# Incubators and accelerators backing AI (2026 list)

> 136 incubators and accelerators backing AI, 93% active in the last 12 months. Led by Y Combinator, Plug and Play, MassChallenge. Ranked by what they funded.

Source: https://millionrounds.com/lists/incubators-accelerators-ai (Millionrounds; every figure on the page links to its filing or article)

[Investor Lists](https://millionrounds.com/lists)

# Incubators and accelerators backing AI

Updated 7 November 2026

Incubators and accelerators we have observed in an AI round in the last two years.

[See all 136 *→*](https://millionrounds.com/login?join=1&next=%2Fapp%2Finvestor-lists%2Fincubators-accelerators-ai)The top 25

**136** investors on the list *+2* this week

**2,400** cheques in 12 months *-28%* against the market

**$3.3M** median round they joined *-59%* against the market median

**93%** wrote a cheque in 12 months

**26%** have led a round

## The Top 25

Ordered by cheques observed, never by anything anyone paid for

Deploying now (25)

- 1 [Y Combinator](https://millionrounds.com/fund/y-combinator) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **6,412** **$3M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 2 [Plug and Play](https://millionrounds.com/fund/plug-and-play) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **1,561** **$5M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 3 [MassChallenge](https://millionrounds.com/fund/masschallenge) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **984** **$1.8M** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 4 [Google for Startups](https://millionrounds.com/fund/google-for-startups) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **811** **$1.4M** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 5 [Creative Destruction Lab](https://millionrounds.com/fund/creative-destruction-lab) *Deploying now* Accelerator · Canada **427** **$3M** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 6 [Neo](https://millionrounds.com/fund/neo) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **364** **$5.5M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 7 [Entrepreneur First](https://millionrounds.com/fund/entrepreneurs-first) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United Kingdom **332** **$3.6M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 8 [Venture Kick](https://millionrounds.com/fund/venture-kick) *Deploying now* Accelerator · Switzerland **329** **$2.1M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 9 [Animoca Brands](https://millionrounds.com/fund/animoca-brands) *Deploying now* Accelerator · Hong Kong SAR China **318** **$5M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 10 [Alchemist Accelerator](https://millionrounds.com/fund/alchemist-accelerator) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **284** **$2.3M** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 11 [In-Q-Tel](https://millionrounds.com/fund/iqt) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **273** **$20M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 12 [Startup Wise Guys](https://millionrounds.com/fund/startup-wise-guys) *Deploying now* Accelerator · Estonia **237** **$551K** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 13 [Berkeley SkyDeck](https://millionrounds.com/fund/berkeley-skydeck) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **231** **$2M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 14 [Founder Institute](https://millionrounds.com/fund/founder-institute-montreal) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **222** **$129K** median round **May 2026** last seen
- 15 [VentureOut](https://millionrounds.com/fund/ventureout) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **202** **$1.6M** median round **Jun 2026** last seen
- 16 [Cleantech Open](https://millionrounds.com/fund/cleantech-open) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **165** **$1.1M** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 17 [MedTech Innovator](https://millionrounds.com/fund/medtech-innovator) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **160** **$2.8M** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 18 [Google](https://millionrounds.com/fund/google-assistant-investments) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **154** **$40M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 19 [Business Finland](https://millionrounds.com/fund/business-finland) *Deploying now* Accelerator · Finland **153** **$2.3M** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 20 [South Park Commons](https://millionrounds.com/fund/south-park-commons) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **153** **$7.8M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 21 [Tenity](https://millionrounds.com/fund/tenity) *Deploying now* Accelerator · Switzerland **139** **$1.3M** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 22 [AGORANOV](https://millionrounds.com/fund/agoranov) *Deploying now* Accelerator · France **138** **$3M** median round **Jul 2026** last seen
- 23 [Expert Dojo](https://millionrounds.com/fund/expert-dojo) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **136** **$600K** median round **Aug 2026** last seen
- 24 [Brinc](https://millionrounds.com/fund/brinc) *Deploying now* Accelerator · Hong Kong SAR China **132** **$500K** median round **Jul 2026** last seen
- 25 [Rockstart](https://millionrounds.com/fund/rockstart) *Deploying now* Accelerator · Netherlands **131** **$1.2M** median round **Sept 2026** last seen

**111 more on this list**

All 136 are in the app, with filters for stage, sector and market. A free account shows 10 per search, Pro up to 1,000.

[See the whole list *→*](https://millionrounds.com/login?join=1&next=%2Fapp%2Finvestor-lists%2Fincubators-accelerators-ai)

## The Newest Cheques

Rounds this list's investors joined most recently

- **7** Nov **[LionBio Therapeutics](https://millionrounds.com/company/lionbio-therapeutics)** Pre-seed · $6M *With* [South Park Commons](https://millionrounds.com/fund/south-park-commons)
- **6** Nov **[URobotics](https://millionrounds.com/company/urobotics)** Series A · $30M *With* [Schmidt](https://millionrounds.com/fund/schmidt)
- **6** Nov **[Humble Robotics](https://millionrounds.com/company/humble-robotics)** Series A · $51M *Led by* [Obvious Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/obvious-ventures)
- **6** Nov **[Ocient](https://millionrounds.com/company/ocient)** Series C · $100M *With* [In-Q-Tel](https://millionrounds.com/fund/iqt)
- **5** Nov **[Bizay](https://millionrounds.com/company/bizay)** Series D+ *Led by* [Indico Capital Partners](https://millionrounds.com/fund/indico-capital-partners)
- **5** Nov **[Circularity Fuels](https://millionrounds.com/company/circularity-fuels)** Seed · $7M *With* [Sum Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/sum-ventures-2)

