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Wasabi Partners is committed to helping founders access the knowledge, capital, and resources needed to scale successfully. Explore original thought leadership, funding opportunities, and curated startup programs designed to help you build what's next.
Wasabi Insights
The startup ecosystem moves fast. Our team shares practical insights on fundraising, partnerships, customer acquisition, ecosystem trends, and founder challenges through the Wasabi Partners Substack.
Founder Grant Opportunities
Non-dilutive funding opportunities curated for startups, innovators, and growth-stage companies.
Capital isn't limited to investors. Each quarter, we identify and share grant opportunities that can help founders fund innovation, accelerate growth, and unlock new resources without giving up equity.
Explore our curated list of Q3 and Q4 grants, including opportunities from public agencies, corporate innovation programs, universities, and industry-focused initiatives.
Title | Amount | Deadline | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
Delaware EDGE Grant Competition | Matching funds (3:1 match) | Sept 11, 2026 | Delaware STEM/non-STEM businesses <7 yrs old, <=15 employees, <$700K assets |
WBDC Ignite Grant Program | $2,500 - $10,000 | Sept 13, 2026 | Connecticut women-owned (51%+), 2+ yrs, $25K-$2M revenue |
Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grant | Up to $5,000 | Sept 15, 2026 (Cycle 38) | NICHE: visual/media artists with a recent medical emergency |
Breakthrough Grant Vol. III (Her Agenda) | $5,000 | Sept 18, 2026 | Women founders; must subscribe to Her Agenda newsletter |
Secretsos Small Business Grant | $2,500 | Sept 30, 2026 (quarterly) | Business owners 21+ in eligible US states |
DoorDash Local Business Disaster Relief | $5,000 | Oct 1, 2026 | NICHE: Spokane-fire-affected brick-and-mortar (<50 emp, <$3M rev) |
Walmart Spark Good Local Grants | $250 - $5,000 | Nov 30, 2026 (Cycle 3) | Mostly 501(c)(3)s / public entities; must be Deed-verified |
Foundation for a Just Society | Varies | Sept & Nov cycles (invitation) | Orgs advancing rights of women, girls, and LGBTQI people |
Shophand $5K Small Business Boost Grant | $5,000 ($2,500 cash + $2,500 services) | Dec 1, 2026 | For-profit US business, <50 employees, <$5M revenue |
Spectrum Reach Pay It Forward | Free ad campaign + commercial + mentoring | Dec 31, 2026 | For-profit, 1+ yr operating, in a participating US market |
Small Business Facade Improvement | Up to $15,000 | Dec 2026 (or until funds run out) | NICHE: Richmond, CA storefronts (Iron Triangle / Santa Fe / Coronado) |
America's Seed Fund (NSF SBIR) | Up to $2,000,000 | Rolling | Deep-tech / R&D startups; non-dilutive (no equity). Strong fit for tech-enabled founders |
STTR Program (SBIR) | ~$50K - $2M | Rolling | Tech R&D startups partnered with a research institution |
Verizon Small Business Digital Ready | $10,000 | Rolling (after 2 courses) | Any US small business |
Amber Grant (WomensNet) | $10,000/mo + three $25,000 annual | Rolling (monthly) | Women / nonbinary-owned businesses, any stage |
Hey Helen Grant (Visionaries) | $10,000 | Rolling (monthly) | Women-owned (50%+), under $1M annual revenue |
HerRise MicroGrant | $1,000+ | Rolling (monthly) | Women-of-color-owned; no nonprofits, franchises, or resellers |
The Big Idea Grant (Yippity Doo) | $1,000 | Rolling (2 per month) | Women entrepreneurs with a clear business vision |
IFundWomen Universal Grant | Varies | Rolling | Women founders; one application, ongoing access to partner grants |
NASE Growth Grants | Up to $4,000 | Rolling (member 90 days) | NASE members, any industry (training, marketing, growth needs) |
Freed Fellowship Grant | $500/mo + $2,500 year-end | Rolling (monthly) | US-based small businesses; includes feedback + membership |
Hustler's MicroGrant | $1,000 | Rolling (monthly) | US small business owners |
Awesome Foundation Grants | $1,000 | Rolling (monthly) | Any individual or business project (startups eligible) |
Skip Instant Grants | Varies | Rolling (twice weekly) | US small businesses; must join the selection livestream |
Business Freedom Grant | $1,000 (unrestricted) | Twice per year | Founders / creators worldwide, any stage |
Wish Local Empowerment Program | $500 - $2,000 | Rolling | Black-owned, <=20 employees, <$1M revenue; must join Wish Local |
Etsy Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+) | Up to $2,500 | Rolling | NICHE: disaster-affected Etsy sellers, registered 1+ yr |
Global NY Grant Program | Up to $25,000 | Rolling (continuous) | NY exporters, <=500 employees, 1+ yr operating |
Supplier Innovative Finance (NY ESD) | Up to $5,000 | Rolling | NY minority/women/veteran/LGBTQ+-owned, $250K-$10M revenue |
Genesis for Good Catalyst Grant | Up to $10,000 | Rolling (until funds run out) | Southern CA businesses, <=$500K revenue, 1+ yr, <=10 employees |
Outta Excuses Grant | $3,000 | Quarterly (verify next cycle) | Small businesses + 501(c)(3) nonprofits; must attend live Zoom |
Accelerators & Incubators
Some of the most founder-friendly opportunities exist in lesser-known programs with strong mentorship, targeted industry support, and meaningful customer access.
