How Techstars and ERA (Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator) compare on investment, equity, format, stage and timing. Every figure comes from the programs' own sites, verified November 4, 2026.
| Techstars | ERA (Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator) | |
|---|---|---|
| Investment | $220K | $150K |
| Equity | 5% | 6% |
| Deal terms | $220K: $20K for 5% common stock (post-money convertible equity agreement) + $200K uncapped MFN post-money SAFE | $150K for 6% (post-money SAFE) |
| Format | Hybrid | In-person |
| Headquarters | Boulder, United States | New York, United States |
| Stage | pre-seed, seed | pre-seed, seed |
| Sectors | general, ai, health, fintech, climate | general |
| Duration | 3 months | 4 months |
| Application cycle | Program-specific; multiple programs run spring and fall cohorts | 2 cohorts a year (Winter and Summer) |
| 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
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
ERA is a New York City accelerator for early-stage tech startups, founded out of the Entrepreneurs Roundtable event series. It invests $150K for 6% on a post-money SAFE and runs a four-month program twice a year. It reports 400+ startups backed that have raised $2.5B+.
Notable alumni: TripleLift, Scentbird, Bespoke Post, Goalsetter, Glia
Key differences
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