Opportunities for Founders in the United States

Federal funding opportunity WH-AST-25-001 from Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. Status: forecasted.

📍 United States (federal)Hard

Apply → grants.gov

Founder

National Training Center for Title X and Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP)

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

Federal funding opportunity PA-FPT-25-001 from Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. Status: forecasted.

📍 United States (federal)Hard

Apply → grants.gov

Founder

National Training Center for Title X and Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP)

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

Federal funding opportunity AH-TPS-25-001 from Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. Status: forecasted.

📍 United States (federal)Hard

Apply → grants.gov

Founder

Institutional Training Programs to Advance Translational Research on Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (ADRD) (T32 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health

Federal funding opportunity PAR-25-247 from National Institutes of Health. Status: posted.

📍 United States (federal)Hard

Apply → grants.gov

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Substance Use/Substance Use Disorder Dissertation Research Award (R36 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health

Federal funding opportunity PAR-25-347 from National Institutes of Health. Status: posted.

📍 United States (federal)Hard

Apply → grants.gov

Founder

Cutting-Edge Basic Research Awards (CEBRA) (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health

Federal funding opportunity PAR-25-101 from National Institutes of Health. Status: posted.

📍 United States (federal)Hard

Apply → grants.gov

Founder

Rice Business Plan Competition

Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship (Rice University)

One of the world's largest and richest student startup competitions, inviting 42 startups each year to Houston to compete for more than $1 million in prizes across a multi-day, real-world-style pitch and judging event. Organized by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship.

📍 Houston, TXEquityHard

Apply → rbpc.rice.edu

Founder

LAUNCH Accelerator

LAUNCH (Jason Calacanis)

Jason Calacanis's 14-week accelerator for MVP-to-scale-stage startups, selecting 7 companies per cohort. Founders receive up to $125,000 in funding and get direct access to a network of 700+ investors through the program, part of LAUNCH's broader suite including Founder University for idea-stage builders.

📍 San Francisco, CA / RemoteEquityHard

Apply → launch.co

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Camelback Fellowship

Camelback Ventures

A 16-week fellowship for early-stage entrepreneurs tackling inequities in education and 'conscious technology' (health & wellness, community development, workforce readiness). Fellows receive $40,000 in flexible early-stage capital plus expert coaching and a peer community.

📍 Remote / United StatesStipendMedium

Apply → camelbackventures.org

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Halcyon Incubator

Halcyon (S&R Foundation)

A five-month residential fellowship in Washington, D.C. for early-stage social entrepreneurs building for-profit ventures with measurable social or environmental impact. Fellows receive free housing, a $10,000 stipend, and no equity is taken.

📍 Washington, DCStipendMedium

Apply → halcyonhouse.org

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Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator (powered by Techstars)

Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs / Techstars

A Techstars-powered corporate accelerator connecting startups in connectivity, media, and entertainment technology with Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky business teams for pilots and partnerships. No equity is required to participate, though Comcast may pursue investment separately.

📍 Philadelphia, PAUnpaidMedium

Apply → lift.comcast.com

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StartX (Stanford-affiliated accelerator)

StartX

A founder-led, zero-equity accelerator community for Stanford-affiliated entrepreneurs, offering deep mentorship, peer accountability, and access to $1.2M+ in free partner resources without taking any equity or fees.

📍 Stanford, CAUnpaidHard

Apply → startx.com

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MIT delta v

MIT Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship

MIT's flagship student accelerator, providing MIT-affiliated teams with $75,000 in equity-free funding over a summer to develop a strong prototype into a sustainable venture. Run by the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship.

📍 Cambridge, MAStipendHard

Apply → entrepreneurship.mit.edu

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SOSV / IndieBio (deep-tech and biotech accelerator)

SOSV (IndieBio)

SOSV's flagship deep-tech and biotech accelerator (formerly branded IndieBio), backing founders solving hard scientific problems. Offers an initial $200,000 cash SAFE plus an additional $250,000 SAFE from the Genesis Consortium at a $6M valuation cap, across a 4-month program in San Francisco or New York.

📍 San Francisco, CA / New York, NYEquityHard

Apply → indiebio.co

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SOSV / HAX (hard-tech and deep-tech accelerator)

SOSV (HAX)

SOSV's hard-tech accelerator program for pre-seed startups working at the intersection of science and engineering (energy, advanced compute, transportation, health tech, manufacturing). Provides up to $550,000 in initial pre-seed funding plus hands-on engineering, design, and business support at SOSV's dedicated hardware facilities.