We spotlight accelerators, incubators, and ecosystem programs that deserve founders' attention, helping startups uncover opportunities that may be less competitive but equally impactful.
Whether you're validating an idea, preparing to raise capital, or expanding into new markets, these programs can provide the network, guidance, and resources to accelerate growth.
Title | Funding Amount | Deadline | Focus Area |
|---|---|---|---|
500 Global - Flagship Accelerator (Global / San Francisco) | $150K for 6% | Rolling | Industry-agnostic |
a16z Speedrun (US) | Up to $1M for ~10% | Cohort-based (by batch) - check site | Tech, gaming, interactive media |
Accel Atoms (Bengaluru, India) | Up to $1M-$2M (AI cohort co-invest with Google AIFF) | 2026 AI cohort closed (Jan 26); next expected late 2026/early 2027 - check site | AI-native pre-seed; India / Indian-origin founders |
AI2 Incubator (Seattle, WA) | Pre-seed investment (amount varies) | Rolling / by inquiry | Applied AI startups |
Alchemist Accelerator (San Francisco, CA) | ~$36K SAFE for ~5% | Rolling / class-based - check site | Enterprise & B2B software |
Alpha Lab (Pittsburgh, PA) | Up to $100K for ~2% + mentorship | Cohort-based - check site | Software, robotics, life sciences |
AngelPad (New York & San Francisco) | $120K for ~7% | Cohort-based (~2/yr) - check site | Industry-agnostic (B2B & SaaS focus) |
Antler (27+ cities worldwide) | $100K-$250K for ~8-12% (US: ~$200K + up to $300K follow-on) | Rolling (by city cohort) | Pre-team / pre-idea; industry-agnostic |
ASTeCC (Lexington, KY) | Non-cash: labs + shared facilities | Rolling / by inquiry | Early-stage high-tech; nanoscale science, electron microscopy (Univ. of Kentucky) |
Austin CC IMPACT Lab (Austin, TX) | Non-cash: facility, equipment, prototyping | Rolling / by inquiry | Advanced manufacturing & physical product development |
Bakar BioEnginuity Hub (Berkeley, CA) | Non-cash: wet lab + office space | Rolling / by inquiry | Life sciences (UC Berkeley) |
Berkeley SkyDeck (Berkeley, CA) | Cohort: $200K for 7.5%; Pad-13: no set investment | Cohort-based (~2/yr) - check site | Deep tech, biotech, AI |
Boomtown (Boulder, CO) | $20K for ~6% | Cohort-based - check site | Hardware, software, healthtech |
BSGN Advanced Materials & In-orbit Mfg Accelerator (Paris, France) | Varies - check site | Cohort-based - check site | Advanced materials & in-orbit manufacturing (space) |
Cal Poly CIE Incubator (San Luis Obispo, CA) | Non-cash: 2-yr incubator, tools + training | Rolling / by inquiry | Tech; aerospace, ag tech, clean tech, medtech |
Capital Factory (Austin, TX) | $100K for up to 1% | Rolling | Industry-agnostic (tech focus) |
CNSI Technology Incubator (Santa Barbara, CA) | Non-cash: wet lab + office (lease) | Rolling / by inquiry | Nanotech / deep tech (UCSB) |
CO.LAB (Chattanooga, TN) | Varies | Cohort-based - check site | Mobility, energy, logistics |
Columbia Biomedical Eng. Tech Accelerator (New York, NY) | Grant funding (amount varies) | By program cycle - check site | Biomedical technologies (Columbia) |
Creative Destruction Lab - CDL (Global) | No guaranteed investment (objectives-based mentorship) | Annual program (Sept-June); apps ~summer - check site | Deep tech, AI, quantum, climate |
Czero (Fort Collins, CO) | Non-cash: engineering resources + mentoring | Rolling / by inquiry | Advanced engineering / hardware R&D |
Dassault Systemes 3DEXPERIENCE Lab (Velizy-Villacoublay, France) | Non-cash: mentorship, tech, network | Rolling / by inquiry | Sustainability, healthcare, energy, future cities |
DOE Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program - LEEP (Washington, DC / 4 national labs) | Up to ~$500K (2-yr fellowship: ~$110K/yr stipend + R&D funds + benefits) | Annual - apps open ~Sept, due late Oct/early Nov 2026 (varies by node) | Energy & advanced manufacturing / deep tech |
Endless Frontier Labs - EFL (New York, NY) | Equity-free | Annual cohort (Sept-May); apps ~summer - check site | Deep tech, life sciences, physical sciences (NYU Stern) |
Engineering Inc. (College Station, TX) | Non-cash: student program | By academic term - check site | Student entrepreneurship (Texas A&M engineering) |
