleep. The Solo Founders Program rents out optional private bedrooms by the month. For the others, ask, and budget for a short-term rental.
4. How much of the week is the program. PearX says about two hours of group programming a week, plus a partner meeting. The rest of the week is yours.
5. Whether you can come at all. If you need a visa to work in the US, ask before you apply. The Solo Founders Program says it can't sponsor one; what other US programs say about visas is in accelerators for international founders.

If moving isn't possible, several programs run online most of the time: they are in remote accelerators. Put the programs you'll apply to in My launch with the + on each poster:

07How we checked

Every quote comes from the program's own page. We read each program's page on 30 September 2026 and re-read the pages of PearX, 500 Global, the Solo Founders Program and SOSV on 2 October 2026, quoting the longer answer where a page gives one. Neo's Residency page is quoted as we read it on 29 and 30 September; on 2 October it loaded its text in a way we could not re-read. A program is in this guide only when its own page puts you in San Francisco or the Bay Area. Dates and formats change between batches: read the program's current page before you sign a lease. 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.

08Questions

01

Which accelerators require you to move to San Francisco?

On our list: PearX requires teams to relocate to the SF Bay Area, 500 Global's flagship is four months in San Francisco, Neo's Residency is three months at its SF space, and the Solo Founders Program says it has no remote option. Y Combinator and a16z speedrun also run in person in San Francisco. SOSV asks you to join one of its sites, and San Francisco is one of three.

02

Can I do an SF accelerator without moving?

Some. LAUNCH is mostly online with a few sessions in San Francisco, and Alchemist asks for an in-person kickoff week in the Bay Area, then lets founders take part from wherever they work. Programs that are online most of the time are in remote accelerators.

03

How long do San Francisco accelerators last?

From twelve weeks at PearX and a16z speedrun to four months at 500 Global's flagship. Neo's Residency and the Solo Founders Program are three months, and SOSV asks for four to six months at one of its sites.

04

Where in the Bay Area is PearX?

PearX asks teams to relocate to the SF Bay Area for the program, and Pear's site lists offices in San Francisco and Menlo Park.