Top 18 Startup Accelerators in Europe You Should Know (2023)

Are you looking for capital and/or mentorship for your startup? Startup accelerators in Europe are a great place to start. Beyond funding, they also offer entrepreneurs and founders incredible valuable support for product development, sales and marketing.

Whether you are looking for a startup competition free money prize or a place to find a co-founder and get the seed money you need to get started, accelerators and incubators are your best pick.

In this article we have listed out the top 18 startup accelerators in Europe. So, if you haven’t yet started to apply, here is a good place to start learning about them. Let’s dive in!

Top 18 Startup Accelerators In Europe

Here’s a summary table of the top 18 startup accelerators in Europe (in alphabetical order):

Name	# startups (to date)	Program length	Investment size
Accelerace	800+	5 months	up to DKK 500,000
Antler	150+	6 months	€100,000
APX	100+	–	up to €500,000
Bethnal Green Ventures	140+	4 months	£30,000
Entrepreneur First	500+	6 months	$100,000
EWOR	–	6-10 months	up to €150,000
Founders Factory	200+	6 months	£30,000
High Tech XL	40+	9 months	None
Kickstart	270+	2 months	CHF 10,000
Lisbon Challenge	210+	4 months	€100,000
Maria 01	170	–	–
NDRC	50+	6 months	€100,000
SeedRocket	90+	6 months	up to €500,000
Startupbootcamp	100+	3 months	€15,000
Station F	1,000+	3 months*	None*
Startup Lab	100+	3 months	NOK 3,000,000
Sting	330+	4 months	SEK 500,000
Techstars	2,500+ (globally)	3 months	up to $120,000

* Station F isn’t an accelerator per se. Instead, it is Europe’s largest startup hub with coworking space, events, and selected partners accelerators (Microsoft, Facebook, etc.). Startups need to commit at least 3 months.

Accelerace

Accelerace is one of the top accelerators in the Nordics. Since their inception in 2015, they have supported more than 800+ startups via its pre-accelerator and accelerator programs.

Its accelerator program runs yearly over a 5-month period. Also, it is equity free, meaning the program doesn’t provide any equity in return for ownership.

Instead, startup that need funding may get some from its VC fund that focuses only on pre-seed startups and makes on average 30 investment per year with up to DKK 500,000.

• Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
• Investment size: up to DKK 500,000 (through their VC fund)
• Program length: 5 months
• Apply here

Antler

With multiple locations across the globe, Antler is one of the largest startup accelerator worldwide. In Europe, Antler has programs in London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Oslo and Stockholm.

The accelerator typically invest to €100,000 in return for 10% equity as well as a monthly allowance for founders (€2,500 or equivalent).

• Location: London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Oslo and Stockholm
• Investment size: €100,000 (or equivalent) for 10% equity
• Program length: 6 months
• Apply here

APX

Based in Berlin and backed by Axel Springer and Porsche, APX is a “very” early startup accelerator.

Since their inception in 2018, APX supported 100+ startups across 20+ industries and 20+ countries.

APX supports pre-seed startups, often as their first investor. Yet, APX doesn’t run a fixed-term program. Instead it invests up to €500,000 through multiple rounds, along startups’ growth journey.

Also they provide an unparalleled network of 10,000+ mentors, experts and investors to startups.

• Location: Berlin, Germany
• Investment size: up to €500,000
• Program length: N/A
• Apply here

Bethnal Green Ventures

Bethnal Green ventures is a early-stage incubator and VC fund based in London. They invest in ambitious founders using technology to tackle big social and environmental problems that aim to radically improve millions of lives.

Since their inception, BGV funded 141 startups for a total of £98 million.

• Location: London, UK
• Investment size: £30,000 investment in return for 6% equity
• Program length: 12 weeks
• Apply here

Entrepreneur First

Entrepreneur First is a leading incubator with multiple programs across Europe. The incubator recruits entrepreneurs who can test their idea (if they have one), but also find their co-founder and raise capital.

The incubator was founded in London but it also has offices and separate programs around the world: Paris, Bangalore, Singapore, Berlin and Toronto.

Since its inception in 2011, Entrepreneur First has supported 3,000+ entrepreneurs and 500+ startups. Their program is also selective: only 10% of applicants are successful.

If successful, entrepreneurs can raise up to the equivalent of $100,000 for a 10% equity share. The founders also get a $2,500 equivalent monthly allowance during their 6-months program.

• Location: Paris, London, Berlin
• Investment size: $100,000 for 10% equity
• Program length: 6 months
• Apply here

EWOR

The first of its kind, EWOR combines an entrepreneurship academy with an early-stage VC firm to help entrepreneurial people build impactful tech companies.

