Top 10 European Startup Accelerators to Launch Your Startup in 2026

Europe's startup ecosystem has grown into one of the most dynamic innovation hubs in the world. What was once dominated by a handful of programs has evolved into a sophisticated network of accelerators, each bringing distinct strengths to the table.

We analyzed the most active European startup accelerators based on portfolio performance, capital deployed, alumni success, and the specific value they provide to founders at different stages.

Top European Startup Accelerators: Quick Comparison

Name	Region	Stage Fit	Equity Model	Focus Areas
Seedcamp	London, UK	Pre-seed to Seed	£100K-£2M for equity	Fintech, SaaS, AI, Deep-tech
Entrepreneur First	London/SF	Pre-idea	$250K for 8%	AI, Deep-tech, Spacetech, Biotech
Station F	Paris, France	Early-stage	Investment varies	AI, Climate Tech, Fintech
Antler	Stockholm/London	Day Zero	£500K package	AI, Fintech, SaaS, Renewables
Founders Factory	London, UK	Pre-seed to Seed	Hybrid model	Fintech, Health, Climate, Deep Tech
Startup Wise Guys	Tallinn, Estonia	Pre-seed	€90K for 9%	B2B SaaS, Fintech, Cybersecurity
MassChallenge	Switzerland/UK	All stages	0% equity	Deep tech, Health, Sustainability
Rockstart	Amsterdam, NL	Early-stage	Standard equity	Agrifood, Energy, HealthTech
High Tech XL	Netherlands	Concept to MVP	Team formation	Deep tech, Hardware, Science
Ellenox	Europe/USA/India	Idea to pre-seed	Custom/Studio	B2B SaaS, AI, Consumer apps

The 10 Best European Startup Accelerators

1. Seedcamp

Seedcamp started in 2007 as a small mentorship program and has grown into one of Europe's most successful venture funds. They closed their sixth fund at €166 million in 2024, and their track record speaks for itself. They were the first investors in Wise, Revolut, and UiPath, three companies that went on to become European tech giants.

The program operates as what they call the "Seedcamp Nation," a microeconomy where founders get access to the Seedcamp Expert Collective. This group includes operators who've scaled businesses from zero to $100M ARR at companies like Stripe, Uber, and Revolut. It's not just advice. These are people who've done it.

In 2024, they welcomed 75 new founders and watched nearly 50 portfolio companies raise major Series A rounds. Their portfolio enterprise value exceeds $100 billion. They're particularly strong in fintech and enterprise SaaS where trust and institutional connectivity matter most.

Website: seedcamp.com

Program Lead: Reshma Sohoni and Carlos Espinal

HQ Location: London, United Kingdom

Company Types: Fintech, SaaS, AI, Deep-tech, Healthtech

Portfolio: 600+ companies

Notable Alumni: Revolut, UiPath, Wise, Pleo, Sorare, Grover, WeFox

Exits: 40+ exits, including acquisitions by Airbnb and Stripe. Funds I and II returned 4x

2. Entrepreneur First (EF)

Entrepreneur First pioneered what they call "talent investing." They find people with outlier potential before those people have an idea or a co-founder. It's a different model entirely.

In 2025, EF made a strategic shift. They closed their traditional European city programs in Paris and Berlin to focus on a "Bridge" residency in San Francisco for European founders.

The reasoning is straightforward. US customers buy experimental technology faster, which means EF companies can hit significant ARR within months of landing in the Bay Area.

The program puts participants through a 12-week sprint focused on two things: finding a compatible co-founder and identifying a venture-scale idea. If you succeed, you get a $250K investment package. That's $125K from EF for 8% equity, plus an optional $125K from partners if you relocate to the US.

They've produced a portfolio worth over $13 billion, with heavy concentration in deep-tech applications across AI, spacetech, and biotechnology. Someone once described it as "Love Island crossed with Y Combinator," which is accurate. You're pairing with strangers to build something meaningful.

The residency provides direct coaching from partners who've built billion-dollar companies. In 2025, they're focused on European founders building in the US, with office space in San Francisco and over $600K in startup credits from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Azure.

Website: joinef.com

Program Lead: Alice Bentinck and Matt Clifford

HQ Location: London, United Kingdom with major SF residency

Company Types: AI, Deep-tech, Spacetech, Biotech, Quantum Computing

Portfolio: 600+ companies

Notable Alumni: Magic Pony (acquired by Twitter), Tractable (unicorn), Cleo, Spore

Exits: Significant exits to Twitter and Stripe. Combined portfolio value over $13bn

3. Station F (Founders Program)

Station F operates out of a converted Parisian rail depot and is the world's largest startup campus. Over 1,000 companies work there at any given time. Their in-house "Founders Program" is one of the most selective in Europe, recently redesigned to focus on mature startups led by repeat founders.

