Game Accelerator Program

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Eachaccelerator features a cohort of 10-15 top startups that come together to tackle specific technical challenges that can help grow their businesses through a mix of remote and in-person, 1-to-1, group learning sessions, and sprint projects.

In addition to mentorship and technical project support, Google for Startups Accelerators include deep dives and workshops focused on product design, customer acquisition, and leadership development for founders.

We gained deep product insights from the mentors. Leaders Lab & OKRs guided our management team through alignment issues that we had yet to address, and Design Sprints gave us a practical tool to learn from users early in the process.

Overly wordy or buzzword-filled applications will get passed over for a lack of clarity. Keep your application focused and easy to follow. A succinct application can help you move on to the accelerator investment board and give you another opportunity to demonstrate you have a viable product and a team that can make your pitch a reality.

A startup accelerator can be a big distraction. You know that creating a company in any sector is an around-the-clock endeavor. Committing to an accelerator can rob you of time that could be spent building product, hiring key staff and closing sales.

All businesses need capital to survive, and there are other ways to secure the funding you need without an accelerator. In any scenario, fundraising requires a serious time commitment. But with a precise pitch deck and a strategy that targets investors most likely to be interested in your project, you can achieve success.

All non-SVB named companies are independent third parties and are not affiliated with SVB Financial Group.

The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views of SVB Financial Group, or Silicon Valley Bank, or any of its affiliates. This material, including without limitation the statistical information herein, is provided for informational purposes only. The material is based in part upon information from third-party sources that we believe to be reliable, but which has not been independently verified by us and, as such, we do not represent that the information is accurate or complete. You should obtain relevant and specific professional advice before making any investment or other decision. Silicon Valley Bank is not responsible for any cost, claim or loss associated with your use of this material.

National-scale societal challenges cannot be solved by a single discipline. Instead, these challenges require convergence: the merging of innovative ideas, approaches, and technologies from a wide and diverse range of sectors and expertise.

Launched in 2019, the NSF Convergence Accelerator builds upon basic research and discovery to accelerate solutions toward societal impact. The program funds teams to solve societal challenges through convergence research and innovation. To enhance its impact, the Accelerator also places teams together in cohorts, synergizing their work through facilitated collaboration.

The Convergence Accelerator's unique program structure offers researchers and innovators the opportunity to accelerate their research toward tangible solutions that make a difference. Through an intense and hands-on journey, researchers gain skills and experiences that are applied during the program and throughout one's career.

Funded teams are composed of diverse disciplines, expertise, and organizations. Teams merge ideas and share approaches and techniques to speed use-inspired solutions toward real-world application. Teams have no size limits and are expected to evolve as a project advances.

The innovation curriculum provides teams the tools to move from idea to proof of concept, to prototype and then solution. Researchers gain knowledge in human-centered design, team science, communication, and storytelling and pitching.

There are several opportunities for researchers, innovators, and business and technical practitioners from academia, industry, nonprofits, government and other organizations to engage with the Convergence Accelerator. Industry, nonprofit, government, and international collaborations are welcomed, but the collaborations must follow the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

Further an idea through a workshop: NSF funds workshops on promising ideas submitted during the ideation process. Workshops are held to further develop an idea, incorporating convergence research and various disciplines and expertise. NSF promotes the workshops to allow researchers and innovators to engage in workshop dialogues. If an idea that you submitted during the ideation process is chosen by NSF, the program may ask you to lead the development of a workshop on that topic.

Be a reviewer: Provide your expertise to assist NSF in funding the best research ideas and solutions. If you are interested in serving as a reviewer for future proposals or site visits, please fill out the Convergence Accelerator reviewer form.

Startup accelerators are programs typically geared toward seed and early-stage startups. Members of a startup accelerator program gain services for every stage of company ownership, from launch to scale, and accelerators usually offer mentorship and access to investment opportunities.

Startups looking for more than just funding, meet Techstars. Members of this accelerator can expect access to capital, mentorship, and more. Techstars also hosts Startup Week and Startup Weekend, two impactful events for the startup community to accelerate their companies quickly.

With a combination of different funding opportunities, 500 Global, the venture capital firm specializing in early- and seed-stage startup acceleration, has a lot to offer startups of varying sizes. Their success stories include Credit Karma and Udemy, with the accelerator funding startups in 60 countries worldwide.

Plug and Play is a startup accelerator program designed for technology companies. Startups that are accepted into Plug and Play Tech Center can look forward to a 12-week program intended to spur innovation and connect exciting tech startups with blue-chip corporations. Since being founded in 2006, Plug and Play has raised over $9 billion for its portfolio of companies and boasts over 300 VC investors in its ecosystem.

An accelerator built for early-stage and seed-stage companies, EFL provides the founders with valuable mentorship from experts, including successful entrepreneurs, investors, and scientists. EFL is a completely free program and does not take equity from startups that participate in the accelerator program.

Based out of New York, Dreamit Ventures is a venture fund focused on startups that already have a pilot or existing revenue and are ready to scale. They have a range of investments in the healthtech and securetech sectors. The startup accelerator offers its portfolio companies access to a wide range of resources, including pilot programs, customer acquisition assistance, and business development support. Its portfolio consists of over 350 startups since 2008, including Allevi, Eko, and Agathos.

Founders Factory aims to help entrepreneurs build and grow successful startups across various industries and locations around the world. They provide access to a vibrant community and a network of top-tier corporate partners, all aimed at making a significant impact in the startup ecosystem.

MassChallenge is named after the intention of the organization: to develop solutions for massive challenges by leveraging the power of new, innovative startups. With nine accelerator programs globally, MassChallenge offers a global network for startup support specializing in Fintech, Healthtech, and Sustainability.

Startupbootcamp offers both accelerator and scale programs to support startups at every stage. With industry-focused programs offered globally, startups across the world can find the support systems they need to launch and grow their businesses.

Amplify.LA is based out of Los Angeles and focuses on the earliest seed startups. With this focus, they are able to hand-hold startups from the moment they receive their first check to the moment they exit. The close relationship the accelerator is able to build with its startups helps to establish more of a family bond than a financial investment.

The SOSV has lots of experience investing in multi-stage startups and even has enough raised capital to invest in 150 companies every single year. They are a global venture fund that has over 1,000 companies in its portfolio. There are over 1,000 mentors worldwide and about $1.5 billion in assets under management.

Union Kitchen is an accelerator program geared specifically towards food and beverage startups to help these companies bring new products to market while providing tools to develop a scalable business model. The program is separated into four stages: launch, product market fit, growth, and scale.

Lair East Labs is based in New York and has been recognized as one of the top 100 startup accelerators by Crunchbase. The focus is heavily on startups that include an international mindset and looks to disrupt the global market with innovative solutions. They offer their startups a $150,000 investment to start.

Based in London, England, Seedcamp likes to invest in early-stage startups, often becoming one of their first investors. They focus more on startups that have global ambition and use tech to become successful. They have invested in over 400 companies that have disrupted industries, including nine European unicorns.

The government of Chile created Startup Chile to attract foreign entrepreneurs and investors to the country in an effort to create jobs and generate economic growth. They have had over 11,000 applications from 133 countries and have invested $40 million in over 800 startups.

Wayra claims to be the most global, connected, and tech-driven innovation project in the world. They focus on digital startups and have a presence in over 14 countries. They have had over 1000 startup applications per year and invest $50,000 in each company they choose. They are active in nine different countries and have over 400 active startups.

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