Accelerators open now
Tushar Dogra rounded up 30+ accelerators currently accepting founders — highlights include Sequoia Arc ($1M), Y Combinator ($500k for 7%), HF0 ($1M uncapped), and Aigrant ($250k), with the advice to prioritize fit over cash. (x.com)
Sequoia calls Arc a “catalyst” and runs a seven-week Company Design program for pre-seed and seed founders, with cohorts in the Americas and Europe and a bi‑annual open call (Sequoia Capital). Y Combinator’s published standard deal is split: a $125,000 equity check that buys 7% and an additional $375,000 in an uncapped SAFE with a most‑favored‑nation clause — the extra SAFE converts on terms fixed when the company next raises. (Y Combinator). HF0 positions its Residency for repeat technical founders as an in‑person, high‑touch program that includes live‑in housing and daily operational support and runs an intensive residency culminating in a demo day (HF0; XRaise blog). AI Grant is run by Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross as a nonprofit accelerator and grant program that pairs mentorship and an invite‑only summit with substantial cloud credits and other partner benefits through Microsoft for Startups. (AI Grant; Microsoft for Startups). Sequoia’s Arc page describes “initial funding” without publishing a fixed equity percentage — community threads and coverage note founders often ask for clearer public terms before applying. (Sequoia Capital; Hacker News). Application cadence differs by program: Sequoia lists past cohort cycles and closed Spring ’25 applications, HF0 shows an upcoming demo day on March 24 for its current wave, and AI Grant runs cohorted batches and a separate open‑source grants track at aigrant.org. (Sequoia Capital; HF0; AI Grant).
