Curated list of startup incubators and accelerators from Boston and guides to their programs
Boston’s ecosystem is shaped heavily by MIT, Harvard, and other research institutions. This creates a culture where innovation is rooted in science, engineering, and long-term thinking. Many local accelerator and incubator programs focus on advanced fields such as biotechnology, robotics, energy, medtech, and clean technology. Instead of just offering coworking space, these programs often give founders access to labs, prototyping tools, and R&D mentorship.
Intel Ignite is a global startup accelerator for early-stage deep tech companies, supporting founders working at the forefront of innovation. Launched in 2019, the program has helped 216 startups across Europe, Israel, the UK, and the United States. Unlike many accelerators, Intel Ignite takes no equity, allowing founders to retain full ownership while still accessing world-class resources.
The program focuses on breakthrough technologies such as AI, machine learning, advanced computing, and other deep tech fields. Startups receive hands-on support to refine product-market fit, strengthen technical strategy, and accelerate development. Participants also gain access to Intel’s extensive network of mentors, experts, and investors—positioning them to scale faster and build category-defining technologies.
The Social Innovation Forum is a Boston-based accelerator that supports the launch and growth of high-impact nonprofit organizations. The program provides tailored mentorship, strategic guidance, and visibility within the region’s philanthropic community, helping nonprofits connect with key funders and donors across Greater Boston.
Founded in 2015, the Social Innovation Forum has helped numerous mission-driven organizations gain traction and expand their impact. Its alumni include Boston CASA, Adaptive Sports New England, and African Community Education (ACE). The program equips emerging nonprofits with the resources, relationships, and support needed to drive meaningful social change.
Richi Entrepreneurs is a Boston-based startup accelerator hosted by the Richi Childhood Cancer Foundation, focused on supporting high-impact startups in biotech, medtech, and digital health. The program helps founders working on breakthrough healthcare solutions gain access to resources, expert networks, and opportunities to validate and scale their innovations.
Since its inception, Richi Entrepreneurs has supported 82 companies from 13 countries, including standout startups such as Humine Labs, Cori, and YouthBio Therapeutics. The accelerator is designed to help mission-driven health innovators make measurable progress toward improving patient outcomes and advancing global health.
Prepare 4 VC is a Boston-based organization that provides a wide range of resources and support services for startup founders, including a comprehensive 12-week accelerator program. The accelerator helps entrepreneurs strengthen their business fundamentals, refine strategy, and prepare effectively for investor conversations through structured curriculum and expert guidance.
Founded in 2016 by Jason Krauss, Prepare 4 VC has supported and invested in numerous emerging startups, including ArtSmiley, Baru, and XENA Intelligence. The program equips founders with the knowledge, mentorship, and tools they need to build traction and confidently navigate the fundraising process.
SSC Venture Partners is an exclusive startup accelerator for Boston College alumni, students, and employees. The program supports eligible founders with access to funding opportunities, a strong mentor network, and hands-on training designed to accelerate early-stage growth.
Founded in 2017, SSC Venture Partners has backed a range of promising startups, including Aryeo, Darkroom, and Petfolk. The accelerator helps BC-affiliated entrepreneurs refine their strategy, strengthen their business fundamentals, and build the momentum needed to grow successful companies.
AcceliCITY is a global startup accelerator dedicated to helping founders tackle the most pressing challenges of urban living. The program supports startups developing innovative smart city solutions, offering funding opportunities, hands-on mentorship, and access to a powerful international network of city leaders, industry experts, and investors.
Since its launch in 2018, AcceliCITY has helped participating companies raise more than $675 million. Its portfolio includes forward-thinking innovators such as Carbon Upcycling Technologies, Bioo, and Hah Parking.
AcceliCITY empowers startups building the future of sustainable, efficient, and resilient cities—helping them scale solutions that improve urban life around the world.
Startup Leadership Program (SLP) is a global accelerator network operating in 28 cities across 14 countries, including a prominent program in Boston. Industry-agnostic and highly selective, SLP accepts only 20%–30% of applicants, offering founders access to world-class mentorship, leadership development, and opportunities for funding.
