WholeReach · industry directory
The companies that define the incubators & accelerators industry, each read on the same nine-check website rubric — a 0–100 score with the exact fixes — alongside the concepts, the developments and the questions that shape the field.
29 companies in the incubators & accelerators industry, each graded on the nine things that decide whether a buyer or an AI assistant can find and trust them online. Open any name for the full write-up and the specific fixes.
| Company | HQ / region | Site score |
|---|---|---|
| AngelListwww.angellist.com | US (San Francisco, CA) | 100 0 to fix |
| Capital Factorywww.capitalfactory.com | US (Austin, TX) | 100 0 to fix |
| Notionwww.notion.com | US (San Francisco, CA) | 100 0 to fix |
| Circlecircle.so | US (New York, NY) | 92 1 to fix |
| Entrepreneur Firstwww.joinef.com | UK (London; global) | 92 1 to fix |
| Gustgust.com | US (New York, NY) | 92 1 to fix |
| Techstarswww.techstars.com | US (global) | 92 1 to fix |
| Affinitywww.affinity.co | US (San Francisco, CA) | 88 1 to fix |
| Antlerwww.antler.co | Singapore (30 locations globally) | 88 1 to fix |
| TMC Innovationwww.tmc.edu/innovation | US (Houston, TX) | 84 2 to fix |
| 500 Global500.co | US (Bay Area, global) | 82 2 to fix |
| South Park Commonswww.southparkcommons.com | US (San Francisco / New York) | 82 2 to fix |
| Alchemist Acceleratorwww.alchemistaccelerator.com | US (Silicon Valley) | 80 2 to fix |
| Founder Institutefi.co | US (Palo Alto; global chapters) | 80 2 to fix |
| gener8torwww.gener8tor.com | US (50+ communities) | 80 2 to fix |
| Slackslack.com | US (San Francisco, CA) | 78 2 to fix |
| Airtablewww.airtable.com | US (San Francisco, CA) | 70 3 to fix |
| DivIncdivinc.org | US (Austin, TX) | 70 3 to fix |
| High Alphawww.highalpha.com | US (Indianapolis, IN) | 70 3 to fix |
| Newlabwww.newlab.com | US (Brooklyn, NY; Detroit, MI) | 70 3 to fix |
| AngelPadangelpad.com | US (New York / San Francisco) | 62 4 to fix |
| Atomicwww.atomic.vc | US (San Francisco / Miami) | 62 4 to fix |
| Austin Technology Incubator (ATI)ati.utexas.edu | US (Austin, TX) | 60 4 to fix |
| Sourcescrubwww.sourcescrub.com | US (San Francisco, CA) | 58 4 to fix |
| StartXweb.startx.com | US (Palo Alto, CA) | 58 4 to fix |
| Plug and Play Tech Centerwww.plugandplaytechcenter.com | US (Sunnyvale, CA; global) | 50 5 to fix |
| Sputnik ATXwww.sputnikatx.com | US (Austin, TX) | 50 5 to fix |
| Y Combinatorwww.ycombinator.com | US (San Francisco Bay Area) | 50 5 to fix |
| MassChallengemasschallenge.org | US (Boston; global) | 27 7 to fix |
70+ solid 45–69 gaps under 45 costing customers
7 businesses whose website blocked our scanner — common when a site filters datacenter traffic, and not a sign the site is broken. A blocked site is never scored zero.
The firms, funds and institutions that set the terms in incubators & accelerators — context, not local listings; never scored.
Venture firm with $2.3B AUM running a Flagship Accelerator plus regional programs and VC Unlocked investor education. Reports 3,000+ startups backed across 80+ countries with 35+ companies valued above $1B. Its distinguishing thesis — 'talent lives everywhere, capital and opportunity does not' — makes it the main competitor for founders outside the US hubs.
Relationship-intelligence CRM built for investors and programs, mapping who in the network already knows a target so warm intros can be manufactured instead of guessed. The tooling layer under the mentor network, alumni network and pipeline-conversion metrics.
Relational-database-as-spreadsheet used to run application review workflows, scoring rubrics, mentor matching and cohort reporting. Together with Notion it is the actual back office of the majority of programs below the top tier.
Six-month program for technical founders selling to enterprises, now focused on AI-SaaS and deep tech that monetizes from enterprise buyers. Roughly 5% equity for a small SAFE investment averaging about $30,000 net of tuition offset, with 750+ startups accelerated, 70+ acquisitions, $5B+ raised by alumni and 7,000+ mentors.
Runs the rails for syndicates, rolling funds, SPVs and fund administration that many accelerator-attached investment vehicles are built on, plus cap-table and equity tooling. The default infrastructure for a small program that wants to invest without standing up a traditional fund.
Long-running, deliberately tiny-batch accelerator known for high per-company partner attention and a strong follow-on record. STATUS: its own site states 'The application is currently closed,' with no next cohort announced — treat as dormant pending confirmation.
