Remote and hybrid accelerators: where each program says you have to be

A few accelerators are remote in the full sense: you keep living where you are and meet online. On our list, Techstars Anywhere, Village Capital, Dreamit and TinySeed describe their programs as run online, though Techstars Anywhere and TinySeed still bring founders together in person a few times. More programs are hybrid: they mix online sessions with set days or weeks in one city. The best-known programs, Y Combinator and a16z speedrun among them, are in person in San Francisco.

This guide quotes what each program's own page says about where you work, as we read it on 30 September 2026, with most re-read on 2 October 2026. Take "remote" on a ranking page with care: the programs' own pages are often narrower, and the same brand can run one program online and another in a city.

For most of the other programs we hold no quote on where you work. Don't assume either way: check the program's FAQ.

01The short answer

• Remote: Techstars Anywhere, Village Capital, Dreamit and TinySeed.
• Hybrid, online sessions plus set time in a city: LAUNCH, Endless Frontier Labs, Google for Startups Accelerator, MassChallenge's hubs, Founders Factory, Startupbootcamp, Alchemist and AI House.
• In person, with some remote-friendly sessions: Entrepreneurs Roundtable (ERA), in New York.
• In person, you move for the program: Y Combinator, a16z speedrun, PearX, 500 Global, Neo, SOSV, AlphaLab and Antler.

"Remote" rarely means you never travel. Techstars Anywhere meets for three offsites, TinySeed for two events, and every hybrid program below has in-person sessions you travel to.

02Fully remote programs

Techstars Anywhere. Its program page (opens in a new tab): "Techstars Anywhere is a remote-first Techstars accelerator with no relocation necessary." The same page, read on 2 October 2026, says who it is built for and when you do travel: "The Anywhere model delivers the value of a top-tier Techstars accelerator remotely, to companies in American time zones. Anywhere provides the flexibility to participate in an accelerator program without relocating, and meets for three in-person offsites in startup hubs during the program."

So: no move, three trips, and a schedule set for the Americas. The deal is the standard Techstars one, compared in YC vs Techstars vs a16z speedrun. Techstars runs many other programs, and each states its own format on its own page. Programs with a similar check, side by side with Techstars' deal, are in Techstars alternatives. Techstars on the list.

Village Capital. The page of its program The Future of Aging 2026, read on 30 September 2026: "Do you require us to move to the cities of the program? No. Our programming is primarily virtual." Village Capital runs several programs, so read the page of the one you apply to. It takes no equity but asks for a deposit; its terms are in accelerators that take no equity. Village Capital on the list.

Dreamit. Its FAQ (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026, describes the program's weekly rhythm over video: "Each week, founders will meet via Zoom with their vertical-specific Partner to strategize, pressure test ideas, refine core business components, prepare for customer meetings, and ensure the team is intensely well prepared for customer and investor meetings." The FAQ doesn't mention relocating or an office to work from. Read it as remote week to week, and ask whether any part of the program happens in person. Dreamit on the list.

TinySeed, for SaaS businesses that already have revenue (who it takes). Its program page calls it "Our year-long remote accelerator program", and, read on 2 October 2026, adds: "Although the majority of the year is remote, we believe that meeting other founders in person is also extremely important." There are two in-person events: "At the start of the year you'll spend 2.5 days of masterminding, social activities, and meals together with the other founders in your batch", and later "your batch will regather to attend a MicroConf event in your region." The page asks all founders to plan on coming to both. There is no batch this fall: the page says "Applications will open again in February 2027". TinySeed on the list.

03Hybrid: online sessions plus time in a city

These programs mix online sessions with time you spend in one city. Several say exactly how much; the rest only label the program.

LAUNCH. Its site (opens in a new tab), read on 30 September 2026: "Is the Accelerator in-person or remote? Both! We are primarily virtual week over week. Two to three sessions per cohort occur in person in San Francisco". LAUNCH on the list.

Endless Frontier Labs, at NYU Stern. Its FAQ (opens in a new tab): "we host 5 Meeting Days (3 virtual and 2 in-person at NYU Stern in New York City) spaced 6-8 weeks apart". Read on 2 October 2026, the FAQ says who has to come: "The startup's CEO is required to attend all five Meeting Days (3 virtual and 2 in-person in NYC), each of which runs roughly a full working day." That is two working days in New York over a nine-month program, and the same FAQ says "any startup from anywhere in the world can apply." Endless Frontier Labs on the list.

Google for Startups Accelerator. Its program page (opens in a new tab) describes "a mix of remote and in-person, 1-to-1, group learning sessions, and sprint projects." On 2 October 2026 the page grouped its accelerators into three regions (Americas; Europe, Middle East and Africa; Asia Pacific) and gave no count of in-person days. Check the regional program's own page for where the in-person sessions are. The program takes no equity (quoted). Google for Startups on the list.

MassChallenge. Its accelerators page (opens in a new tab) lists its hubs outside the US: "SWITZERLAND Hybrid programming based out of Renens, Switzerland". On 2 October 2026 the same page listed hybrid hubs in Jerusalem and London as well, and a US program, the SMU Cox FinTech Accelerator, as "a highly selective four-month program … with three in-person program moments in Dallas." The format differs by program. MassChallenge on the list.

Founders Factory labels each program on its accelerator page with a place. Its fintech program with Aviva, read on 30 September 2026, is "London & Remote". On 2 October 2026 the page also listed programs marked "Perth & Remote" and "Bahamas & Remote", and one marked "London & Chicago". The label doesn't say how many days you spend in the city, so ask. Founders Factory on the list.

