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AI Accelerators in North America (2027): 23 US and Canadian Programmes for AI Startups, With Cash, Equity and Deadlines

AI Accelerators in North America: 23 US and Canadian Programmes Checked on Cash, Equity and Deadlines

If you build an AI startup in the United States or Canada, you can choose between dozens of accelerators, residencies and AI institute programmes, and many online lists still quote deals that have since changed. We checked 23 programmes for AI founders in North America on their own websites on 30 October 2026: how much cash each one invests, what it takes in equity, where you have to be and for how long, and when the next intake closes. They are grouped by region, from San Francisco and Seattle to New York, Toronto and Montreal, because for most founders the first real question is where they can live for three months.

Quick answer: two big deadlines fall within days of our check: a16z speedrun SR008 (up to $1M) closes on November 1, 2026, and the Y Combinator Winter 2027 on-time deadline ($500K) is November 2, 2026; both still consider later applications for future batches. For more cash with fewer applicants, look at Neo Residency ($750K uncapped), PearX ($500K to $2M, applications year-round) and AI House in Seattle (up to $600K, rolling). In Canada, the strongest AI-specific options are equity-free: NEXT AI (apply by December 9, 2026), Creative Destruction Lab and Mila's Venture Scientist Bootcamp (apply by November 21, 2026). NVIDIA Inception and Microsoft for Startups are free credit programmes, not accelerators, so you can join them alongside any of the others.

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AI Accelerators in the US and Canada Compared

Programme	Cash and equity	Where and how long	Next intake (official)
Y Combinator	$500K: $125K for 7% + $375K uncapped MFN SAFE	San Francisco, January to March	Winter 2027: on time by November 2, 2026
a16z speedrun	Up to $1M: $500K for 10% + up to $500K in next round	San Francisco, 12 weeks	SR008: by November 1, 2026; later goes to SR009
Neo Residency	$750K uncapped; rights up to 5% in next round	San Francisco, 3 months + Texas bootcamp	Winter 2027 cohort; warm intros preferred
PearX	$500K to $2M; targets 7%	SF Bay Area, 12 weeks	Year-round; winter and summer cohorts
Conviction Embed	$250K uncapped MFN SAFE + AWS and Azure credits	Programme with San Francisco retreat	Apply early to the 7th cohort
South Park Commons	Residency free; Founder Fellowship $1M	San Francisco or New York, up to 6 months	Any time; Fellowship in spring and fall
Berkeley SkyDeck	$210K from the SkyDeck Fund	Berkeley, about 6 months	Batch 24 applications open in January
StartX	No equity, no fees, no cash	Stanford community, Bay Area	Next cohort; Stanford founders only
AI House (ex-AI2 Incubator)	Up to $600K SAFE, $10M cap; 7% common	Seattle, at least one month	Rolling
ERA	$150K for 6% post-money SAFE	New York, 4 months	Winter and Summer 2027 open
Betaworks AI Camp	Up to $500K with syndicate partners	New York, 12 weeks	Spring camp applications usually December to January
Techstars AI Health Baltimore	$220K: 5% + $200K uncapped MFN SAFE	Baltimore, 3 months	Final deadline November 18, 2026
HAX (SOSV)	$250K first cheque, up to $550K pre-seed	Newark, New Jersey	Not published
Forum Ventures	$100K for 7.5% post-money SAFE	16 weeks; Toronto, NYC, SF or remote	Pitch any time
Antler US	$500K to $1M + $650K credits	NYC, SF or Austin, up to 3 months	Year-round
NEXT AI	Equity-free, no funding	Toronto, Montreal or remote, March to August/September 2027	Apply by December 9, 2026
Creative Destruction Lab	No fee, no equity	Sessions every 8 weeks; 9 North American sites	2026/27 applications open
Mila Venture Scientist Bootcamp	$10,000 stipend per founder (max 2)	Montreal, 4 months full time	Apply by November 21, 2026; starts January 12, 2027
Vector Institute FastLane	No cash; AI projects and talent	Canada-based companies	Not stated
ventureLAB Accelerate AI	No equity, no cash	Markham, Ontario, 6 months	Not published
Google for Startups Accelerator	Equity-free; credits, no cash	US or Canada, hybrid, 10 weeks	Closed; register interest
NVIDIA Inception	Free, no equity; credits and discounts	Online membership	No deadlines
Microsoft for Startups	Up to $150,000 in credits	Online	Sign up any time

Sources: each programme's official website, checked 30 October 2026. "Not published" or "not stated" means the programme's own site does not say it. Terms change between cohorts, so read the official page before you apply.