EWOR was built by founders for founders. They cut the fluff and provide venture capital, a network of unicorn founders, and high quality entrepreneurship education.

EWOR’s leadership team has successfully built and sold fast-growing tech companies – including a €500 million exit – and so has their hand-picked network of unicorn founders, investors, and world-class mentors. With this strong presence in the start-up scene, successful lecturers, and the EWOR Talent Investors Vehicle, the EWOR Pre-Idea and Post-Idea Fellowships help entrepreneurial talents succeed through first-hand experience.

EWOR invest in selected start-ups €75,000 to €150,000. For the post-idea Fellowshop EWOR takes no tuition fee. For the pre-idea Fellowship EWOR takes 3% equity in companies that talents build or scale after completing the programme.

• Location: Remote
• Investment size: €75,000 – €150,000
• Program length: 6 months / 10 months (post-idea / pre-idea fellowship)
• Apply here

Founders Factory

Founders Factory is both an incubator (or venture studio as they call it) and a startup accelerator.

Through their 6-month accelerator program, startups receive bespoke support from a team of 100+ experts across growth, product, PR, engineering and fundraising.

The accelerator also boasts from its network of high-profile partner companies that support business-specific accelerators. A few examples are the retail accelerator (sponsored by M&S), the Fintech accelerator (L’Oreal), Travel (EasyJet), etc.

• Location: London, UK
• Investment size: £30,000 for 4-7% equity
• Program length: 6 months
• Apply here

High Tech XL

Located in the High Tech Campus in Amsterdam, High Tech XL is a startup accelerator which is now fully online. It also has another office in Shanghai through their partner XNode.

Founded in 2015, the accelerator says 60%+ of the startups they’ve welcomed as part of their accelerator program have survived until today. More importantly, they switched in 2018 to a deep tech focus, partnering with institutes such as the CERN, TNO or Philips.

Their 9-month program is peculiar. Indeed, they select idea-level startups at their “Fasttrackathon” where engineers, physicists, business professionals and other entrepreneurs come to pitch their business idea.

Therefore, High Tech XL is a very intense incubator and accelerator program where it helps startups build MVP and teams from the ground up.

• Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Investment size: N/A (the accelerator does not invest directly)
• Program length: 9 months
• Apply here

Kickstart

Kickstart’s is arguably Switzerland’s largest startup accelerator.

Since its inception in 2015, Kickstart helped 270+ startups across 40+ countries raised more than CHF 1,500 million.

The accelerator focuses on a number of industries to deliver the most tailored mentorship and expertise to startups. The industries are: Edtech, Fintech, Healthtech, Food tech, Circular economy and Smart city.

Kickstart focuses mostly on later stage startups that are ready to partner with key partners and companies to commercialize their product(s). As such, it isn’t an incubator nor a pre-seed accelerator program.

Beyond mentorship, Kickstart offers startups an unparalleled network of VCs and partner companies and offers a CHF 10,000 allowance to cover for business expenses during the program.

• Location: Zurich, Switzerland
• Investment size: CHF 10,000 allowance
• Program length: 2 months
• Apply here

Lisbon Challenge

Lisbon Challenge is Portugal’s flagship startup accelerator focused on tech software startups.

With a 4-month program aimed at startups still developing their MVP, it offers startups resources and mentorship along with some equity.

They require startups to have at least started working on their MVP (so no idea phase), have a global market potential and 2 founders minimum with at least one technical founder.

Successful applicants get a €15,000 investment in return for an attractive 2% equity. Also, companies that successfully complete their program get another €55,000 for another 5% equity.

• Location: Lisbon, Portugal
• Investment size: €70,000 (for 7% equity)
• Program length: 4 months
• Apply here

Maria 01

Similar to France’s Station F, Maria 01 is more of a startup campus than a selective accelerator.

With more than 170 startups, 1,300 founders across 20,000 m2 in the heart of Helsinki, Maria 01 offers startups a unique co-working space but not only. They organize events where companies, VCs and startup can meet and work together.

• Location: Helsinki (Finland)
• Investment size: N/A
• Program length: N/A
• Apply here

NDRC

NDRC is a Dublin-based startup accelerator that offers startup up to €100,000 in investment as well as support and mentorship from their network of 40+ entrepreneurs in residence.

Each year, NDRC accepts 13 startups in average for its 6-month accelerator program.

On top of the program and mentorship, NDRC also offers startups with 12 months of free office space and a network of 50+ coworking spaces across the globe.

