# Incubators and accelerators backing Retail (2026 list)

> 10 incubators and accelerators backing Retail, 100% active in the last 12 months. Led by Y Combinator, Plug and Play, Creative Destruction Lab.

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

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

# Incubators and accelerators backing Retail

Updated 7 November 2026

Incubators and accelerators we have observed in a retail round in the last two years.

[See all 10 *→*](https://millionrounds.com/login?join=1&next=%2Fapp%2Finvestor-lists%2Fincubators-accelerators-retail)The top 10

**10** investors on the list No change this week

**1,324** cheques in 12 months *-15%* against the market

**$4M** median round they joined *-50%* against the market median

**100%** wrote a cheque in 12 months

**80%** have led a round

## The Top 10

Ordered by cheques observed, never by anything anyone paid for

Deploying now (10)

- 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 [Creative Destruction Lab](https://millionrounds.com/fund/creative-destruction-lab) *Deploying now* Accelerator · Canada **427** **$3M** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 4 [Neo](https://millionrounds.com/fund/neo) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **364** **$5.5M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 5 [NTT DOCOMO Ventures](https://millionrounds.com/fund/ntt-docomo-ventures) *Deploying now* Accelerator · Japan **115** **$12M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 6 [LAUNCH](https://millionrounds.com/fund/launch) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **82** **$5M** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 7 [A16z Speedrun](https://millionrounds.com/fund/a16z-speedrun) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **22** **$6M** median round **Nov 2026** last seen
- 8 [Madica](https://millionrounds.com/fund/madica) *Deploying now* Accelerator · United States **6** **$883K** median round **Oct 2026** last seen
- 9 [WOW Aceleradora](https://millionrounds.com/fund/wow-aceleradora-de-startups) *Deploying now* Accelerator · Brazil **3** **$398K** median round **Sept 2026** last seen
- 10 [VENTIUR](https://millionrounds.com/fund/ventiur) *Deploying now* Accelerator · Brazil **1** **$400K** median round **May 2026** last seen

## The Newest Cheques

Rounds this list's investors joined most recently

- **4** Nov **[Lazarus AI](https://millionrounds.com/company/lazarus-ai)** $43M *With* [Plug and Play](https://millionrounds.com/fund/plug-and-play)
- **3** Nov **[SYNCERE](https://millionrounds.com/company/syncere)** Pre-seed · $11M *Led by* [A16z Speedrun](https://millionrounds.com/fund/a16z-speedrun)
- **3** Nov **[Athena](https://millionrounds.com/company/athena)** Pre-seed · $2.5M *Led by* [A16z Speedrun](https://millionrounds.com/fund/a16z-speedrun)
- **3** Nov **[Carryt](https://millionrounds.com/company/carryt)** Round *With* [Plug and Play](https://millionrounds.com/fund/plug-and-play)
- **3** Nov **[Vereda](https://millionrounds.com/company/vereda)** Seed · $5.5M *With* [A16z Speedrun](https://millionrounds.com/fund/a16z-speedrun)
- **3** Nov **[Applied Compute](https://millionrounds.com/company/applied-compute)** Other · $350M *With* [Neo](https://millionrounds.com/fund/neo)

## Stages This Year

1,302 rounds

- Venture **27%**
- Pre-seed **21%**
- Seed **19%**
- Series A **14%**
- Series B **5%**
- Other **14%**

## What They Backed

Sectors, last 12 months

- AI **693**
- Fintech **82**
- Big Data & Analytics **75**
- Healthcare **61**
- Financial Services **45**
- Biotech **44**

## Cheques by Quarter

Led Joined

418 Q1 25

380 Q2 25

458 Q3 25

438 Q4 25

400 Q1 26

398 Q2 26

269 Q3 26

53 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 retail and fashion

- Lovemarks The Future Beyond Brands Kevin Roberts · 2004 3.86 from 1,497 ratings on Goodreads Retail and fashion Company building About the book "Ideas move mountains, especially in turbulent times. Lovemarks is the product of the fertile-iconoclast mind of Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi. Roberts argues vociferously, and with a ton of data to support him, that traditional branding practices have become… On AmazonListen on Audible
- Fashion entrepreneurship Michele Granger, Tina Sterling · 2002 On 15 reading lists at Open Library Retail and fashion Company building On AmazonListen on AudibleOn Open Library
- Retail Gangster: The Insane, Real-Life Story of Crazy Eddie Gary Weiss · 2022 3.90 from 1,120 ratings on Goodreads Retail and fashion Company building About the book A biography of the spectacular rise and fall of Eddie Antar, better known as "Crazy Eddie," whose home electronics empire changed the world even as it turned out to be one of the biggest business scams of all timeBack in the fall of 2016 we heard the news about the passing of… On AmazonListen on Audible
- The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon Brad Stone · 2013 4.13 from 78,706 ratings on Goodreads Retail and fashion Company building About the book The definitive story of Amazon.com, one of the most successful companies in the world, and of its driven, brilliant founder, Jeff Bezos. Amazon.com started off delivering books through the mail. But its visionary founder, Jeff Bezos, wasn't content with being a bookseller. He… On AmazonListen on Audible

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

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

## Quick answers about incubators and accelerators backing Retail

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

By cheques observed, the most active are Y Combinator, Plug and Play, Creative Destruction Lab, Neo and NTT DOCOMO Ventures.

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

10 are on record. 100% made an investment in the last 12 months and 80% have led a round.

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

Of the rounds with a named stage in the last 12 months, mostly Pre-seed (30%) and Seed (27%).

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

The typical (median) round among the leading investors here is $5M.

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

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

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

A16z Speedrun (12 led), Y Combinator (11 led) and Madica (3 led).

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

Among the most active, most are based in the United States (6), Brazil (2) and Canada (1).

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

Recent rounds include Lazarus AI (Nov 2026, with Plug and Play), SYNCERE (Pre-seed, Nov 2026, with A16z Speedrun) and Athena (Pre-seed, Nov 2026, with A16z Speedrun).

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