Asia has emerged as one of the most active startup regions globally, with growing access to capital, talent, mentorship, and founder support programs. There is more capital, more mentorship, and more programs built specifically for founders who are still finding their footing, and the ecosystem now stretches across major hubs that each bring their own strengths in fintech, AI, deep tech, and consumer.
For founders raising their first round, the right accelerator can shorten years of trial and error into a few focused months, because the best programs offer local market knowledge, follow-on capital, and access to a network that would otherwise take years to build.
Here are 10 accelerators and incubators across Asia backing early-stage founders in 2026, with a breakdown of what each program offers, who it fits, and where to apply.
- Location: Singapore (focused on Southeast Asia)
- Investment: US$150K–US$500K via post-money SAFE for ~10% equity
- Duration: 12 weeks; two cohorts per year
- Stage: Pre-seed to Series A
- No program fee
Iterative is an accelerator focused exclusively on Southeast Asia, founded in 2019 by Brian Ma (former CEO of Divvy Homes) and Cathy Guo. The firm invests the full amount upfront on admission, then works closely with founders for 12 weeks before a demo day. The bulk of investments are US$150K at the earliest stage; the US$500K check is reserved for companies further along, with metrics like $1M ARR or strong weekly growth.
Apply: iterative.vc
- Location: India and Southeast Asia
- Investment: Up to US$3M in seed capital
- Duration: 16-week program
- Stage: Seed (working product and early traction)
- Acceptance rate: Under 2% (roughly 4,800+ applications per cohort)
Surge is the flagship accelerator of Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India & SEA, rebranded 2023). Launched in 2019, it offers one of the largest single seed checks of any accelerator focused on the region, up to US$3M. Each startup is paired with a dedicated investment advisor, and founders run through a curriculum adapted from Sequoia's decades of company-building experience.
Across its cohorts, Surge has partnered with 246+ founders from 112+ startups, and Surge companies have collectively raised over $1.5B in follow-on rounds.
Apply: peakxv.com/surge
- Location: Singapore, India, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam
- Investment: US$150K net initial + up to US$250K follow-on = up to US$400K total at inception
- Duration: 6-week Inception Residency + investment phase
- Stage: Pre-idea to early MVP
- Note: Japan and Singapore terms updated January 2026
Antler accepts both individuals and existing teams. Founders can apply without a co-founder, although applicants are generally expected to demonstrate a clear problem area, market insight, or early venture direction, and teams already in motion with an early MVP are prioritized under the 2026 residency format. In January 2026, Antler Asia announced improved terms across the region: US$150K net as the first ticket, with committed follow-on of up to US$250K (matching 50% of capital raised from other professional investors) within six to nine months.
Apply: antler.co/apply
- Location: Singapore (HQ), with programs in Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia
- Investment: Varies by program; many programs are corporate-partnership based; in-house VC invests alongside leading funds
- Duration: 12 weeks (program-dependent)
- Focus: Fintech, sustainability, deep tech, and other verticals
- Portfolio: 300+ APAC companies, 3 unicorns including Doctor Anywhere
Plug and Play launched its APAC headquarters in Singapore in 2010 and runs industry-specific accelerator programs across Southeast Asia. The flagship regional program is the Fintech Accelerator, launched in 2018, which connects fintech startups with major financial institutions across the region in areas like open banking, payments, trade finance, and wealth management.
Plug and Play is also the appointed organizer of the Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) San Francisco Acceleration Programme in partnership with Enterprise Singapore, helping Singapore startups expand to the US. The core differentiator is corporate access, direct connections to the 500+ corporate partners across the Plug and Play network.
Apply: plugandplayapac.com
- Location: Singapore (Southeast and South Asia focus)
- Investment: Up to US$250K in pre-Series A startups
- Duration: 4-month flagship accelerator program
- Stage: Pre-Series A (6–18 months from institutional funding)
- Regulation: Licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore
Accelerating Asia was established in 2018 with initial backing from Enterprise Singapore. It targets a specific gap in the regional market: startups with a robust product and early customer traction that are too advanced for ideation-stage programs but not yet ready for product-market-fit-focused VCs. The fund invests up to US$250K and runs an intensive 4-month program focused on traction, execution, and investor readiness.