Founded in Boston in 2006, the program has helped its participants raise more than $2.4 billion in startup funding. Its diverse portfolio includes companies such as 10BioSystems, Startup Pilots, and 1Minute.
SLP focuses on developing strong, resilient founders and provides a powerful global community that supports entrepreneurs long after the program ends.
ACCELR8 is a startup accelerator dedicated to supporting companies developing solutions to the global climate crisis. Rooted in the belief that strong financial performance and meaningful social impact can—and should—coexist, ACCELR8 backs startups that are both economically promising and environmentally transformative.
Founded in 1982 by Dwight Poler and Louis J. Kang, the fund has built a long history of supporting breakthrough climate innovators. Its portfolio includes companies such as Beta Hatch, Brimstone, and Boston Materials, each working on technologies that push sustainability forward.
ACCELR8 provides mission-aligned founders with capital, guidance, and long-term support to scale climate solutions that make a real difference.
CARB-X is a global accelerator dedicated to advancing new solutions to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The program supports companies developing novel antibiotics, diagnostics, vaccines, and other technologies aimed at fighting drug-resistant infections—one of the world’s most urgent public health challenges.
Through substantial funding opportunities, expert mentorship, and access to specialized resources, CARB-X helps early-stage innovators accelerate the development of breakthrough treatments and technologies.
Since its launch in 2016, CARB-X has invested $396 million into pioneering antimicrobial projects, backing companies such as HelixBind, Proteus, and T2 Biosystems. The program continues to play a central role in strengthening the global pipeline of solutions targeting antibiotic resistance.
LearnLaunch Accelerator is a Boston-based program dedicated to supporting education and workforce development startups. Its 11-week accelerator blends one to two weeks of in-person programming with remote sessions, giving founders flexibility while still offering meaningful face-to-face engagement.
Accepted startups receive personalized guidance, intensive 1:1 mentorship, and up to $150,000 in initial funding to help them refine their product, strengthen their go-to-market strategy, and accelerate early traction.
Since its founding in 2012, LearnLaunch Accelerator has helped its portfolio companies raise more than $250 million. Notable alumni include Julius, MindPrint Learning, and others shaping the future of education and skills training.
LearnLaunch provides the structure, capital, and expert support early edtech founders need to grow with confidence.
Xontogeny is a Boston-based accelerator dedicated to advancing early-stage healthcare and life science startups. The program provides founders with comprehensive operational support, access to funding pathways, hands-on mentorship, and connections to Xontogeny’s extensive network of industry talent.
Since its launch in 2016, Xontogeny has deployed over $15 million in funding to help emerging biotech and health ventures progress from concept to clinical or commercial milestones. Its portfolio includes a growing list of innovative companies developing breakthrough therapies and technologies across the life sciences sector.
Xontogeny gives founders the scientific, strategic, and operational backing they need to build high-impact healthcare solutions.
FinTech Sandbox is a six-month accelerator built specifically for fintech startups, providing founders with the tools and data infrastructure they need to innovate and scale. Participants gain access to mentorship, funding opportunities, and—most notably—free data feeds and APIs from FinTech Sandbox’s industry-leading data partners, removing a major barrier for early-stage fintech builders.
Founded in 2014, FinTech Sandbox has supported 118 startups, including standout companies such as 42 Interactive, Alpha Exchange, and EverSafe. The program empowers founders to experiment, prototype, and refine financial technologies in a resource-rich environment designed for rapid progress.
Since 2009, MassChallenge has supported more than 3,000 startups, with portfolio companies like Ginkgo Bioworks, Ginger, and Thinx.
MassChallenge is unique because it doesn’t take equity. Instead, they run zero-equity programs with a competition-based model, where founders and alumni compete for cash prizes.
To apply, you create a founder profile on their website and submit an application. Each application is reviewed by members of MassChallenge’s international judging community. At least three judges will evaluate your submission, and you’ll receive personalized feedback from all of them.
If you advance, you’ll be invited to an interview where you pitch to a panel of judges from various industries. You’ll receive detailed feedback on your pitch, whether you are accepted or not.
