Top 25 Startup Accelerators Programs in Los Angeles

Matt deCourcelle -

Picture this: you have created a product that will help so many people out, and you want to do a business where you can sell that product to the masses. You have all the grand dreams of the future — which are all set back by one major problem. You have no idea how to start a business, much less how to maintain it.

Fortunately, startup accelerators exist and are pretty much everywhere nowadays, and they’re here to sweep in and save your day.

What Do Startup Accelerators Do?

Startup accelerators are also known as seed accelerators, and they are cohort-based programs that support early-stage companies by offering mentorship and educational components, as well as financing. These programs typically culminate in a public pitch event or demo day.

The application process for startup accelerators is open to everyone, but it is incredibly competitive. Selected startups enter the programs for a fixed period, and they will undergo a rigorous educational process that aims to accelerate their companies’ life cycles.

Accelerators can be either privately or publicly funded, and they cover a broad range of industries.

What Are the Top Accelerator Programs in Los Angeles?

As mentioned above, startup accelerators are currently rising in number, and they can be found everywhere, especially in Los Angeles.

Because of this, if you are an entrepreneur in LA, you should take advantage of at least one accelerator in the city. The following are the 25 most well-known and acclaimed accelerators in Los Angeles that you can choose from.

MedTech Innovator

MedTech Innovator is a nonprofit global competition and accelerator for medical devices, digital health, and diagnostic companies. It is the company’s goal to improve patient’s lives by accelerating the growth of companies that are changing the healthcare system for the better.

For the MedTech Innovator US Program, the competition includes several rounds where companies gain exposure from industry leaders via online application reviews, virtual pitch sessions, and audience competitions at several conferences.

The startups that win in the competition will then receive a place in the accelerator program, a four-month program (virtual in 2021) that lasts from June to September. This program provides exclusive networking, workshops, and pitching with investors, manufacturers, providers, and customers.

MedTech Innovator has several investors, including RCT Ventures and Healthtech Capital. They also have leading manufacturers, such as Johnson & Johnson, Dexcom, and NIPRO Medical Corp., as application reviewers, mentors, and judges.

Techstars Music

The Techstars Music Accelerator is a program that focuses on the impact and uses of technology in music and entertainment. In 2021, the program hopes that they can provide a hybrid of remote and in-person programming, following necessary COVID-19 precautions all the while.

This program is one of the many accelerator programs that Techstars offers to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Techstars (Los Angeles Program)

The Techstars Los Angeles Accelerator is another accelerator program that is offered by Techstars. This particular program is looking for entrepreneurs who specialize in providing new solutions to industries like clean energy and transportation.

Just like Techstars Music, Techstars Los Angeles Accelerator will have a hybrid virtual and in-person programming this 2021, and it will officially start on July 19, 2021. The demo day will be on October 14.

The mentors at this program have deep experience in the industry, investment, and entrepreneurship. As of right now, the program has invested in 47 companies.

Techstars (Starburst Space Program)

Another accelerator program offered by Techstars, the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator helps startup companies that specialize in commercial space. Techstars launched this program in Los Angeles in partnership with Starburst Aerospace.

The Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator offers several highly esteemed mentors, including Dylar Taylor, the chairman, and CEO of Voyager Space Holdings.

This 2021, the program will run virtually, and it officially starts on June 7, 2021, with the demo day on September 2.

Cedars-Sinai Accelerator

The Cedars-Sinai Accelerator is a program that focuses on startups in the healthcare industry. Chosen startups receive funding of $100,000, mentorship from over 300 leading clinicians and executives, access to Cedars-Sinai, and exposure to a vast network of healthcare experts, such as health system executives, healthcare entrepreneurs, industry advisers, and healthcare investors.

This program lasts for three months, and it’s usually held either once or twice a year. As of today, there have been about 40 startups that have participated in this program.

Disney Accelerator

Disney Accelerator aims to advance opportunities between innovative technologies and the Walt Disney Company, and so, they focus on entrepreneurs in new media and entertainment.

Each year, the program accepts ten startups for a three-month mentorship that provides access to the creativity, imagination, and expertise of Disney, including unique access to Disney’s leadership team. Startups also receive $120,000 in funding.

Some of the most well-known alumni of the Disney Accelerator program are Epic Games, Sphero, StartMuse, and Kahoot!

MiLA Capital

MiLA Capital is an accelerator and venture capital firm that invests at the pre-seed and seed stage in five high-opportunity sectors in the U.S., Latin America, and beyond. The industries that they specialize in are food technology, automation, mobility and aerospace, climate technology, and health and wellness.

Moreover, MiLA Captial provides startups with a deep network and hands-on operating strategy. As of today, the company has invested in 22 companies, including Force Impact Technologies, Caban Systems, and Amped Innovation.

Yellow

Yellow is an accelerator program that serves companies at the intersection of creativity and technology. In other words, this program invests in companies that can contribute to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together.