Backs individuals before companies exist, pairing founders into teams during location-based cohorts and writing the first check, then following on through its Antler Elevate scale-up fund. Reports 1,800+ portfolio companies and a 12,000-person founder community, with heavy recent AI concentration.
Venture studio that originates company ideas internally and recruits operators to run them, holding a large founding stake and providing shared engineering, design, recruiting and growth. The reference case for studio equity splits and the EIR-to-founder pipeline.
Founded 1989 and described as the longest continuously operating technology incubator in the US, ATI is the deep-tech incubator affiliated with UT Austin and a unit of the university's Discovery to Impact initiative. Seven verticals — circular economy, energy, food and agtech, healthcare, microelectronics, mobility, water — plus IMPACT Lab, Southwest I-Corps, student programs and the TEXVMS venture mentoring service.
Founded 2009 and now positioned as 'a Texas venture firm — the most active early-stage investor in Texas.' Runs the Texas Fund investing seed through Series C in deep and frontier tech (Apptronik, Saronic, Paradromics, Colossal) alongside All Access, a membership program taking roughly 100 companies a year on common stock rather than cash investment — an ecosystem front door rather than a fixed-cohort accelerator.
Cap-table, SAFE, 409A valuation and fund administration software — the system of record where program equity, post-money SAFEs, vesting schedules and dilution actually get tracked. Its aggregate data is also a widely cited source on dilution and round terms.
Founded 2006, an independent nonprofit member-based network of about 140 accredited investors reporting 233 companies funded, $142.4M invested, 57 exits, a 4.3x return on cash and a 28% IRR. The most common first institutional-adjacent check for Austin accelerator graduates and a key demand-side counterparty for local programs.
Purpose-built community platform used by programs that want a persistent, searchable alumni and member community with courses, events and gated spaces rather than an ephemeral chat workspace. Common under membership-revenue and cohort-based education models.
The most widely used open database of companies, funding rounds and investors, and the practical way to check whether a program's alumni actually raised follow-on capital. Coverage skews to announced rounds, so it undercounts quiet and non-dilutive funding.
501(c)(3) headquartered on West 6th Street in Austin running accelerators including Innovation & Influence and Women in Tech plus a NextGen startup internship, with past cohorts in sports tech, clean energy, social impact and Web3. Reports $15M+ raised by portfolio companies, 200+ jobs created, $300K in equity-free grants and 62% female founder participation.
The original talent-investor model — selects individuals on technical and domain strength, then supports co-founder formation and company creation inside the cohort. Direct competitor to Antler for the same day-zero founder pool, with a stronger deep-technical and research-spinout skew.
The foundation whose research defines how entrepreneurship and new-firm formation are measured in the US, and a major funder of ecosystem-building and entrepreneur support programs. Its indicators and reports are the standard citation for claims about startup rates, founder demographics and ecosystem health.
The most widely used application and program-management platform for accelerators, incubators and grant programs, hosting open calls and cohort applications globally. Where a large share of the world's accelerator applications are actually submitted and reviewed.
Part-time, globally franchised pre-seed program for people still holding a day job, run through local chapters with a shared equity-pool structure rather than a cash investment. Operates at the idea stage that equity accelerators will not touch, which makes it a feeder rather than a rival for the top programs.
Runs both $100K twelve-week investment accelerators and free non-dilutive gBETA-style programs, plus skills, creative and corporate tracks, across 50+ communities. Reports 450+ accelerators run, 2,200+ startups supported and $3.8B+ raised. The reference model for economic-development-funded programming in non-coastal metros.
Convenes Austin's business community and publishes regional economic, talent and industry-cluster data. Its programming and reporting are a primary channel through which local founder-support organizations reach employers, sponsors and civic funders.
Long-running platform for startup applications, angel group deal management and incorporation, used by accelerators and angel networks to run intake and screening. One of the original pieces of infrastructure for the incubator and angel field.
SOSV's hard-tech program, backing industrial, robotics, climate and supply-chain hardware with significant capital and prototyping support. Relocated its US base to Newark with state and institutional backing — a live example of economic-development money reshaping where hard-tech programs sit.
Venture studio and fund focused on B2B SaaS, co-creating companies from internal concepts and funding them through an attached venture vehicle. The strongest non-coastal studio example and the model most often copied by regional economic-development-backed studio efforts.
Incubator vs accelerator vs venture studio vs foundry vs pre-accelerator vs university program — what each actually provides, what each takes, and which fits a company at pre-idea, pre-seed, or post-revenue stage. The single most-searched orientation question in the category and the natural top-of-funnel pillar.
Application mechanics, the selection funnel from applicants to interviews to offers, acceptance rates, what reviewers actually screen for, reapplying after rejection, and deadlines by program. High-intent, deadline-driven, and refreshes every cohort cycle.
