Techstars alternatives: accelerators with a similar deal, side by side

The closest alternatives to Techstars are programs with a check of about the same size or smaller that publish their terms. ERA, Forum Ventures, LAUNCH, AlphaLab and Startmate publish a fixed stake. Berkeley SkyDeck, Parallel18, Founders, Inc. and 500 Global publish a check but no stake. Startup Wise Guys and Founder Institute charge you to take part. If it's Techstars Anywhere's remote format you want, LAUNCH is the closest match here: it says it is mostly virtual.

This guide puts those programs side by side, in the short form our posters use, with quotes from each program's own pages as we read them on 29 or 30 September 2026. It doesn't rank them: we don't have acceptance rates or results, and no program pays to be listed. The arithmetic that compares each check with its stake is in how much equity accelerators take.

01Techstars' deal, for comparison

Techstars invests $220,000 per company: $20,000 for 5% of the company in common stock, and $200,000 on an uncapped MFN SAFE that converts at your next round. Its Asia-Pacific programs use a smaller SAFE. It runs city and vertical accelerators, and Techstars Anywhere is remote-first. How the deal works, with Techstars' own example, is in YC vs Techstars vs a16z speedrun. Techstars gives two different answer times on two of its pages, both quoted in how long accelerators take to answer. Techstars on the list.

02The alternatives side by side

"Terms" is each program's check in short form; Founder Institute's cell is its entrance fee, and Startmate's shows that it charges no program fee (its check is covered below). Hover a cell for the full sentence.

03A fixed stake for a similar check

These programs publish both the check and the stake. The quotes, and the company value each deal implies, are in the equity guide.

ERA (Entrepreneurs Roundtable). $150,000 for 6%, on a post-money SAFE. It describes itself as an "Early stage fund and technology accelerator located in New York City that runs two, four month programs per year." It works in person, with some remote-friendly programming. ERA on the list.

Forum Ventures. $100,000 for 7.5%, on a post-money SAFE. It is for one kind of company. Its accelerator page (opens in a new tab), read on 30 September 2026: "The B2B tech accelerator built by founders, for founders". Forum Ventures on the list.

LAUNCH. $125,000 for 7%, and it says the terms are non-negotiable. It is mostly virtual, with a few sessions in San Francisco. Its home page describes the firm: "LAUNCH invests in early-stage startups through accelerator programs, venture funds, and The Syndicate." LAUNCH on the list.

AlphaLab. A fixed 3%, plus a $100K uncapped SAFE. It is "Pittsburgh’s leading accelerator and has been supporting startups since 2008", by its own home page (opens in a new tab), which adds: "We cover several focus areas, including software, hardware, life sciences, and robotics." It runs in person in Pittsburgh. AlphaLab on the list.

Startmate. A$120,000 for 8%, and no program fees. It is regional: its accelerator page says "For 14 weeks, we help Australia and New Zealand's most ambitious founders move faster, build something people want, and raise their next round." Startmate on the list.

04Read the stake against the whole check

Techstars' 5% is attached to $20,000 of its $220,000. The other $200,000 converts at your next round, so Techstars' final stake depends on that round's price; its own example on the comparison guide adds 1% at a $20M pre-money valuation. ERA's 6%, Forum Ventures' 7.5% and LAUNCH's 7% are stated against the whole check.

So a higher headline percentage isn't automatically a worse deal, and a lower one isn't automatically a better one. Compare the total stake each deal ends up with at the valuation you expect for your next round: fixed for ERA, Forum Ventures and LAUNCH, and 5% plus the converted SAFE for Techstars. The equity guide does the division for each fixed-stake program, using only the numbers in its quotes.

05A check, with no stake stated

These programs say how much they invest but not what they take for it. Ask for the instrument and the cap or stake before you apply, not after you're accepted.

Berkeley SkyDeck. Its application page, read on 30 September 2026: "Between 20 and 25 selected Cohort teams receive a $210K investment from Berkeley SkyDeck Fund." That is close to Techstars' check, and the quote names no stake. Berkeley SkyDeck on the list.

Parallel18 invests on a SAFE, with its check in the table above; its terms and its rule that a team leader spends the 16 weeks in Puerto Rico are quoted in accelerators in Latin America. Its home page (opens in a new tab) describes an "Acceleration program for Puerto Rican and international startups." Parallel18 on the list.