Startupbootcamp labels its programs the same way. Its accelerators page, read on 30 September 2026: "Energy & Climate III HYBRID | AMSTERDAM". On 2 October 2026 most of the other programs on that page carried "Hybrid" labels too, in Amsterdam or elsewhere in the Netherlands. As with Founders Factory, the label doesn't say how much time on site. Startupbootcamp on the list.

Alchemist. Its flagship program page (opens in a new tab): "Programming and mentorship are available virtually, but many community events are only available in-person." Read on 2 October 2026, the page names the one week you have to travel for: "Each program kicks off with an immersive in-person week in and around the San Francisco Bay Area, consisting of orientation, workshops, and networking events." After that, "founders may participate in Alchemist from wherever they choose to work and build their companies", and "Programming and events are optimized for time zones in California and Europe". Its Demo Day is virtual. Read it as one required week, the rest optional. Alchemist on the list.

AI House (formerly AI2 Incubator) asks for the most time on site of the hybrid programs that give a number. Its FAQ (opens in a new tab), read on 2 October 2026: "No, you do not need to permanently relocate. We work with founders from across North America. But every founder in the incubator is expected to spend at least one month in person in Seattle, working from AI House daily." After that month, "teams can stay connected remotely, return for key moments, and continue using AI House when they are in Seattle." AI House on the list.

04In person, with some remote sessions

Entrepreneurs Roundtable (ERA) in New York. Its FAQ (opens in a new tab), read on 30 September 2026: "Are companies expected to work out of the ERA space? Yes. We operate in-person with some remote-friendly programming." Re-read on 2 October 2026, the FAQ puts it in one line: "We run our four-month program in-person with some remote-friendly programming." It welcomes applications from anywhere in the world, but the work happens in its New York space. Count it as in person. Other programs that bring you to New York, and for how long, are in accelerators in New York. ERA on the list.

05In person: the programs you move for

These programs expect you on site for the whole program. Their own words are quoted on other pages:

• Y Combinator and a16z speedrun: in person in San Francisco (YC vs Techstars vs a16z speedrun).
• PearX, 500 Global and Neo: in San Francisco or the Bay Area for the program (accelerators in San Francisco).
• SOSV: months at its sites in New York, San Francisco or Newark (SF guide).
• AlphaLab: in person in Pittsburgh, by its FAQ (AlphaLab on the list).
• Antler: in person at its US offices (Antler vs Entrepreneur First).

06What to ask before you count on remote

The quotes above answer different questions. Before you plan around a program, get the answer to each of these from its own page or from the program:

1. How many days in person, and where? Two working days in New York (Endless Frontier Labs), three offsites (Techstars Anywhere), a week in the Bay Area (Alchemist), a month in Seattle (AI House): the pages that give a number range that widely.
2. Who has to travel? At Endless Frontier Labs it is the CEO, at every Meeting Day.
3. Which time zone? Techstars Anywhere is built for companies in American time zones; Alchemist's schedule suits California and Europe.
4. Which program? Techstars, Village Capital, MassChallenge, Founders Factory, Startupbootcamp and Google each run several programs, and the format is set per program.
5. What only happens in person? Alchemist says "many community events are only available in-person." Remote can mean you miss part of the program.

Ask, too, who pays for the trips, and put them in your budget before you accept.

If you're also applying on your own, the programs' rules on solo founders are in accelerators for solo founders. Deadlines change every batch; the live dates are in the Next deadlines strip in room 03. Put the programs you pick in My launch with the + on each poster:

07How we checked

Every quote comes from the program's own page. We first read each program's format on 30 September 2026; on 2 October 2026 we re-read the pages of Techstars Anywhere, Dreamit, TinySeed, Endless Frontier Labs, Google for Startups, MassChallenge, Founders Factory, Startupbootcamp, Alchemist, AI House and ERA, and quote the longer answer where a page gives one. The LAUNCH and Village Capital answers are as we read them on 30 September; on 2 October those pages loaded their answers in a way we could not re-read. A program counts as remote only when its own page says you don't have to move or describes the program as run online. Formats change between batches: read the current program page before you plan travel. 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

Are there fully remote startup accelerators?

A few. On our list, Techstars Anywhere says it is remote-first with no relocation necessary, Village Capital says its programming is primarily virtual, Dreamit meets founders weekly over Zoom, and TinySeed calls itself a year-long remote program. Techstars Anywhere and TinySeed still meet in person a few times.

02

Is Techstars Anywhere fully remote?

Almost. Its page says you don't relocate, but the program meets for three in-person offsites in startup hubs, and it is built for companies in American time zones.

03

Is Alchemist a remote accelerator?

It is hybrid. Each program opens with an in-person week in the San Francisco Bay Area; after that, its page says founders may take part from wherever they work, though many community events are only in person.

04

Do hybrid accelerators make you relocate?

Not the ones on our list that say how long: they ask for set days or weeks in one city rather than a move. AI House asks for the most, at least a month in person in Seattle, and Endless Frontier Labs asks the CEO for two days in New York. Founders Factory and Startupbootcamp only label programs hybrid, so ask them.

05

Do I have to move to San Francisco for YC or a16z speedrun?

Both say their programs run in person in San Francisco. Their own words are in YC vs Techstars vs a16z speedrun, and the other programs that put you in the city are in accelerators in San Francisco.