San Francisco Bay Area

1. Y Combinator

Y Combinator invests $500,000 in every company it accepts: $125,000 on a post-money SAFE for a fixed 7%, and $375,000 on an uncapped SAFE with a most favoured nation (MFN) clause. It charges no fees, invests the day you are accepted, and gives access to more than $12M in credits and deals from partners such as OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS, Google Cloud and Azure. The batch runs in person at YC's San Francisco campus. Next intake: the Winter 2027 batch runs from January to March; the on-time deadline is November 2, 2026 at 8pm PT, a few days after our check, with decisions by December 11. YC still considers later applications, and you can apply early to the Spring, Summer and Fall batches. Best for: technical AI teams who can be in San Francisco.

2. a16z speedrun

a16z speedrun is Andreessen Horowitz's 12-week residency at its San Francisco office in North Beach. The standard deal is up to $1M: $500K for 10% upfront on a SAFE, plus up to $500K more in your next qualifying round of $2M or more within 18 months, with no board seat; founders also get more than $10M in partner credits. Recent residencies had 70 to 80 companies, and speedrun says fewer than 0.4% of applicants get in. Next intake: SR008 applications close on November 1, 2026 at 11:59pm PT, two days after our check; SR008 runs from February 1 to April 16, 2027. Later applications are considered for SR009, which starts in late July 2027. Students and recent graduates without a team can look at a16z's alpha fellowship (up to $250K). Best for: pre-seed AI and robotics teams that want the largest first cheque.

3. Neo Residency

Neo Residency is a curated cohort of up to 20 startups and student teams. Startups get $750K uncapped, and Neo takes participation rights in your next equity round up to 5% ownership; student teams get $40K each. The programme is three months of work in Neo's San Francisco space plus an all-expenses-paid two-week bootcamp in Texas, with more than $450K in Azure, AWS, OpenAI and other credits per startup. Neo lists Cursor, Cognition and Wispr Flow among the startups that went through its programmes or raised seed money from it. Next intake: the page advertises the Winter 2027 residency and says Neo prefers warm intros. Best for: very technical AI founders who want an uncapped cheque.

4. PearX

PearX is the pre-seed programme of Pear VC, with offices in San Francisco and Menlo Park. It invests $500K to $2M per company, tailored to what the company needs, and targets 7% ownership; cohorts have fewer than 25 teams and $4.5M in credits and deals from Microsoft, AWS, OpenAI and others. Its alumni include AI companies such as Vals AI. All teams must relocate to the SF Bay Area for the 12 weeks. Next intake: applications are accepted year-round; the winter cohort runs from January to April and the summer cohort from July to October. Solo founders can apply. Best for: pre-seed founders who want a hands-on lead investor.

5. Conviction Embed

Conviction Embed is run by Conviction, a venture firm built for AI-native companies. It invests $250K on an uncapped, no-discount MFN SAFE and adds $350K in AWS credits, $350K in Azure credits and more than $500K of other compute and inference credits, with classes of 10 to 12 companies. Alumni include Cognition, Physical Intelligence and Pika Labs. Next intake: it invites early applications for its 7th cohort, with a mandatory in-person retreat in San Francisco; the dates on the page carry no year, so confirm them before you plan. Best for: AI-native teams at the very first stage.

6. South Park Commons

South Park Commons (SPC) is a community for technologists before they have an idea, with hubs in San Francisco, New York and Bangalore. Its Member Residency lasts up to six months and costs nothing, with no equity taken. Its Founder Fellowship, for people with a firm idea, offers $1M in total funding and runs as cohorts in spring and fall, and SPC also writes seed cheques of up to $10M. AI companies such as Cognition, Goodfire and Baseten are among its companies. Next intake: applications any time, with cutoffs before each Fellowship cohort. Best for: AI researchers and engineers still choosing what to build.

7. Berkeley SkyDeck

Berkeley SkyDeck is the University of California, Berkeley's accelerator. About 20 startups are selected every six months to receive a $210,000 investment from the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, with a lead advisor, work space in Berkeley and a demo day for more than 900 investors; its Pad-13 incubator is for earlier teams with at least one UC-affiliated founder. It accepts all industries and startups from anywhere in the world. Next intake: Batch 23 runs from November 2, 2026 to April 15, 2027; applications for Batch 24 open in January. Best for: AI teams with a UC link or international founders who want a Bay Area base.

8. StartX (Stanford)

StartX is a founder community for Stanford founders that takes no equity and charges no fees. Its accelerator programme is the entry point, with mentoring, vetted partners and investors, and specialised verticals for AI and for med and biotech. It gives no cash. Next intake: apply for the next cohort on its site. Best for: AI founders with a Stanford affiliation.