Founders, Inc. invests in every team it takes, and calls itself "the first check in founders solving hard problems in emerging domains." It says it answers within a month. Founders, Inc. on the list.

500 Global. A smaller first check, up to $50K on acceptance, with more possible later (quoted). Its flagship runs four months in San Francisco. 500 Global on the list.

06Programs that charge a fee

Subtract the fee from the check before you compare these with Techstars.

Startup Wise Guys invests up to €100,000 and states a program cost of €35,000 (quoted, with the arithmetic). Its flagship page promises "tailored guidance and support from world class mentors and experts." Startup Wise Guys on the list.

Founder Institute charges an entrance fee that varies by chapter, and the table shows the one we read. Its enrolling page (opens in a new tab) lists the cities where applications are open, each chapter with its own deadline. Founder Institute on the list.

07Mentors and support, in their words

If mentoring is what draws you to Techstars, ask what each alternative promises besides money. Few put it in concrete terms. Forum Ventures' accelerator page: "Our accelerator offers capital, unusually hands-on guidance, and a supportive community." Startup Wise Guys names mentors and experts, quoted above. None of the facts we hold gives a number of mentors or a mentor-to-founder ratio, so we can't compare the networks. Ask each program who you would actually meet.

08If remote is the reason

Techstars Anywhere is remote-first, with no relocation (quoted). Among the alternatives here, LAUNCH is the one that says it is mostly virtual. ERA works in person in New York, AlphaLab in Pittsburgh and 500 Global's flagship in San Francisco. Village Capital, which takes no equity, says its programming is primarily virtual; it and other no-stake programs are in accelerators that take no equity. Every program that states where you work, from Techstars Anywhere and the other fully remote ones to the hybrids with set days in a city, is in remote accelerators, each in its own words.

09When you'll hear back

The table shows each stated response time in short form. Forum Ventures replies within one to two weeks on whether to take a call; AlphaLab says the whole process, to money and kickoff, can take up to five months. Both are quoted in how long accelerators take to answer, with Techstars' own two timelines. Several programs here have a dated deadline. The dates move every batch, so we don't copy them: they are in the Next deadlines strip in room 03, soonest first.

If you're also weighing Y Combinator, a16z speedrun or the larger checks, Y Combinator alternatives sorts those by the reason you're looking. Add the programs you pick to My launch with the + on each poster:

10How we checked

Every term and quote here comes from the program's own pages, with the exact words, as we read them on 29 or 30 September 2026; each program's page on the list shows the source and date of each fact. What we did: we read each place's own pages and checked its link; every table row and poster shows the date of our last link check. Terms change between batches, 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.

11Questions

01

What are good alternatives to Techstars?

Programs with a similar or smaller check that publish their terms: ERA, Forum Ventures, LAUNCH, AlphaLab and Startmate name a fixed stake; Berkeley SkyDeck, Parallel18, Founders, Inc. and 500 Global name a check but no stake; Startup Wise Guys and Founder Institute charge a fee. We don't rank them; the table in this guide shows them side by side.

02

Which accelerators invest about as much as Techstars?

Of the programs in this guide, Berkeley SkyDeck's stated check is the closest to Techstars'. ERA, Founders, Inc., LAUNCH, Startmate, Forum Ventures, Parallel18 and AlphaLab invest somewhat less. The amounts are in the table and quoted in how much equity accelerators take.

03

Is there a remote alternative to Techstars?

Techstars Anywhere is itself remote-first. Among the alternatives in this guide, LAUNCH says it is primarily virtual, with a few in-person sessions in San Francisco. ERA, AlphaLab and 500 Global's flagship run in person.

04

Do any Techstars alternatives take no equity?

None of the programs in this guide says so: they invest for a stake or a SAFE, or charge a fee. Programs whose own pages say they take no equity, such as MassChallenge and Google for Startups Accelerator, are in accelerators that take no equity.

05

Do any of these accelerators charge a fee?

Yes. Startup Wise Guys states a program cost alongside its investment, and Founder Institute charges an entrance fee that varies by chapter. Startmate says it has no program fees.