The program is virtual and runs for three months, with curriculum sessions three days a week. These include live talks, workshops, themed roundtables, and events focused on three core areas:
Goal setting
Access to curated mentors
Peer support and collaboration
You’ll also take part in virtual networking sessions, social events, office hours, and an additional month of extended opportunities.
The program concludes with a Demo Day, giving you the chance to present your startup to investors and industry leaders.
Next on the list is Techstars, which has backed more than 3,500 startups, including well-known names like Uber, Twilio, and DigitalOcean.
Techstars invests up to $120,000 in each company. This includes $20,000 upfront plus the right to purchase 6% of your fully diluted shares at your next qualified financing round (typically when you raise $250,000+). The 6% common stock is issued right before that financing event. Full investment terms are available on the Techstars website.
You apply through an online form, which usually takes 2–5 hours to complete. Many founders speak with Techstars mentors beforehand to make sure their application communicates their startup clearly and effectively.
If your application makes it through the initial review, you’ll receive an invitation to a two-round interview, usually within four weeks. Common interview questions include:
If I gave you $200K to hire people, who would you hire?
Who are your target customers?
What outcome are you hoping to achieve by joining Techstars?
What are your most important leading indicators or KPIs this week?
How did you validate this market, and how big is the opportunity?
If you pass the interview rounds, you’ll meet with the Techstars screening committee, which includes the managing director, program manager, mentors, and corporate partners. Clear that stage, and you officially join the three-month Techstars program.
Month 1 is all about building your network. You’ll meet around 100 mentors from the Techstars ecosystem—experts across product, marketing, leadership, hiring, fundraising, and more.
Month 2 is about execution. You’ll use what you learned to push your startup forward: building product milestones, hitting KPIs, onboarding early users, or sharpening your business model.
Month 3 focuses on storytelling and fundraising. You’ll polish your pitch deck, develop investor materials, and practice communicating your vision to customers, investors, and future team members. The month ends with Demo Day.
After the program, Techstars continues supporting founders through its alumni network and ongoing mentorship.
Building a startup in Boston is exciting, fast-paced, and full of opportunities — but it helps to understand how the city works. Boston’s entrepreneurial scene is shaped by world-class universities, deep-tech culture, and a community that loves collaboration. Here are a few tips that can make your founder journey smoother, more productive, and a lot more enjoyable.
Tap Into the University Ecosystem
MIT, Harvard, Northeastern, Tufts, BU — they’re not just campuses, they’re powerful startup engines. Attend public lectures, demo days, hackathons, and pitch nights. Many events are open to outsiders, and they’re some of the best places to meet co-founders, interns, and early technical talent.
Boston’s innovation world is geographically concentrated.
– Kendall Square (Cambridge): biotech, robotics, deep tech, investors everywhere.
– Seaport District: fast-growing tech companies and modern coworking spaces.
– Back Bay & Downtown: finance, SaaS, marketing talent.
Working close to your industry can open unexpected doors.
Boston’s ecosystem runs on connections. Venture Café (Thursday nights), CIC events, MassChallenge meetups, university startup gatherings — these are ideal for introducing yourself, finding collaborators, and learning what others are building. Show up regularly and you’ll quickly become part of the community.
Boston is built for founders working in AI, robotics, life sciences, climate tech, and advanced engineering. If your startup fits any of these categories, you’ll find mentors, labs, researchers, and investors who truly understand the technical side of your work. Lean into that — it’s one of the biggest advantages of being here.
Boston VCs often prefer building long-term relationships over quick pitches. Meet them at office hours, campus events, and accelerator gatherings. Get on their radar early, even before you need funding. Boston investors appreciate preparation, data, and thoughtfulness.
Boston winters hit hard. Plan your office commutes, shipping timelines, and event travel with the weather in mind. Many founders joke that winter builds resilience — and honestly, they’re not wrong.
Startup life is intense. One of Boston’s strengths is its sense of community. Connect with other founders, join coworking spaces, attend founder dinners, or join accelerator alumni networks. These relationships can help you stay motivated through the highs and lows.