## Stages This Year

2,243 rounds

- Venture **24%**
- Seed **22%**
- Pre-seed **16%**
- Series A **15%**
- Series B **5%**
- Other **18%**

## What They Backed

Sectors, last 12 months

- AI **1,025**
- Fintech **131**
- Big Data & Analytics **125**
- Healthcare **122**
- Biotech **100**
- Energy **71**

## Cheques by Quarter

Led Joined

866 Q1 25

819 Q2 25

951 Q3 25

892 Q4 25

788 Q1 26

660 Q2 26

485 Q3 26

120 Q4 26

The last bar is the quarter still running.

## Lists Like This

- [VC firms backing AI 4,329](https://millionrounds.com/lists/vc-firms-ai)
- [VC firms backing Fintech 1,856](https://millionrounds.com/lists/vc-firms-fintech)
- [VC firms backing Big Data & Analytics 1,248](https://millionrounds.com/lists/vc-firms-big-data)
- [VC firms backing Biotech 1,207](https://millionrounds.com/lists/vc-firms-biotech)
- [VC firms backing Robotics 1,098](https://millionrounds.com/lists/vc-firms-robotics)
- [VC firms backing Construction 1,025](https://millionrounds.com/lists/vc-firms-construction)
- [VC firms backing Energy 998](https://millionrounds.com/lists/vc-firms-energy)
- [PE firms backing AI 956](https://millionrounds.com/lists/pe-firms-ai)
- [VC firms backing Cybersecurity 950](https://millionrounds.com/lists/vc-firms-cybersecurity)

[All investor lists *→*](https://millionrounds.com/lists)

## Reading for founders in AI and data

- Genius Makers: The Mavericks Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook, and the World Cade Metz · 2021 4.26 from 3,395 ratings on Goodreads AI and data Company building About the book "This colorful page-turner puts artificial intelligence into a human perspective. Through the lives of Geoff Hinton and other major players, Metz explains this transformative technology and makes the quest thrilling." Walter Isaacson, author of The Code Breaker Recipient of… On AmazonListen on Audible
- Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI Eric Lamarre · 2023 3.87 from 490 ratings on Goodreads AI and data Company building About the book In Rewired, the world's most influential management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, delivers a road-tested, how-to manual their own consultants use to help companies build the capabilities to outcompete in the age of digital and AI. Many companies are stuck with digital… On AmazonListen on Audible
- The Scaling Era: An Oral History of AI, 2019–2025 Dwarkesh Patel · 2025 3.87 from 570 ratings on Goodreads AI and data Company building About the book An inside view of the AI revolution, from the people and companies making it happen.How did we build large language models? How do they think, if they think? What will the world look like if we have billions of AIs that are as smart as humans, or even smarter?In a series of… On AmazonListen on Audible
- Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity Daron Acemoğlu · 2023 3.94 from 2,496 ratings on Goodreads AI and data Company building About the book The bestselling co-author of Why Nations Fail and the bestselling co-author of 13 Bankers deliver a bold reinterpretation of economics and history that will fundamentally change how you see the world A thousand years of history and contemporary evidence make one thing clear.… On AmazonListen on Audible

More books for founders and investors on the [Reading List](https://millionrounds.com/reading-list?role=founder&industry=ai).

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

## Quick answers about incubators and accelerators backing AI

### Who are the most active incubators and accelerators backing AI?

By cheques observed, the most active are Y Combinator, Plug and Play, MassChallenge, Google for Startups and Creative Destruction Lab.

### How many incubators and accelerators backing AI are there?

136 are on record. 93% made an investment in the last 12 months and 26% have led a round.

### Which stages do incubators and accelerators backing AI back?

Of the rounds with a named stage in the last 12 months, mostly Seed (31%) and Pre-seed (22%).

### How big are the rounds incubators and accelerators backing AI join?

The typical (median) round among the leading investors here is $2.3M.

### Which sectors do incubators and accelerators backing AI back most?

In the last 12 months, mostly AI, Fintech and Big Data & Analytics.

### Which incubators and accelerators backing AI lead the most rounds?

Y Combinator (11 led), Animoca Brands (6 led) and Google (3 led).

### Where are incubators and accelerators backing AI based?

Among the most active, most are based in the United States (15), Switzerland (2) and Hong Kong SAR China (2).

### What have incubators and accelerators backing AI invested in recently?

Recent rounds include LionBio Therapeutics (Pre-seed, Nov 2026, with South Park Commons), URobotics (Series A, Nov 2026, with Schmidt) and Humble Robotics (Series A, Nov 2026, with Obvious Ventures).

Built from the rounds we watched, refreshed every night. [How we count](https://millionrounds.com/methodology) · [Report a correction](https://millionrounds.com/corrections)