Seattle

9. AI House, formerly AI2 Incubator

AI House is the new name of the AI2 Incubator, which rebranded in June 2026. It incubates applied AI companies from day zero and invests up to $600,000 on a SAFE with a $10 million cap, usually starting at $100,000 for a solo founder or $200,000 for a team; its incubation costs 7% in common stock. Founders from across North America can join, but each one spends at least one month in person at AI House in Seattle. Its separate Capital arm invests $100,000 to $1 million, through warm introductions only. Next intake: rolling, no batch dates. Best for: solo founders and domain experts who want a co-builder on an applied AI idea.

New York and the East Coast

10. ERA, Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator

ERA invests $150,000 for 6% on a post-money SAFE, the same amount for every company. It runs two four-month programmes a year, starting in January and June, in person in New York with some remote-friendly programming, and prefers teams with a technical co-founder. Recent alumni news includes AI companies such as Discernis and Pathways. Next intake: the Winter 2027 and Summer 2027 programmes are open. Best for: B2B AI startups selling to New York customers.

11. Betaworks AI Camp

Betaworks Camp is a themed investment and in-residence programme in New York's Meatpacking District, run by an early investor in Hugging Face. Each team gets a guaranteed investment of up to $500K (Betaworks and syndicate partners each invest up to $250K) and 12 weeks in residence, ending in a demo day. Every camp has an AI theme: Betaworks says more than 400 companies applied to its Agent Systems camp, announced in December 2025, and it picked eleven. Next intake: applications for the current AI Camp, Agentic Economy, are closed; spring camps start in March, with applications usually open from December to January. Best for: AI teams that fit the theme of the next camp.

12. Techstars AI Health Baltimore

Techstars invests $220,000 in every company in its three-month accelerators: $20,000 for 5% common stock plus $200,000 on an uncapped MFN SAFE, with no fee. Its current North American programmes include New York City, Boston, Chicago, Boulder and Columbus; the only one built around AI is Techstars AI Health Baltimore, its flagship healthcare accelerator, with Johns Hopkins, CareFirst and MedStar people among its mentors. Next intake: final deadline November 18, 2026; the programme starts on March 8, 2027, and demo day is June 3, 2027. Best for: AI health startups that need hospital and payer pilots.

13. HAX by SOSV (Newark, New Jersey)

HAX is SOSV's hardware programme. Its first investment is $250,000 on a post-money SAFE, it supports founders with up to $550K of pre-seed capital and up to $5M in follow-on financing, and most teams work from its 35,000 sq ft facility in Newark with engineering teams in Shenzhen and Pune. It backs robotics, automation, sensor data and AI in industry, climate and health. Next intake: not published; apply online. Best for: robotics and physical AI startups.

Programmes in several US cities

14. Forum Ventures

Forum Ventures backs pre-seed B2B software companies with $100K for 7.5% on a post-money SAFE, paid on day one of a 16-week programme. Its recent cohorts are labelled B2B AI-first (Winter and Spring 2026), and every company gets a managing director who works with it weekly, so solo founders are welcome. It has offices in Toronto, New York and San Francisco but works with founders remotely. Next intake: pitch through its form at any time; it replies within 2 to 4 weeks. Best for: B2B AI founders who need help with sales and their first customers.

15. Antler US

Antler runs an in-person founder residency of up to three months in New York, San Francisco and Austin for people who want to meet a co-founder and start a company. In the US its initial commitment is typically $500K to $1M plus $650K in partner credits, and it reviews applications year-round; Antler also has a Canadian team. A similar model for researchers is Entrepreneurs First, which pays an equity-free grant while you find a co-founder and invests up to $250,000 in teams that join its 12-week LAUNCH programme in San Francisco. Best for: AI engineers who do not have a co-founder yet.

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Canada

16. NEXT AI (Toronto, Montreal and online)

NEXT AI, run by the non-profit NEXT Canada, is for Canadian companies where AI is core to the business and that are owned mostly by Canadian citizens or permanent residents. It takes no equity and gives no funding; it offers AI and business education from researchers and operators, office space and a network. Teams need a business co-founder and a technical co-founder, each with at least 10% of the shares. Next intake: applications opened October 15, 2026 and close December 9, 2026; the programme runs March to August 2027 in Toronto and March to September 2027 in Montreal or virtually. Best for: Canadian AI teams at pre-seed.

17. Creative Destruction Lab

Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), founded at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, is a non-profit mentoring programme for science and technology startups. It charges no fee and takes no equity. Every eight weeks, founders meet mentors and investors who set measurable objectives, and Artificial Intelligence is one of its streams. In North America it runs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax, Seattle, Texas, Wisconsin and Cleveland. Next intake: applications are open for the 2026/27 programme year. Best for: deep tech AI startups preparing a seed round.

