What is a startup accelerator
Updated 26 Oct 2026
- Accelerator
- A program that takes a cohort of early companies for a fixed period, usually in exchange for equity. Accelerators are one of the investor types in the investor file, and each one that backs enough companies gets a startup list page of its own.
3,207
By country
United States1,021
United Kingdom206
India140
South Korea125
Canada99
Germany90
France87
Spain77
Singapore73
Brazil61
Table 1. Startup accelerators by country. Source: FundingWatcher. Data as of 26 October 2026. Base: 3,207.
Investment stages
Seed investors2,485
Early stage investors1,750
Grant makers439
Venture investors439
Late stage investors261
Non equity assistance237
Table 2. Startup accelerators by investment stage. An investor can carry several. Source: FundingWatcher. Data as of 26 October 2026. Base: 3,207.