Selected startups will receive funding of $150,000, mentorship from industry veterans and experts across creative and technical industries, weekly programming on topics like business strategy and management, remote networking events and opportunities, and commercial support and partnerships.

Currently, Yellow has 11 investments.

Leap Venture Studio

The Leap Venture Studio is a program that is designed to ignite meaningful growth across the pet care startup ecosystem. This program is a partnership between Michelson Found Animals — a leading animal welfare nonprofit organization working at the nexus of pets, people, and policy — and Kinship — a division of Mars Petcare that focuses on springboarding innovation in the pet care space.

This accelerator provides mentorship and networking opportunities for a total of 12 weeks. The program will culminate in an online pitch event where startup companies pitch to investors, industry leaders, and the startup community.

KidsX

KidsX is a global ecosystem of pediatric innovators, anchored by a consortium of over 40 children’s hospitals from North America, Europe, and Australia. All these hospitals and innovators have partnered to create a start accelerator that supports early-stage digital health companies that transform pediatric care.

The KidsX accelerator program lasts for 13 weeks. During this time, budding entrepreneurs work closely and collaboratively with decision-makers and digital health leaders at the most innovative children’s hospitals to determine how their products best deliver value in the market. They will also receive mentorship from experts in pediatrics, healthcare technology, healthcare investing, health policy, regulatory affairs, and many more.

French Accelerator

French Accelerator is a Los Angeles-based accelerator program that aims to help innovative French startups enter the U.S. market and scale their development. The program boasts decades of experience that will be able to help startups develop their business, recruit talent, forge strategic partnerships, design products, and services, and bring their ideas to market.

Some of the companies that they have helped throughout the years are appyReward, Oolala, Khepri, Wiredrive, Stample, and Concierge.

Startup UCLA Accelerator

Established in 2012, Startup UCLA Accelerator is an accelerator program that occurs every summer. This is specifically targeted to UCLA students and alumni who want to develop their tech startups during a ten-week highly intensive program.

The course of this accelerator incorporates the best practices and knowledge in entrepreneurship, technology, and design. The chosen startups also travel to the Bay Area to visit venture capital firms and other startup entrepreneurs, so they’re able to make valuable connections and also receive constructive feedback on their pitches from industry professionals.

Over the years, Startup UCLA has raised over $25 million in funding and over $10 million in revenue.

Two Coins Group

Two Coins Group is a startup accelerator that supports startups in the media and entertainment industries. Aside from making investments in early- to seed-stage businesses, the company also cultivates business ideas from within its own network of resources and assigns internal teams of engineers, advisors, and business developers to develop them.

Some of their well-known ventures include Gamevice, Retro-Cade, Ardius, and Stubbins.

Green Way Laboratories

Green Way Laboratories is an accelerator that was formed to research and develop innovative green cleaning solutions for multiple markets and industries.

Currently, the company has a pipeline of high-performance cleaning products and accessories for a variety of applications. They are also working with other independent companies that specialize in producing cleaning products.

Some of the brands under Green Way Laboratories are MastiClean, AquaCloth, and Verday.

Untapped Ventures

Untapped Ventures is a startup studio and pre-seed venture fund that builds and invests in startups that are re-imagining the future of work.

The company’s accelerator program, The Future of Work Studio-Accelerator” is perfect for those entrepreneurs who are passionate about disrupting work environments, designing new models of work, developing new tools for enhanced productivity, and bringing wellbeing into the workplace.

This program lasts for nine months, and selected startups will be able to reap several benefits, including co-founder matching, access to investment, access to the Leanstack Continuous Innovation venture building platform, and one-to-one startup coaching.

M Accelerator

M Accelerator is a company that helps founders at different stages of their business development through several coaching programs. Their programs can be divided into three categories: startup programs (ideation, early-stage, and later-stage startups), innovation labs (larger public and private institutions), and custom acceleration-style programs (international institutions, accelerators, and incubators).

For their startup program, chosen entrepreneurs will spend four weeks developing clarity about their business ideas, eight weeks designing and developing their business, and 12 weeks for training sessions.

Additionally, M Accelerator has several partners, and they have negotiated about $1 million’s worth of deals from these partners to their chosen entrepreneurs.

Startup Boost Pre-Accelerator

Startup Boost Pre-Accelerator is a global pre-accelerator program that aims to lead pre-seed stage startups towards accelerators, investment, and revenue.

With this program, the organization will work with early-stage startups for six weeks. Startups will be able to receive one-on-one mentorship and connections with seed investors and industry partners.

Moreover, after the startup program, the Start Boost HQ team also provides post-program opportunities, including investor introductions and events to help alumni succeed.

Over the years, Startup Boost has accelerated over 265 startups and raised over $56 million in funding. They also have 14 locations all over the world, including one in Los Angeles.

MuckerLab Accelerator

MuckerLab Accelerator is a mentorship-driven, pre-seed startup accelerator that works with a small number of exceptional technology entrepreneurs. Unlike the vast majority of startup accelerators, MuckerLab does not offer three-month boot camps, and there are also no demo days. Instead, they help startups in building their businesses for one year — or however long it takes.