📍 Newark, NJ / New York, NY / San Francisco, CAEquityHard

Apply → hax.co

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Elemental Excelerator (Elemental Impact)

Elemental Impact (formerly Elemental Excelerator)

A nonprofit climate-tech investor that funds startups tackling decarbonization and environmental impact with deep community equity considerations. Investment size varies by track, with its Data Center Innovation Initiative alone deploying $500,000 to $5 million per project through 2027.

📍 United States (project deployment varies)EquityHard

Apply → elementalimpact.com

Founder

gener8tor Accelerator (and gBETA pre-accelerator)

gener8tor

A Milwaukee-founded accelerator network investing $100,000 per company in a competitive 12-week, equity-for-investment program, alongside gBETA, a free 7-week, zero-equity pre-accelerator aimed at very early-stage founders. Programs run across many U.S. cities and industry verticals.

📍 Multiple U.S. citiesEquityMedium

Apply → gener8tor.com

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Berkeley SkyDeck Accelerator

Berkeley SkyDeck

UC Berkeley's flagship startup accelerator, running a 6-month program that gives 20-25 Cohort teams a $210,000 investment from the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, plus access to 900+ advisors and $750K+ in in-kind resources. A larger Pad-13 track offers many of the same resources without guaranteed funding.

📍 Berkeley, CAEquityHard

Apply → skydeck.berkeley.edu

Founder

a16z Speedrun

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z Games)

Andreessen Horowitz's intensive 12-week accelerator for founders building at the intersection of games and technology (game studios, AI gaming tools, social platforms, infrastructure). Speedrun invests up to $1,000,000 per company ($500K upfront for 10% equity via SAFE, plus $500K available within 18 months).

📍 San Francisco, CAEquityHard

Apply → speedrun.a16z.com

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AngelPad

One of the longest-running U.S. seed-stage accelerators, based in San Francisco and New York. AngelPad invests $120,000 per company and runs an intense 10-week program focused on product-market fit and customer acquisition, selecting roughly 15-20 teams from thousands of applicants twice a year.

📍 San Francisco, CA / New York, NYEquityHard

Apply → angelpad.com

Founder

Plug and Play Tech Center Accelerator Programs

Plug and Play Tech Center

A large accelerator network running over 60 industry-focused programs across 35+ global locations (fintech, health, mobility, sustainability, and more), connecting startups with its network of corporate partners and investors. Startups join without giving up equity for program participation itself.

📍 Silicon Valley, CA + 35 global locationsUnpaidMedium

Apply → plugandplaytechcenter.com

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Alchemist Accelerator

A six-month accelerator focused exclusively on enterprise and B2B/deep-tech startups that sell to large companies. Alchemist provides tuition-offsetting investment (net proceeds around $30,000) in exchange for roughly 5% common equity, plus deep help with enterprise sales and investor introductions.

📍 San Francisco, CA (flagship) + Chicago, Memphis hubsEquityHard

Apply → alchemistaccelerator.com

Founder

On Deck Fellowship (ODF)

On Deck

A non-dilutive, pay-what-you-can fellowship centered on an intense one-week in-person sprint in San Francisco to help ambitious individuals find a co-founder and build conviction on their startup idea, followed by ongoing access to a 3,000+ member founder community.

📍 San Francisco, CA (in-person kickoff) + remote communityUnpaidMedium

Apply → joinodf.com

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TechCrunch Startup Battlefield (Disrupt)

TechCrunch

The original startup pitch competition, held annually at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco. 200 selected companies exhibit with a fully funded demo booth, 20 finalists pitch live on the Main Stage to VCs, and the winner receives $100,000 equity-free plus the Disrupt Cup.

📍 San Francisco, CA (Disrupt conference)UnpaidHard

Apply → techcrunch.com

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America's Seed Fund (SBIR/STTR)

U.S. Small Business Administration (multi-agency)

The U.S. government's largest source of non-dilutive early-stage R&D funding, run across 11 federal agencies (NSF, NIH, DoD, NASA, etc.). Phase I awards range roughly $50,000-$305,000 for proof of concept, with Phase II awards up to ~$2M+ for further development, and founders keep 100% equity and IP.

📍 United StatesUnpaidMedium

Apply → sbir.gov

Founder

500 Global Flagship Accelerator

500 Global

A four-month, in-person accelerator hosted in Silicon Valley for early-stage tech startups. Accepted companies receive a $150,000 investment for a 6% equity stake and join 500 Global's large founder and mentor network.

📍 Palo Alto, CAEquityHard

Apply → 500.co

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Y Combinator

The world's most prominent startup accelerator, investing $500k in a select group of startups per batch. Founders relocate to San Francisco for three months of intensive mentorship and product development, culminating in a Demo Day pitch to top investors.

📍 San Francisco, CAEquityHard

Apply → ycombinator.com

Founder