Boston has a reputation for being smart and serious — but it’s also full of parks, waterfront trails, music venues, and cozy cafés where you can recharge. A walk along the Charles River or a quick escape to Cambridge or Brookline can help clear your head when the pressure builds.
One of the biggest strengths of Boston’s startup ecosystem is how openly founders and C-level leaders share their knowledge. Instead of keeping insights behind closed doors, experienced entrepreneurs often return to local accelerators and incubators to mentor new teams, teach workshops, or simply share stories from their own journey. This creates a cycle of learning where every generation of founders helps the next one grow stronger.
In programs like MassChallenge, Techstars Boston, and MIT delta-v, it’s common to see CEOs, CTOs, and founders of Boston-born startups running office hours or participating in fireside chats. These sessions give early-stage teams the chance to learn directly from people who have raised funding, scaled products, and gone through the ups and downs of growing a company in the Boston environment.
For example, alumni of Greentown Labs—often leaders of climatetech or robotics startups—frequently come back to guide new founders on everything from prototyping hardware to navigating early contracts with corporate partners. A startup working on a new energy sensor might get hands-on advice from a CTO who previously built and deployed a similar device globally. These real-world insights are incredibly valuable, shortening learning curves that would otherwise take months or years to overcome.
This culture of knowledge exchange is one of the reasons Boston’s accelerator and incubator network feels more like a community than a competition. Leaders share what they know not because they have to, but because they recognize that supporting new founders strengthens the entire ecosystem. When a CTO gives debugging tips, or a CEO walks a team through their first investor negotiation, they’re passing forward experience that can reshape someone’s entire startup trajectory.
In Boston, joining an accelerator or incubator doesn’t just give you mentorship — it gives you access to a living knowledge network built by founders who genuinely want to help the next wave succeed.
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Boston’s startup accelerators play a central role in shaping the city’s innovation culture by consistently organizing events, gatherings, and community activities that bring founders together. These programs don’t operate in isolation—they act as engines of the entire ecosystem, hosting conferences, workshops, networking nights, and industry-specific meetups that keep the community connected and thriving.
Accelerators like Techstars Boston, MassChallenge, MIT delta-v, and Harvard Innovation Labs regularly host public and invite-only events that attract founders, investors, researchers, and corporate partners. Their calendars are filled with pitch sessions, founder breakfasts, fireside chats, and demo showcases that give local entrepreneurs a platform to share their work and learn from others.
These events help maintain Boston’s reputation as a city where innovation is always in motion. For example, MassChallenge frequently organizes startup exhibitions and sector-focused gatherings that draw leaders from across the country. MIT-linked programs bring together world-class researchers and deep-tech founders for discussions that blend scientific discovery with entrepreneurship. Even smaller community accelerators host recurring meetups that become popular gathering points for early-stage teams.
This consistent presence makes accelerators more than just training programs—they become the heartbeat of the ecosystem. Their events create a space for collaboration, spark new partnerships, and offer countless opportunities to meet the people shaping Boston’s future industries. By investing time and energy into community-building, Boston accelerators ensure that founders never have to build alone and always have access to a vibrant, supportive network.
A major strength of Boston’s startup incubators is their ability to connect founders with the people who truly matter for their specific stage and industry. Instead of founders wasting time at random events or chasing cold introductions, incubators act as trusted matchmakers — opening doors to the right mentors, experts, and partners who can accelerate a company’s progress.
Boston’s incubators like Greentown Labs, MIT delta-v, Techstars, and Harvard Innovation Labs curate networks based on real needs. If a founder is working on a medical device, the incubator introduces them to clinicians, FDA advisors, or CEOs who’ve taken similar products to market. If a startup is building in AI or robotics, they’re connected to engineers, research teams, or local investors who understand the technical landscape. These introductions are intentional, warm, and based on compatibility — not chance.
Founders also get access to structured networking formats that incubators organize:
– mentor matching sessions
– investor office hours
– partner roundtables
– industry-specific meetups
– alumni connection events
These aren’t casual mixers. They’re focused environments where founders speak directly to people who can help with decision-making, fundraising, pilot programs, or early sales.