For that reason, they only take on 10–12 startups per year, and so far, they have funded 58 startups.

ELEVACAO Foundation

ELEVACAO Foundation is a global pre-accelerator for women tech founders. This organization aims to empower women to build successful, innovative technology businesses while creating collaborative environments at the same time.

Their accelerator program, also known as the Investor Ready Program, is an interactive workshop series of eight half-days delivered over eight weeks. During this period, selected entrepreneurs will learn everything about starting and managing a business, especially business modeling and financials, marketing strategies, and pitching.

Over the years, ELEVACAO has empowered 165 women across the U.S. and Australia.

Troy Labs

Troy Labs is an accelerator that helps entrepreneurs from the University of Southern California (USC) to build and scale their ventures. The company’s services can be divided into five categories, namely:

  • Ignite: a startup community where aspiring entrepreneurs connect with other aspiring entrepreneurs
  • Build: a cohort-style accelerator program that accepts the most promising teams and guides them through 8 weeks of mentorship, workshops, and resources
  • Demo: an annual startup showcase that features the best Trojan startups
  • Scale: a team of consultants works with entrepreneurs to assist with user research, product testing, business strategy, and market acquisition
  • Fund: a team of analysts invests in startups from ventures led by USC students, alumni, and faculty

Troy Labs has several partners for their accelerator endeavors. Some of their well-known partners are LinkedIn, Hubspot, Yellow, and TedX.

Cal-X Stars Business Accelerator

Cal-X Stars Business Accelerator is a business accelerator that specializes in life science and social good impact innovations.

The accelerator’s life science portfolio is focused on regenerating damaged, diseased, and aged organs and tissues to extend and improve quality of life. This includes numerous bioelectric patented innovations for treating heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases.

Meanwhile, the social impact portfolio features The California Stock Exchange (the first conscious capitalism stock exchange with a focus on facilitating local investing) and KindHeart Lionheart Media and Publishing Company.

Companies that have been launched by Cal-X Business Accelerator have raised more than $145 million in venture capital.

Quake Capital Los Angeles

Quake Capital is a venture capital fund with offices in the U.S. and Europe. The company aims to build startup ecosystems and enhance innovation across multiple industry verticals and geographies. In particular, they have a strong affinity for AdTech, AgTech, AR/VR, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cellular communications (5G), computer vision, cybersecurity, energy, MedTech, robotics, and many more.

Quake’s growth program lasts for three months, and during this period, chosen startups will receive intense hands-on training and leadership development.

Over the last three years, they have worked with over 350 early-stage founders, and their startups have raised more than $90 million in venture capital.

Food Centricity

Food Centricity is a Los Angeles-based accelerator that focuses on helping early-stage and growth-stage food companies.

With their program, aspiring food entrepreneurs will learn all the essential aspects of managing a business, including ideation, market research, branding, product development and formulation, product testing, packaging, and launching.

Food Centricity will also help you in financial and operations planning, marketing, sales and distribution strategies, funding for growth, and planning an exit.

The International Business Accelerator

  • Website: https://www.iba.io/
  • Twitter: Not available
  • Take equity: Not available
  • Invest Amount: Not available

The International Business Accelerator is a joint program of the Community Vitalization Council — an economic development nonprofit — and K5 Ventures — an early-stage venture fund that partners with and invests in technology-driven businesses led by visionary founders.

This accelerator aims to help early-stage companies implementing blockchain technology for international expansion. For that reason, there are two programs that aspiring entrepreneurs can choose from:

  • The IBA Export Accelerator. This program is outbound from the U.S., and it’s available in cohorts, one-on-one, and online. All three options offer one-on-one business coaching with multiple sector experts.
  • InBoundLA. This is inbound to the U.S., and it’s perfect for international companies that are interested in a guided roadmap to U.S. market entry, with Los Angeles as the entry point.

After taking IBA’s programs, entrepreneurs will have a global focus on their business ideas.

COACCEL

COACCEL is an accelerator program that’s founded by Cam Kashani. Cam Kashani, also known as the “Godmother of Silicon Beach,” is a 3x founder, and she has worked with over 4000 entrepreneurs and over 700 startups.

It is Kashani’s goal to humanize business, and so, COACCEL focuses on the individuality of each entrepreneur. With this program, aspiring entrepreneurs will receive a one-on-one customized mentorship for 12 weeks, which allows them to accelerate their businesses to the next level.

Conclusion

When it comes to starting and maintaining a business, you’re going to need all the help that you can get. As such, it is such a good thing that there are now startup accelerators that specifically aim to help you launch your company and succeed in the business world.

You can find accelerators everywhere, and they’re especially abundant in Los Angeles. So, if you’re a budding entrepreneur residing in the city, you should take a look at the 25 accelerators mentioned above and try applying to some of them. You just might get into a program, and it will help with your entrepreneurial journey.