Apply: acceleratingasia.com
- Location: Bangalore (with a global cohort structure)
- Investment: Pre-seed funding for teams passing the Investment Committee; stipend during the Form phase
- Duration: 6 months (Form phase + LAUNCH phase)
- Stage: Pre-idea, pre-team
- Focus: Deep tech, technical founders
Entrepreneur First pioneered "talent investing", backing individuals based on their potential before they have a team or idea. The firm runs a Bangalore cohort that has historically been one of the strongest deep-tech talent pipelines in India. The program splits into the Form phase, where founders find co-founders and validate ideas, and LAUNCH, where teams that pass the Investment Committee build toward their seed round.
EF globally has helped build 600+ companies with a combined portfolio value of over $11B. The model is designed for technical founders, researchers, and recent graduates who want a structured path from individual to venture-backed founder.
Apply: joinef.com/apply
- Location: Programs span the US and Asia; deep historical roots in Shenzhen and across China
- Investment: Up to US$550K at pre-seed, with follow-on capacity through the Select Fund
- Duration: Multi-month, hands-on program
- Focus: Hard tech, hardware, robotics, climate, deep tech
- Portfolio: 1,000+ companies globally; 6 unicorns; 6 IPOs
SOSV is widely regarded as one of the world's most active pre-seed deep-tech investors, and its HAX program is one of the few credible hardware accelerators globally. SOSV has deep operational roots in Asia, having built much of its early hardware acceleration capability around the Shenzhen manufacturing ecosystem, still the most important hardware supply chain in the world for early-stage hardware founders.
Apply: sosv.com/apply
- Location: Active across Southeast Asia
- Investment: Varies by program and vehicle; regional micro-funds and flagship accelerator access
- Stage: Pre-seed to seed
- Focus: Sector-agnostic, with strength in scalable B2C and B2B tech
500 Global (formerly 500 Startups) was among the first global accelerators to actively invest in Southeast Asia. It famously wrote one of the first checks for Grab (then GrabTaxi) and Carousell, long before they became unicorns. The firm has operated regional programs and micro-funds focused on early-stage teams across the region.
500 Global brings a global investor network and a growth-marketing-focused curriculum, along with a track record of identifying breakout Southeast Asian companies at the earliest stages. For founders in the region with global ambitions, it remains one of the most recognized early-stage names.
Apply: 500.co
- Location: Southeast Asia (in-person boot camps in Singapore and San Francisco)
- Investment: Equity-free
- Duration: 3 months
- Focus: Technical scaling, engineering, AI
- Benefits: Direct engineering support from Google teams; Google Cloud credits
Google for Startups Accelerator: Southeast Asia is a three-month, equity-free program for startups in the region. It is built around technical depth rather than capital, participants get direct engineering support from Google teams, intensive mentorship, technical guidance, and in-person boot camps in Singapore or San Francisco.
The program focuses on helping startups tackle technical challenges, scale their technology and operations, strengthen engineering methodologies, and improve product design and customer acquisition. Because it takes no equity, it is one of the most accessible options for founders who want world-class technical support without dilution.
Apply: startup.google.com
- Location: Singapore (powered by UOB)
- Investment: Program-based; corporate and ecosystem support rather than a fixed equity check
- Duration: Cohort-based accelerator
- Focus: Fintech, sustainability, SME digitalization
The FinLab is a Singapore-based accelerator powered by UOB, one of Southeast Asia's largest banks. It focuses on fintech, sustainability, and helping startups and SMEs digitalize. The program's core advantage is direct access to UOB's banking infrastructure, customer base, and regional network across Southeast Asia.
For fintech and enterprise founders, The FinLab offers something most accelerators cannot: a path to working directly with a major regional bank as a potential partner, customer, or distribution channel. The program emphasizes practical business outcomes and market access over a standardized investment check.
Apply: thefinlab.com
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