18. Mila Venture Scientist Bootcamp (Montreal)

Venture Scientist Bootcamp is the incubator of Mila Ventures, part of Mila, the Quebec AI institute. It is a full-time, four-month programme in Montreal for deep tech founders with strong STEM backgrounds, with a stipend of $10,000 per founder for up to two founders per team. You do not need a company yet, but you need a prototype, a validated concept or some customer evidence; some teams go on to the Mila Ventures Accelerator. Next intake: apply by November 21, 2026; the next session starts on January 12, 2027, and it accepts applicants from across Canada. Best for: AI researchers who want to become founders.

19. Vector Institute FastLane (Toronto)

FastLane is the Vector Institute's programme for Canadian startups that want to build AI into their product; more than 290 companies have taken part. It is not a cash accelerator: it offers bootcamps, applied AI projects, talent introductions and access to cohort programmes such as Machine Learning Associates, which places one or two ML associates with your team for four months. To qualify, your company must be incorporated and headquartered in Canada, have 1 to 500 employees and a working MVP; pre-revenue companies can join. Best for: Canadian startups that need AI engineering help more than money.

20. ventureLAB Accelerate AI (Markham, Ontario)

Accelerate AI is ventureLAB's six-month programme for Canadian companies building applied AI products that already have an MVP. It takes no equity and gives tailored advisory, investment-readiness support, free access to its Markham innovation space and a partner network that includes Siemens, Tenstorrent and Dell for Startups. Companies from across Canada with fewer than 500 employees can apply. Next intake: not published; applications are reviewed on a rolling basis while the window is open. Best for: Canadian applied AI companies past the prototype.

Big tech programmes (not classic accelerators)

21. Google for Startups Accelerator: United States and Canada

Google for Startups Accelerator runs separate ten-week, hybrid programmes for the United States and Canada, for cohorts of 10 to 15 startups between seed and Series A. They are equity-free and give mentoring from Google teams, early access to Google AI products, product credits and free Cloud TPU access for eligible teams; Google says it prefers deeply technical startups using machine learning and AI. Next intake: both show applications closed, and the Canada page says 2027 dates will be announced; you can register your interest. Best for: AI startups with traction that need technical help, not cash.

22. NVIDIA Inception

NVIDIA Inception is not an accelerator: it has no cohorts, deadlines, cash or demo day. It is a free programme with no application fees, membership fees or equity, offering NVIDIA training, preferred pricing on NVIDIA products, partner credits and investor introductions for eligible members. To join, your company must be incorporated, less than 10 years old, have a working website and a clear use for NVIDIA technology. Best for: every AI startup that trains or runs models on GPUs, alongside a real accelerator.

23. Microsoft for Startups

Microsoft for Startups is a credits programme, not an accelerator: no cohort, no cash, no demo day. It offers AI models, developer tools and up to $150,000 in credits; the old "Founders Hub" name is no longer used. Best for: AI startups building on Azure.

North American AI Accelerators That Closed or Changed

The 2025 version of this article and its shorter versions listed about 40 programmes, many sourced from third-party blogs. Here is what happened to the ones we could trace:

AWS Generative AI Accelerator: AWS announced its third cohort on October 7, 2025: 40 startups, up to $1 million in AWS credits each, eight weeks. Its programme page now returns "not found", and the AWS startups site lists only the AWS Inference Fellowship as an accelerator, so we left it out.
AI2 Incubator: renamed AI House in June 2026 (see above).
Alchemist Accelerator: its FAQ says Alchemist no longer considers itself an accelerator; it is now an early-stage venture firm for enterprise startups.
Google for Startups Cloud AI Accelerator: replaced by the regional Google for Startups Accelerator programmes above, which are closed for now.
Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub: now simply Microsoft for Startups.
Techstars Montreal AI: no longer in Techstars' list of accelerators; Techstars AI Health Baltimore is its AI programme.
Elemental Excelerator: now Elemental Impact, a climate investor, not an AI accelerator.
AngelPad: its site is still online, but its application page returns "not found" and it publishes no intake dates.
AI NexusLab and IBM for Startups: their old official pages no longer exist.
Kaplan New Venture Challenge and CoMotion: university programmes for University of Chicago students and University of Washington researchers, not open AI accelerators.
500 Global: runs a USA Flagship Accelerator in Silicon Valley, but no AI-specific programme.
Left out: AI Innovation Hub, Launchpad for AI and "AI and Machine Learning Accelerator" (no official programme page found); Data Point Capital, Sierra Ventures and The Venture Reality Fund (venture firms, not accelerators); AI21 Labs (an AI company); Plug and Play (no deal terms on its site); Founders Factory and Startupbootcamp (not North American programmes).
Removed: the old "Notable AI Startups to Watch" section, whose 2024 valuations came from third-party blogs, and numbers the programmes' own sites do not confirm.

