Techstars vs Alchemist Accelerator
How Techstars and Alchemist Accelerator compare on investment, equity, format, stage and timing. Every figure comes from the programs' own sites, verified November 4, 2026.
| Techstars | Alchemist Accelerator | |
|---|---|---|
| Investment | $220K | Not published |
| Equity | 5% | Not published |
| Deal terms | $220K: $20K for 5% common stock (post-money convertible equity agreement) + $200K uncapped MFN post-money SAFE | Checks of $60K to $1M depending on company and program; equity not published |
| Format | Hybrid | Hybrid |
| Headquarters | Boulder, United States | San Francisco, United States |
| Stage | pre-seed, seed | pre-seed, seed |
| Sectors | general, ai, health, fintech, climate | b2b saas, enterprise, ai, deep tech |
| Duration | 3 months | Not published |
| Application cycle | Program-specific; multiple programs run spring and fall cohorts | rolling for the core program; regional programs run on set calendars |
| Next deadline | November 18, 2026 | Not published |
Investment is the full standard package; where part of it is an uncapped SAFE, the equity stake covers only the fixed part (see deal terms). Terms change; confirm on each official site before applying.
About
Techstars
Global pre-seed investor founded in Boulder in 2006, running three-month, mentorship-driven accelerators in cities including Boston, Boulder, Chicago, New York, London and Tokyo, plus the remote Techstars Anywhere and corporate-partnered themed programs. Since 2025 its standard deal is $220K, and some programs, such as New York, now run in a hybrid format.
Notable alumni: SendGrid, DigitalOcean, ClassPass, PillPack
About
Alchemist Accelerator
San Francisco-based accelerator for enterprise-focused (B2B and B2B2C) pre-seed and seed startups, led by technical founders. Founders can build from anywhere, with regional programs in Chicago, Japan and Doha, and a San Francisco desk option. It holds Investor Showcases twice a year in Silicon Valley.
Notable alumni: LaunchDarkly, Rigetti Computing, MoEngage, MightyHive
Key differences
Techstars or Alchemist Accelerator?
- When are the next Techstars and Alchemist Accelerator deadlines?
- Techstars' next published deadline is November 18, 2026. Alchemist Accelerator has no upcoming deadline published (application cycle: rolling for the core program; regional programs run on set calendars).
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