Entrepreneur First - EF (London, Paris, Bangalore, San Francisco) | Up to $250K (US: $125K for 8% + $125K uncapped MFN SAFE) | Rolling (by city cohort) | Talent-first / pre-idea; deep tech |
ERA - Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (New York, NY) | $150K for 6% | Cohort-based (~2/yr) - check site | B2B & B2C software |
EWOR (Europe) | Up to EUR 500K for 7% | Rolling / by cohort - check site | Talent-first / industry-agnostic |
Forum Ventures (New York / San Francisco / Toronto) | $100K for 7.5% | Cohort-based (2-3/yr) - check site | B2B SaaS |
Founders Factory (London, UK) | GBP 30K-250K for ~7% | Rolling / by program - check site | Fintech, climate, health, deep tech |
FP Solutions (Orange, CA) | Investment (amount varies) | Rolling / by inquiry | Hardware: space, energy, automation |
Google for Startups Accelerator (Global) | Equity-free | Cohort-based (by region/track) - check site | Cloud, AI/ML, tech infrastructure |
Greentown Labs (Somerville, MA & Houston, TX) | Non-cash: lab/office + tools (membership) | Rolling (membership application) | Climatech & energy |
Instrument Technology Incubator (Washington, DC) | Grant funding (NASA-related; varies) | By solicitation - check site | Earth-observing instruments (lasers, spectrometers, radars) |
JLABS (Boston, SF, San Diego; China; UK; virtual) | Non-cash: no equity taken; lab space + resources | Rolling / by inquiry (QuickFire Challenges have deadlines) | Healthcare, life sciences, biotech (Johnson & Johnson) |
Jump Start Inc. (Cleveland, OH) | Non-dilutive funding (Trailblazer Accelerator) | Cohort-based - check site | Tech startups & small businesses |
LA Cleantech Incubator - La Kretz Campus (Los Angeles, CA) | Non-cash: prototyping campus, labs, equipment | Rolling / by inquiry | Cleantech hardware prototyping |
LACI (Los Angeles, CA) | Up to ~$160K grants + pilot funding + ~$150K perks | Cohort-based (Incubation Cohort 13, Summer '26) - check site | Cleantech: clean energy, zero-emission transport, circular economy |
Long Beach Accelerator (Long Beach, CA) | ~$100K-$150K for ~6-7% equity ($25K program fee) | Cohort-based (windows vary) - check site | Early-stage technology |
Mass Robotics Accelerator (Boston, MA) | Non-cash: programming, mentorship, network | Cohort-based - check site | Robotics |
MassChallenge (Global) | Equity-free (prizes up to $100K) | Annual cohort; apps usually close spring/early summer - check site | Healthcare, fintech, climate, cybersecurity |
MetaProp (New York, NY) | ~$150K for ~6% | Cohort-based (annual) - check site | PropTech |
MuckerLab (Los Angeles, CA) | $100K-$175K for 10-15% | Rolling - check site | Industry-agnostic |
NSF Tech Accelerators (Alexandria, VA) | NSF research investment (varies) | New program (launched May 2026) - check NSF for open solicitations | Deep tech: AgTech, MaterialsTech, OceanTech, SciTech |
Odense Robotics Startup Fund (Odense, Denmark) | Founder-friendly investment + incubator | Rolling / by inquiry | Robotics & drones |
Orbital Edge Accelerator (Merritt Island, FL) | $500,000+ (VC investment + resources) | Cohort-based - check site | Space / low Earth orbit ventures |
Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab (Allston, MA) | Non-cash: wet lab + coworking | Rolling / by inquiry | Biotech & life science (Harvard) |
Pasadena Bio Collaborative Incubator (Pasadena, CA) | Non-cash: wet lab + shared equipment | Rolling / by inquiry | Biotechnology |
Peak XV Surge / Sequoia Surge (India & Southeast Asia) | Up to $3M seed (negotiated per company) | Rolling cohorts - check site | High-growth seed; industry-agnostic |
Pear VC - PearX (San Francisco, CA) | $250K-$2M per company | PearX W27: early Aug 16 / regular Oct 4, 2026 (cohort Jan 2027); ~2 cohorts/yr | Pre-seed; industry-agnostic |
Plug and Play (Sunnyvale, CA / Global) | Equity-free | Rolling / by vertical batch - check site | B2B, enterprise & corporate tech |
Praxis Center for Venture Development (Ithaca, NY) | Non-cash: NSF-funded R&D labs | Rolling / by inquiry | Engineering, digital & physical science (Cornell) |
