Equity-free startup accelerators (2026)
20 programs in BatchUp's database take 0% equity. Most of them don't give you cash: they give credits, mentors, corporate pilots or office space. Only 1 pays an equity-free cash grant. Read the terms column before you assume “free” means free: a few charge membership or program fees.
Full deadline calendar · Fit quiz (pick “0%: equity-free only”) · Remote-friendly accelerators
Equity-free cash grants (1)
| Program | Location | What you get (per official page) | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIT delta v | Cambridge, MA | $75,000 cash · $200K+ perks per team · Up to $75K equity-free funding; 2026 cohort ran Jun 1–Sep 11 (~14 weeks). MIT students only. | Closed – next TBA |
Equity-free credits, mentoring & support programs (19)
No cash investment. Cloud credits are subject to each provider's eligibility rules.
| Program | Location | What you get (per official page) | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| FinTech Innovation Lab (NY) | New York / London · remote | 12-week, no equity or investment, no application fee. | Closes Nov 25, 2026 |
| NVIDIA Inception | Unconfirmed | Partner benefits/discounts · No fees, no deadlines, no cohorts, no equity requirements. | Rolling |
| Creative Destruction Lab | Toronto, Canada · remote | Nonprofit; no equity, no fees; ~9-month objectives-based program. | Closed – next TBA |
| FinTech Innovation Lab Asia-Pacific | Hong Kong | — | Closed – next TBA |
| Google for Startups Accelerator | Regional cohorts (hybrid) · remote | Google Cloud credits (separate eligibility) · Equity-free; North America cohort 10 weeks (other regions ~3 months). | Closed – next TBA |
| Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa | Africa (hybrid) · remote | Equity-free; credits subject to eligibility. | Closed – next TBA |
| Google for Startups Accelerator: Australia & NZ | Australia / NZ (hybrid) · remote | Equity-free; credits subject to eligibility. | Closed – next TBA |
| Google for Startups Accelerator: Brazil | Brazil (hybrid) · remote | Equity-free; credits subject to eligibility. | Closed – next TBA |
| Google for Startups Accelerator: Europe | Europe & Israel (hybrid) · remote | Equity-free; credits subject to eligibility. | Closed – next TBA |
| Google for Startups Accelerator: India | India (hybrid) · remote | Equity-free; credits subject to eligibility. | Closed – next TBA |
| Google for Startups Accelerator: North America (AI for Energy) | North America (hybrid) · remote | Equity-free; credits subject to eligibility. | Closed – next TBA |
| Google for Startups Accelerator: Southeast Asia | Southeast Asia (hybrid) · remote | Equity-free; credits subject to eligibility. | Closed – next TBA |
| AWS Generative AI Accelerator | Unconfirmed | Up to $1M AWS credits · Equity-free, 8-week hybrid; no 2026 cohort dates published. | Not published |
| Fintech Sandbox | Global (startups in 25+ cities) | Data Access Residency: free data feeds/APIs for up to 6 months; no fees, no equity. | Not published |
| Greentown Labs | Somerville, MA / Houston, TX | Membership-based incubator; takes no equity, startups pay membership fees. | Not published |
| MassChallenge | Unconfirmed | Zero-equity, zero-cost; length varies by program (4 weeks to 6 months). | Not published |
| Microsoft for Startups | Unconfirmed | Up to $150K Azure credits · Credits/tools program, not a cohort accelerator. | Not published |
| Plug and Play Tech Center | Unconfirmed | Equity-free, corporate-partner programs; length varies by program (APAC: 12 weeks). | Not published |
| StartX | Unconfirmed | Takes no equity and charges no fees (Stanford-affiliated founders). | Not published |
Equity-free vs. a real check
Credits can be worth a lot if you'd spend that money on cloud anyway, but they don't extend your runway the way cash does. That's why BatchUp doesn't rank credits-only programs against programs that invest cash. See the methodology.