More than 50% of the current cohort are second-time founders. The program acts as what they call a "business enablement engine," providing a hybrid work-live ecosystem. You get immediate proximity to governmental services through La French Tech and direct access to the world's leading VC funds who regularly visit the campus.

Station F has become central to the "AI France" movement. Around 70% of startups on campus are building with or leveraging AI as a core part of their value proposition. The Founders Program makes direct investment checks in top companies from each batch, covering sectors from legaltech to construction and fashion.

The campus has over 70 nationalities represented, making it an ideal soft-landing hub for US or Asian scaleups entering the European market. You're not just getting desk space. You're getting access to the French and European innovation landscape.

Website: stationf.co

Program Lead: Roxanne Varza

HQ Location: Paris, France

Company Types: Sector-agnostic with high density in AI, Climate Tech, and Fintech

Portfolio: 1,000+ startups currently on campus

Notable Alumni: Mistral AI, Hugging Face, Multiverse Computing, Bento

Exits: May 2025 saw record acquisitions, including companies bought by Apple, Samsung, and Datadog

4. Antler (Europe)

Antler is the most active early-stage venture capital firm globally, investing in around 300 startups every year. In Europe, they've backed over 550 tech companies, with major hubs in London and Stockholm.

The "Antler Residency" is an 8 to 10-week building sprint designed to help founders find co-founders and achieve in weeks what typically takes months. In 2025, Antler UK increased its commitment significantly, offering a £500,000 investment package for new startups. That's the most competitive Day Zero offer in the country.

Their European research, based on studying 3,000 unicorn founders, shows that startups are now reaching first revenue 3x faster than in previous years. The firm focuses heavily on execution speed, backing technical founders who are statistically more likely to build fast-growth AI companies.

Website: antler.co

Program Lead: Adam French (UK) and Magnus Grimeland (Global)

HQ Location: Stockholm, Sweden (European HQ) and London, UK

Company Types: AI, Fintech, SaaS, Renewable Energy, Cybersecurity

Portfolio: 1,000+ investments globally with 400+ in Europe

Notable Alumni: Lovable AI, Airalo, Treyd, Capsa AI, Diesta

Exits: 142 exits globally with 80% of portfolio raising follow-on capital within 9 months

5. Founders Factory

Founders Factory has accelerated over 400 companies since launching in 2015 out of London. They operate a hybrid model with two distinct tracks: a "Venture Studio" that co-founds businesses from inception and an "Accelerator" for pre-seed and seed-stage startups.

Their core strength is what they call "Corporate Advantage." They partner with sector-leading organizations like Aviva and Reckitt to give founders unfair access to distribution, market intelligence, and commercial partnerships. These aren't loose relationships. The corporate partners are deeply involved.

The Studio team of 60+ operators includes serial founders and designers who apply a proven playbook to de-risk startups and fast-track them to product-market fit.

This works best for founders who want to collaborate with dedicated teams of designers, marketers, and engineers to validate concepts and build MVPs. The corporate partners lend credibility and advantages on everything from data access to capital.

Website: foundersfactory.com

Program Lead: Henry Lane Fox and Brent Hoberman

HQ Location: London, United Kingdom with hubs in Berlin, Milan, and NY

Company Types: Fintech, Healthtech, Climate, Deep Tech, Media

Portfolio: 400+ companies

Notable Alumni: Storyblok, Shop Circle, Perlego, Fundamental VR, Previse

Exits: Major exits include Landvault sold for $450M in 2024, TrustedHousesitters at $100M, and Flourish

6. Startup Wise Guys

Startup Wise Guys is Estonia's leading B2B startup accelerator and focuses on underserved markets across the Baltics, CEE, and beyond. They emphasize a "no-nonsense" and "no bullshit" culture, prioritizing technical founders who are purpose-driven rather than just hustlers looking for a quick exit.

Their programs cover five specialized verticals: SaaS, Fintech, Cybersecurity, Sustainability, and Extended Reality. They offer a pre-seed investment of roughly €90K for 9% equity, with follow-on rounds of up to €300K for top performers.

The survival rate is 80% for their portfolio companies. That's well above industry averages and reflects their rigorous selection process and world-class acceleration curriculum.

With over 20 major exits, including Skeleton Technologies, which raised a €50M Series E in late 2023, they're a dominant force in Northern and Eastern European venture capital.

Startup Wise Guys acts as the "first believer" in technical teams building complex B2B solutions. Their programs combine on-site sessions with local gatherings, providing a human touch that's rare in the global accelerator landscape.