Which North American AI Accelerator Should You Choose?

You want the biggest cheque and can be in San Francisco: PearX (up to $2M), a16z speedrun (up to $1M), Neo ($750K uncapped) or Y Combinator ($500K).
You can't make the November deadlines: PearX and Antler review applications year-round, AI House is rolling, and speedrun and YC roll late applications into their next batches.
You have no co-founder or idea yet: South Park Commons (free residency), Antler, Entrepreneurs First or AI House co-founder matching.
You are in New York: ERA ($150K for 6%), Betaworks AI Camp, Forum Ventures, Antler and South Park Commons.
You are in Canada: NEXT AI, Creative Destruction Lab, Mila's Venture Scientist Bootcamp, Vector FastLane and ventureLAB Accelerate AI, all without equity.
You build AI for health or hardware: Techstars AI Health Baltimore, HAX in Newark, and CDL's health and compute streams.
You need credits, not an accelerator: NVIDIA Inception and Microsoft for Startups, which you can join at any time.
You are outside North America: see our global guide to accelerators for AI startups and the lists for Europe and Asia.

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How AI Founders in the US and Canada Use Accelerators

Every programme above asks about traction, so prove demand before you apply: our 30-day validation sprint is a quick way to get evidence. Compare offers like an investor: a fixed 7% plus an MFN SAFE is more dilution than it looks, so read our guide to term sheet negotiation and the common pre-seed fundraising mistakes. After demo day you need investors: start with our lists of VCs for AI startups, deep tech VCs in North America, angel investors in North America and angel investors for AI startups. Pitch competitions are a cheaper way to test your story: see the startup competitions in North America. If you are still choosing a base, compare the startup cities in North America and the best countries for AI startups, and see who is building in Chicago and Baltimore. Non-dilutive money can stretch your runway before or after an accelerator: see our grants for early-stage startups.

FAQ About AI Accelerators in North America

What is the best AI accelerator in North America in 2027?

It depends on what you need. For the most cash, PearX, a16z speedrun, Neo and Y Combinator. For an AI-only programme, AI House in Seattle or Conviction Embed. In Canada, NEXT AI, Creative Destruction Lab and Mila's Venture Scientist Bootcamp, which take no equity.

When is the Y Combinator Winter 2027 deadline?

November 2, 2026 at 8pm PT for an on-time application, with decisions by December 11. The batch runs from January to March in San Francisco, and YC still considers later applications.

When does a16z speedrun SR008 close?

On November 1, 2026 at 11:59pm PT. SR008 runs from February 1 to April 16, 2027 in San Francisco; later applications are considered for SR009, which starts in late July 2027.

How much does Y Combinator invest?

$500,000 per company: $125,000 on a post-money SAFE for a fixed 7%, plus $375,000 on an uncapped SAFE with a most favoured nation clause.

Which AI accelerators in Canada take no equity?

NEXT AI, Creative Destruction Lab and ventureLAB Accelerate AI take no equity. Mila's Venture Scientist Bootcamp pays founders a $10,000 stipend each, and the Google for Startups Accelerator: Canada is equity-free but currently closed.

Is NVIDIA Inception an accelerator?

No. It has no cohorts, deadlines, cash or demo day. It is a free programme with training, preferred pricing on NVIDIA products, partner credits and investor introductions for eligible members, and you can join it alongside an accelerator.

What happened to AI2 Incubator?

It rebranded to AI House in June 2026. It still incubates applied AI startups in Seattle, invests up to $600,000 on a SAFE at a $10 million cap and takes applications on a rolling basis.

Is the AWS Generative AI Accelerator still running?

AWS ran its third cohort in 2025 with 40 startups and up to $1 million in credits each. Its programme page no longer loads, and the AWS startups site now lists only the AWS Inference Fellowship as an accelerator.

Can I join an AI accelerator in the US without a co-founder?

Yes. PearX, Forum Ventures and Conviction Embed accept solo founders, AI House starts solo founders at $100,000, and South Park Commons, Antler and Entrepreneurs First help you find a co-founder.

How can I get my AI startup in front of accelerators and investors?

Get covered where programme managers, investors and AI assistants look: you can publish a guest post in the Fe/male Switch startup blogs. Get featured and earn a backlink.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.

Violetta Bonenkamp

2026-10-30 01:52 Top 25