Purdue Innovates (West Lafayette, IN) | Venture capital + commercialization support | Rolling / by inquiry | Tech commercialization, IP/licensing (Purdue) |
Rev Ithaca Startup Works (Ithaca, NY) | Non-cash: hardware accelerators (virtual) | Cohort-based - check site | Hardware: prototyping, protofacturing, manufacturing |
Rice Nexus Incubator (Houston, TX) | Non-cash: office, prototyping lab, mentorship | Rolling / by inquiry | Healthcare, energy, space (Rice) |
Sabanci ARF (Istanbul, Turkey) | Pre-seed investment (20-week program) | Cohort-based - check site | Early-stage commercialization (sector-agnostic) |
SOSV - HAX & IndieBio (New York, NY / Newark, NJ / SF) | $250K-$550K (HAX ~10% / IndieBio ~8% equity) | Rolling (applications open year-round) | Deep tech: hardware (HAX) & biotech (IndieBio) |
South Park Commons (San Francisco, CA) | Founder Fellowship investment (up to ~$1M) - check site | Rolling / by cohort - check site | Pre-idea founders; early tech & research |
Starburst Aero (US, France, Germany, Israel, Singapore, Spain, Netherlands) | Investment + growth consulting (varies) | Cohort-based - check site | Aerospace, space, defense |
Start-Up Chile (Santiago, Chile) | Equity-free co-funding (grant) | Cohort-based (calls 1-2/yr) - check site | Industry-agnostic |
Startupbootcamp (Global) | EUR 15K-40K for ~8% | Cohort-based (by program) - check site | Fintech, IoT, specialized industries |
StartX (Palo Alto, CA) | Equity-free | Rolling / by cohort - check site | Industry-agnostic (Stanford-affiliated) |
Techstars (New York, NY + 40+ programs globally) | ~$220K (std: $20K for ~6% + ~$120K MFN note) | Rolling (by program) | Sector varies by program (mentor-driven, 3 months) |
The Engine (Cambridge, MA) | VC investment (Engine Ventures fund) | Rolling / by inquiry | 'Tough tech' - science & engineering |
UC Irvine Lab Partners Accelerator (Irvine, CA) | Non-cash: REALIZE accelerator (commercialization roadmap) | Cohort-based - check site | Medtech |
UC Irvine Lab Partners Incubator (Irvine, CA) | Non-cash: wet lab + office (lease) | Rolling / by inquiry | Life science & medical device |
UC Riverside Life Sciences Incubator (Riverside, CA) | Non-cash: wet lab + workspace | Rolling / by inquiry | Life sciences, agriculture, medtech, clean innovation |
Union Kitchen (Washington, DC) | 10% equity + board seat | Rolling / by cohort - check site | Food & CPG |
Univ. of Alberta Faculty of Engineering Incubator (Edmonton, AB, Canada) | Non-cash: commercialization mentorship | Rolling / by inquiry | Engineering ventures (concept to scale) |
Universal Materials Incubator (Tokyo, Japan) | Equity investment | Rolling / by inquiry | Chemicals & materials science |
VCU Dreams to Reality Incubator (Richmond, VA) | Non-cash: 12-month program; IP/investor guidance | By academic cycle - check site | Engineering faculty-student ventures (VCU) |
Vetri Labs (Fremont, CA) | Non-cash: wet lab + mentorship | Rolling / by inquiry | Deep tech: energy, semiconductor, electrochemical, climate, materials |
Village Capital (Global) | Varies (investment-readiness programs) | Program/cohort-based - check site | Impact & sustainability |
Wayra - Telefonica (Global) | EUR 50K-5M | Rolling / by open call - check site | AI, IoT, cloud, fintech |
WorldUpstart (Philadelphia, PA) | Program support (non-cash) | Cohort-based - check site | Healthcare, medtech, biotech |
Y Combinator (San Francisco, CA) | $500K ($125K for 7% + $375K uncapped MFN SAFE) | Rolling - 4 batches/yr (Fall 2026 closed Jul 27; Winter 2027 next - check site) | All sectors (AI-heavy) |
What's going on in the ecosystem?
Wasabi Partners tracks tech conferences, founder events, pitch competitions, and community gatherings across the country. This calendar is updated regularly and built for founders who move with intention.
Use it to plan your next move, find your next room, or spot where your customers and collaborators are gathering. The right event at the right time can change everything.
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Change the event description to include your own content. Adjust the settings to customize the style.
October 2026
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