Many incubators also help founders avoid the common trap of networking widely instead of strategically. They guide startups to build relationships that actually matter — potential advisors, hiring candidates, technical collaborators, or investors who specialize in their sector. That guidance saves time and prevents founders from chasing the wrong opportunities.
After graduation, the networking power continues. Alumni groups, Slack channels, and private events help founders stay connected to new opportunities, mentors, and partnerships long after the program ends. For many startups, a single well-timed introduction from their incubator can lead to a key investor meeting, a pilot with a major company, or an advisor who becomes crucial to their growth.
In Boston’s ecosystem, incubators don’t just help founders “network.” They help founders connect with the right people — the ones who can change the entire trajectory of their startup.
Startups that pass through Boston’s incubators and accelerators have a strong track record of attracting significant investment. The city’s programs act as launchpads, helping founders refine their product, validate their market, and build the relationships that lead directly to funding. As a result, many companies graduating from Boston’s ecosystem go on to raise seed, Series A, and even large venture rounds from top-tier investors.
Well-known accelerators such as Techstars Boston, MassChallenge, and MIT delta-v have collectively produced companies that have raised billions in venture capital. Investors know that startups graduating from these programs have been vetted, coached, and supported by experts who understand what it takes to build scalable businesses. This makes alumni especially attractive to angels, institutional VCs, and corporate venture arms.
Deep-tech and science-driven incubators like Greentown Labs, MassRobotics, and The Engine have helped launch companies that secure major investments from climate funds, robotics-focused VCs, Fortune 500 partners, and government innovation programs. Their alumni frequently raise large rounds because they operate in high-impact fields such as energy, robotics, biotech, and advanced materials — sectors where Boston is uniquely strong.
Many founders say the investment momentum starts even during the program. Demo days, investor nights, partner showcases, and warm introductions often lead directly to term sheets. For example, it’s common for MIT-linked startups to meet their first institutional investor through an event or mentor connection inside the program. Others secure corporate pilots or strategic partnerships that later turn into multi-million-dollar investments.
This consistent pattern of post-program funding shows how powerful Boston’s ecosystem is at turning early ideas into investment-ready companies. Startups don’t just leave with a prototype — they leave with relationships, credibility, and visibility that open the doors to real capital.
Boston’s incubators don’t just help founders build products — they play a major role in getting those products noticed. Once startups graduate, many incubators continue to promote their alumni across events, newsletters, partnerships, and press opportunities. This ongoing visibility gives early-stage teams a powerful boost, especially in a city where investors, researchers, and industry leaders are constantly searching for the next big breakthrough.
Programs like Greentown Labs, MassChallenge, and MIT delta-v frequently highlight alumni success stories on their websites, social media channels, and annual reports. These features often reach thousands of people across Boston’s innovation community, helping alumni attract investors, partners, and early customers. It’s not unusual for a founder to secure new relationships simply because their incubator mentioned their latest milestone in a newsletter.
Boston incubators also create opportunities for alumni to showcase their work at high-profile events. For example, Greentown Labs hosts regular “member showcases” where alumni present prototypes to corporate partners in energy, robotics, and sustainability. MIT’s ecosystem organizes demo days and pitch nights that bring VCs and tech journalists into the room. These events help alumni stay on the radar long after their program ends.
Another powerful marketing tool is the network effect. When an incubator’s alumni achieve big wins — funding rounds, partnerships, scientific breakthroughs — the entire community amplifies that news. Other founders, mentors, and investors share updates across LinkedIn, tech forums, and industry groups. This informal amplification can be just as valuable as official marketing support.
In Boston, an incubator isn’t just a place where you start your project — it’s a launchpad that continues to promote your work as you grow. By raising visibility, creating storytelling opportunities, and keeping alumni connected to the broader ecosystem, Boston’s incubators help founders stay relevant and discoverable long after graduation.
Explore Boston's vibrant startup and business community.
Explore Cambridge's vibrant startup and business community.