• Location: Dublin, Ireland
• Investment size: up to €100,000
• Program length: 6 months
• Apply here

SeedRocket

SeedRocket is one of Spain’s key startup accelerator.

They accept startups with at least a MVP, some early traction and in search of investment by business angels.

Unlike most accelerators, SeedRocket doesn’t invest itself in the startups it accepts within its program. Instead, it connects startups with business angels that may invest later on. Since their inception, SeedRocket has helped 90+ startups.

It also connect successful startups with their in-house VC fund, SeedRocket 4Founders Capital. Founded in 2017, the fund invests anywhere from €50,000 to €500,000.

• Location: Barcelona and Madrid, Spain
• Investment size: up to €500,000
• Program length: 3 months
• Apply here

Station F

Station F is France’s largest startup accelerator. Founded in 2017 it is far more than a simple accelerator. Instead, Station F is a unique campus with more than 1,000 startups, 30+ programs and 600+ workshops and events per year.

Yet, unlike most accelerator programs, Station F doesn’t invest directly in the startups themselves. The startups instead join a campus where they can enjoy many perks, and join the program of key partners such as Facebook, Microsoft, Zendesk, etc.

• Location: Paris, France
• Investment size: N/A
• Program length: N/A (startups need to stay at least 3 months)
• Apply here

Startupbootcamp

Founded in 2010 in Copenhagen, Startupbootcamp has become a global accelerator for startups with locations in all the major hubs (New York, Singapore, Berlin, Amsterdam, London, etc.).

Their program accepts up to 10 startups per each of its industry-specific programs for an intense 3-month program.

It supports early-stage tech founders with direct access to their network of alumni, mentors and partner companies.

• Location: Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Barcelona
• Investment size: €15,000 for 8% equity
• Program length: 3 months
• Apply here

Startup Lab

Founded in 2012, Startup Lab is the largest tech incubator and accelerator in Norway.

Its incubator welcomes 100+ startups and its accelerator runs a program twice a year also.

Their accelerator has a 3-month program where all selected companies get at least NOK 1,000,000 with startup funding. Some startups raise as much as NOK 3,000,000.

Startup Lab offers startups mentorship and dedicated support from its network of experts and alumni.

• Location: Oslo and Bergen, Norway
• Investment size: up to NOK 3,000,000
• Program length: 3 months
• Apply here

Sting

Sting is a Stockholm-based startup accelerator founded in 2002. They operate both a 12-month incubator program and a 4-month accelerator program.

They accept 8 startups twice a year to join their accelerator. Startups need to have at least launched their MVP and show some kind of early traction.

Their partner Propel Capital invest SEK 500,000 in (most) startups.

Techstars

One of the largest of all startup accelerators in Europe and globally, Techstars choose each year 500 startups globally to join one of their 3-month, mentorship-driven accelerators.

Techstars runs accelerator program in 9 cities in Europe (see full list below)..!

They invest $120K and also provide hands-on mentorship and access to their valuable alumni network.

Since their inception, they have helped 2,589+ startups raise $15.7 billion raised. The average round post their accelerator program is $1 million.

• Location: London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, Paris, Oslo, Turin, Stockholm, Birmingham
• Investment size: $120,000
• Program length: 3 months
• Apply here

Europe’s Top 150+ Startup Accelerators & Incubators

Want to check out our full list of the best startup accelerators and incubators in Europe and CEE in 2023? Check our top picks for each country below:

• Austria’s Top 8 Startup Accelerators & Incubators
• Czech Republic’s Top 9 Startup Accelerators & Incubators
• Denmark’s Top 7 Accelerators For Startups
• Estonia’s Top 5 Startup Accelerators & Incubators
• Finland’s Top 9 Startup Accelerators And Incubators
• France’s Top 10 Startup Accelerators
• Germany’s Top 12 Startup Accelerators
• Hungary’s Top 8 Startup Accelerators & Incubators
• Ukraine’s Top 6 Startup Accelerators & Incubators
• Lithuania’s Top 5 Startup Accelerators & Incubators
• Ireland’s Top 5 Accelerators For Startups
• Italy’s Top 8 Startup Accelerators
• Netherlands’ Top 9 Startup Accelerators
• Norway’s Top 6 Startup Accelerators To Apply To
• Poland’s Top 7 Startup Accelerators & Incubators
• Romania’s Top 10 Startup Accelerators & Incubators
• Slovakia’s Top 5 Startup Accelerators & Incubators
• Spain’s Top 12 Startup Accelerators
• Sweden’s Top 8 Startup Accelerators And Incubators
• Switzerland’s Top 10 Startup Accelerators & Incubators
• UK’s Top 5 Startup Incubators & Accelerators