Luckily, more emerging startup initiatives in Europe aim to promote entrepreneurship and nurture more successful company founders on the European continent.

According to the research conducted by CB Insights, funding (or running out of funds) is the second most common reason why startups fail.

Thus, it is critical for startup founders to raise funds. But how?

One of the proven ways to do so is by joining a startup accelerator program.

What are startup accelerator programs?

A startup accelerator program is an intensive business and personal development initiative that supports a small team of founders, typically working on their own business ideas.

The support provided includes mentorship, affordable office spaces, and some initial capital.

In a nutshell, a program consists of the following core elements:

• A highly competitive application process open to all.
• A provision of pre-seed investment, normally in exchange for a single-digit equity stake.
• A focus on small teams rather than individual founders.
• Time-limited support comprised of programmed events and intensive mentorship.
• A final event – “A demo day” – is when startups pitch their ideas to raise a bigger pot of funding to continue growing their business.

At the same time, it is important to realize that startup accelerators are ultimately investment management companies. Such companies are also known as venture capital firms (or VCs).

They seek out the most promising early-stage companies and invest in them.

However, they expect companies to raise the next rounds of funding and ultimately (and hopefully) achieve an exit. Founders can do this either through acquisitions or Initial Public Offerings (IPOs).

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Best startup accelerator programs in Europe

Our team at AlphaGamma has compiled a list of the most prominent accelerator programs based in Europe. So you can keep up with the latest program deadlines in one place.

To save you time, we keep adding new programs and refreshing the deadlines whenever possible.

Here are the best startup accelerator programs in Europe sorted in alphabetical order:

Program	Location	The offer	Duration	Upcoming deadline*
Accelerace	København, Denmark	Investments up to 500 000 DKK + corporate matchmaking	5 Months	Rolling basis
Antler Amsterdam	Amsterdam, the Netherlands	€ 100,000 for 10% equity + monthly allowance for the duration of the program	6 Months	Rolling basis
Antler London	London, UK	£ 100,000 for 10% equity + monthly allowance for the duration of the program	6 Months	Rolling basis
Antler Oslo	Oslo, Norway	NOK 1M for 10% equity + monthly allowance for the duration of the program	6 Months	Rolling basis
Antler Stockholm	Stockholm, Sweden	SEK 1M for 10% equity; monthly allowance of € 2,500	6 Months	Rolling basis
APX	Berlin, Germany	€ 50,000 for 5% equity	3 Months	Rolling basis
Barclays Accelerator	London, UK	up to $ 120,000 as an investment	13 Weeks	Rolling basis
Bethnal Green Ventures	London, UK	£ 60,000 as an investment	6 Weeks	Rolling basis
Birdhouse	Antwerp, Belgium	Up to € 100K in funding; mentoring, coaching & access to additional investors	4 Months	Rolling basis
Distill Ventures	London, UK	£ 150,000	6 Months	Rolling basis
Entrepreneur First	London, UK	£ 15,000 + monthly allowance for 8% equity	6 Months	Applications open until October 4, 2025
EWOR Fellowships	Remote; Europe Focus	Up to € 150,000 investment, 0 – 2% education fee, mentoring & coaching	6-10 Months	Rolling basis
Microsoft Accelerator	Berlin, Germany	Mentoring & coaching	up to 6 Months	Rolling basis
NDRC	Dublin, Ireland	up to € 130,000	12 to 24 Weeks	Rolling basis
PANDO Ventures	Frankfurt, Germany	Mentoring, coaching & access to investors	12 Weeks	Rolling basis
Rockstart AgriFood	Copenhagen, Denmark; Amsterdam, the Netherlands and online	€100,000 convertible loan from the fund, €65,000 (i.e. net cash proceeds to your company of €35,000)	5 Months	Rolling basis
Rockstart Energy	Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and online	€100,000 convertible loan from the fund, €65k (i.e. net cash proceeds to your company of €35,000)	5 Months	Rolling basis
Seedstars Accelerator	Carouge, Geneva	Coaching, mentoring & access to investors	3-6 Months	Rolling basis
Startup Reykjavik	Reykjavik, Iceland	$ 23,500	10 Weeks	Will reopen soon
Startup Wise Guys	Tallinn, Estonia; Milan and Cosenza, Italy; Copenhagen, Denmark; Riga, Latvia; Vilnius, Lithuania	€ 50,000 on average	5 Months	Rolling basis
Startupbootcamp	London; Amsterdam, and online	€ 15,000 for 8% equity	3 Months	Rolling basis
Sting Accelerate	Stockholm, Sweden	500K SEK investment, coaching & mentoring	4 months	Will reopen soon
Techstars London	London, UK	$ 20,000 for 6% equity + $100,000 convertible note	3 Months	Will reopen soon
Yunus Social Business Accelerator	Europe	up to € 500,000	4 Months	Rolling basis

* Deadlines are subject to change, so make sure to check the official websites for the latest updates

What is the difference between a startup accelerator and a business incubator?

It is easy to get lost in various startup definitions that intuitively are synonymous. But in fact, they are not.

The following definitions will help you navigate the startup ecosystems and identify which programs are suited to your current development stage.

Workspace

A workspace is an office location that provides desks, office space, and infrastructure at a significantly reduced or discounted rate for startups and growing businesses.

Generally, you can expect to have access to standard business amenities, with conditions ranging from very basic to more refined setups.

Workspaces can be offered as standalone locations or as part of a larger network (e.g., startup accelerator or business incubator). Desks are usually charged at a monthly rate, with discounts available for advance payments.

Startup Weekends

These events typically last between 48 to 72 hours and aim to form new startup teams. These teams then develop business ideas within the given time limit.

Participants can either be individuals with no initial connections, or existing teams joining to fast-track their ideas.

Such events also have flexible agendas. Some invite budding or active founders working on defined business ideas, while others encourage individuals to come up with new business ideas on the spot.

Some of these events charge a small participation fee. Yet you’re not obliged to continue working on your business ideas after the weekend.

Startup Accelerator

Startup accelerators are profit-driven programs that invite small founding teams and form ‘cohorts’ of new cohorts.

The program organizers expect founders to show some traction with their businesses: a fully functioning prototype, early user feedback, and their first paying customers. However, some programs accept founders even with just business ideas.

Startup accelerators provide seed capital, mentorship, and structured events over a period of time – generally 3 to 4 months – in return for an equity stake, which varies between 5-10%.

At the end of the program, startups “graduate” by pitching their ideas at a demo day to a panel of experts and investors, often securing their first significant investment.

Business Incubator

These organizations actively support the growth of startups by offering resources, services, and connections through a team of experts.

There are two types of incubators. In one, the incubator develops an idea and hands it over to an external team to eventually run it. In the other, participants come up with their own ideas, similar to workspaces.

In the first case, the incubator asks for an equity stake in the company in exchange for their services. In the second model, entrepreneurs may pay a monthly fee to utilize the incubator’s resources.