Website: startupwiseguys.com

Program Lead: Cristobal Alonso (CEO)

HQ Location: Tallinn, Estonia with hubs in Riga, Vilnius, and Milan

Company Types: B2B SaaS, Fintech, Cybersecurity, Cleantech

Portfolio: 440+ companies with 800+ founders

Notable Alumni: Skeleton Technologies, Trapmine, Sense of Space, Convershake

Exits: 20+ exits with 80% survival rate

7. MassChallenge Europe

MassChallenge Europe runs zero-equity accelerators in Switzerland and the UK focused on deep tech, healthcare, climate, and other impact sectors. They offer grants, mentorship, and corporate partnerships without taking any startup equity.

This model appeals to founders who want structured support and validation without giving up ownership. MassChallenge is particularly strong for founders building solutions in health, sustainability, or social impact, where mission alignment matters as much as financial returns.

The zero-equity structure means you maintain full control of your cap table while still benefiting from institutional support, connections, and credibility. For founders concerned about early dilution or those who've already raised some capital and don't want to give up more equity, this is an ideal path.

Website: masschallenge.org

Program Lead: Europe Team

HQ Location: Switzerland and the UK

Company Types: Deep tech, Health, Sustainability

Portfolio: Diverse impact-oriented cohort alumni

Notable Alumni: Various award and grant winners

8. Rockstart

Rockstart offers six-month programs across Europe, blending mentorship, investor access, and sector expertise. They're particularly strong in agrifood, energy, and health ecosystems, providing specialized support that generalist accelerators can't match.

The programs are based in Amsterdam and operate with a clear focus on vertical-specific challenges.

If you're building in these sectors, you get access to domain experts, corporate partners, and investors who understand the unique dynamics of each industry.

Rockstart has supported hundreds of startups across Europe and maintains strong relationships with sector-specific investors and strategic partners. The six-month program gives founders time to properly develop their products and business models without the rush of shorter accelerators.

Website: rockstart.com

Program Lead: Rockstart Management

HQ Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Company Types: Agrifood, Energy, HealthTech

Portfolio: Hundreds of startups supported

Notable Alumni: Sector-focused companies across Europe

Exits: Funding rounds and corporate pilots

9. High Tech XL

High Tech XL helps startups in deep tech, hardware, and scientific innovation move from concept to market through mentorship and team formation support. They focus on the unique challenges that hardware and science-based companies face, which are different from those of software startups.

The program is based in the Netherlands and has engaged with over 800 startups historically. They understand that deep tech requires longer development cycles, more capital, and different types of expertise than typical software ventures.

High Tech XL provides support in forming teams, which is critical for deep tech ventures where you often need complementary technical expertise. They help with MVP development, understanding that hardware and science-based products require more than just code.

Website: hightechxl.com

Program Lead: HTXL Leadership

HQ Location: Netherlands

Company Types: Deep tech, Hardware, Advanced technologies

Portfolio: 800+ startups engaged historically

Notable Alumni: Tech ventures in advanced sectors

Exits: Growth into spin-outs and funded ventures

10. Ellenox Venture Studio

Ellenox operates as a venture studio working directly with early-stage founders across Europe, the USA, and India to build and launch products. Instead of weekly mentorship calls, Ellenox provides embedded engineering, AI development, product design, and go-to-market support.

Teams work in weekly sprints covering frontend and backend development, LLM integration, brand strategy, and investor readiness. The studio model is designed for technical founders in AI, fintech, and B2B SaaS who want to accelerate from concept to launch with hands-on execution support.

The approach differs fundamentally from traditional accelerators. Rather than joining a fixed cohort or attending scheduled sessions, founders at Ellenox work directly with senior engineers, AI specialists, and product designers. The focus is on shipping software, building features, refining architecture, and making progress on product, design, and distribution every single week.

Website: ellenox.com

Portfolio: 50+ startups, including Vinita, Grouped, and Clockout

HQ Location: Bangalore, India, with presence inthe USA and Europe

Company Types: AI tools, B2B SaaS, Consumer applications, Social platforms

Why Choose Ellenox for Your European Startup

Traditional accelerators are built around mentorship, investor introductions, and Demo Day preparation. Ellenox focuses on execution, helping early-stage founders turn concepts into working products.

European founders often face unique challenges. Building across multiple markets with different regulations, languages, and customer expectations. Accessing technical talent in competitive markets. Moving fast enough to compete with both US startups and local competitors.

Ellenox addresses these challenges directly. Rather than advice, you get embedded teams that build with you. Rather than introductions, you get products that attract customers and investors naturally. Rather than workshops, you get weekly sprints that ship features.

For technical founders and early teams who want to move faster with stronger execution support, Ellenox offers a better alternative to traditional accelerator programs.

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