Standard deals, SAFEs, post-money vs pre-money, MFN provisions, pro rata rights, tuition offsets, and the cap-table arithmetic of giving up 6-8% before a priced round. Founders search this before they search anything else about a program.
How demo day and pitch day work, what a program's investor day is actually worth, pitch structure, the post-demo-day raise window, and how much of a program's value is the introductions rather than the check.
SBIR/STTR Phase I and II, NSF I-Corps, state and federal grants, prizes, equity-free accelerators and revenue-based alternatives — the whole route for founders who will not sell equity for a program seat. Especially load-bearing for hard tech and research spinouts.
Campus incubators, technology licensing offices, Bayh-Dole, licensing agreements, sponsored research, student and faculty spinouts, and equity splits between founder and institution. Austin's ATI — founded 1989 and the longest continuously operating technology incubator in the US — is the reference case.
Programs built for physical and life-science companies: wet lab vs dry lab space, shared equipment, prototyping, longer timelines, bigger checks, and why software accelerator economics do not transfer. Covers HAX, IndieBio, Activate-style fellowships and university deep-tech incubators.
Healthtech and medtech, CPG and consumer, climate and energy, fintech, space and defense, mobility, agtech, and AI-native cohorts. Vertical programs are where mentor networks and corporate partners create real advantage over a generalist batch.
How mentor networks are recruited and matched, entrepreneurs in residence, office-hours cadence, mentor whiplash and how good programs manage it, and the difference between a mentor list and a mentor network that answers the phone.
The studio and foundry model — ideas generated in-house, teams assembled around them, studio equity splits, EIR-to-founder pipelines — plus day-zero co-founder matching programs like Antler and Entrepreneur First that back people before companies exist.
Corporate-sponsored accelerators, scouting and pilot programs, the innovation-partner sponsorship model, procurement pilots as the real prize for startups, and why corporate innovation budgets are the most cyclical funding source in the field.
Follow-on funding rate as the real KPI, graduation rate, survival rate, alumni outcomes, portfolio markups, and how to read a program's published stats critically — including which numbers are cumulative vanity metrics and which are current cohort performance.
Cohort ops: application review workflows, curriculum design, session scheduling, mentor CRM, cap-table and SAFE administration, reporting to sponsors and LPs, and the Notion/Airtable/Slack/Circle stack most small programs actually run on.
How programs pay for themselves — equity upside, management fees on an attached fund, corporate sponsorship, membership revenue, tuition, real-estate-subsidized models, university budgets and economic-development grants — and the sustainability problem underneath the 2023-2025 closures.
Capital Factory, the Austin Technology Incubator, DivInc, SKU, Sputnik ATX, Tech Ranch Austin, Central Texas Angel Network, SXSW Pitch and the Greater Austin Chamber's economic-development arm — who funds what, who feeds whom, and how the ecosystem changed after pandemic-era in-migration.
MSA and regional cluster strategy, federal Tech Hubs and Build to Scale funding, state incentive programs, university-anchored clusters outside the coastal hubs, and the honest question of whether a mid-size metro can manufacture deal flow with program dollars.
sort them by whether they take equity, run fixed cohorts, provide space, and whether they start the company themselves; those four axes explain almost every other difference
a group admitted and run together on one calendar; note that many programmes have moved to continuous or membership models instead
the programme's investor showcase at the end of a batch; be clear it is a marketing event for both sides, not a funding guarantee
the cap is set after the SAFE money is counted, so the founder's dilution is fixed and known at signing; that shift is the reason stacked SAFEs dilute more than founders expect
most favoured nation lets the holder adopt better terms given to a later investor; explain that it converts an uncapped note into whatever the next cap turns out to be
the right to keep investing to hold a percentage in later rounds; describe the effect on a founder's future cap table
contradictory advice from many mentors in a short window; the useful framing is that mentors are inputs, not decisions
an experienced operator attached to the programme, sometimes looking for their own next company; say that the incentive varies and is worth asking about
studios take a much larger share than accelerators because they supply the idea, the team and early capital; the split is negotiated per studio so describe the range of structures, not a number
federal non-dilutive research funding awarded in phases by agency; note the programme now carries additional due-diligence requirements and has run on short-term authorisations
a federally funded customer-discovery programme, often a prerequisite culture step before SBIR; it is training plus a small grant, not an investment
it lets universities own inventions from federally funded research and license them out; the licence terms, not the science, are what a spinout negotiates
no equity taken, but check for warrants, fees, revenue share or a right of first refusal buried in the agreement; equity-free is a claim to verify in the document
terms have converged around the post-money SAFE but the specific stake differs by programme; point at each programme's published deal instead of quoting a share
YC publishes it openly - a fixed post-money SAFE plus a larger uncapped MFN SAFE, with pro rata and no fees; cite the published deal page and let it carry the numbers
show the stacking method - programme SAFE, batch SAFEs, option pool, then the priced round - and let the founder run it on their own cap table
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