/ THE COHORT YIELD INDEX™ · VOLUME I · 2026
What does your cohort actually yield?
A rating system for every major U.S. and global startup accelerator, incubator, and founder program. 55 programs rated across five dimensions — Equity Terms Fairness, Founder Outcomes, Mentor Quality, Demo Day Yield, and Post-Program Network. Sourced from PitchBook outcomes data, SEC Form D follow-on filings, PACER court records, FTC complaints, and Startup X's proprietary founder survey. Updated quarterly.
Grade
Program
Score
Risk Band
A-
Y Combinator
Tier 1 Accelerator · 7% equity for $500K + $1.5M SAFE
91/100
Excellent
→
B-
Techstars
Tier 1 Accelerator · 6% equity for $120K + $100K convertible
74/100
Good
→
C+
500 Global
Tier 1 Accelerator · ~6% equity for $150K
66/100
Mixed
→
C+
Plug and Play
Corporate Accelerator · Varies by corporate partner; typically 0
67/100
Mixed
→
F
AngelPad (Defunct 2024)
Defunct · Historical: ~6% for $120K
28/100
Critical
→
B+
SOSV
Vertical Specialist · ~5-10% equity for $250K-$500K (varies by
85/100
Good
→
B+
IndieBio
Vertical Specialist · 8% for $525K
86/100
Good
→
B
HAX
Vertical Specialist · ~6-10% for $250K
81/100
Good
→
B
Antler
Pre-Idea Program · ~10-20% equity for $100K-$250K + co-foun
82/100
Good
→
B+
Entrepreneur First
Pre-Idea Program · ~10% equity for £150K-£200K + co-founder
84/100
Good
→
B+
South Park Commons
Pre-Idea Program · Membership-based + investment in select
85/100
Good
→
B+
AI2 Incubator
Vertical Specialist · ~10% for ~$500K (varies)
86/100
Good
→
D+
On Deck
Pre-Idea Program · Membership-based; recent restructuring
47/100
High Risk
→
B
Alchemist Accelerator
Vertical Specialist · 5% for $36K
81/100
Good
→
B
Mucker Capital
Tier 1 Accelerator · ~6% for $175K
80/100
Good
→
B+
MassChallenge
Geographic Accelerator · Zero equity; $0 fee
86/100
Good
→
B
gener8tor
Geographic Accelerator · ~6% for $140K
79/100
Good
→
C+
Capital Factory
Geographic Accelerator · Variable membership + investment
67/100
Mixed
→
F
NewChip (Defunct 2023)
Defunct · Historical: paid program $7-25K + equity
18/100
Critical
→
B-
Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA)
Geographic Accelerator · 8% for $100K
74/100
Good
→
B+
Stanford StartX
University Accelerator · Zero equity; affiliation-based
86/100
Good
→
B+
UC Berkeley SkyDeck
University Accelerator · Zero-equity primary; $200K SAFE optional
85/100
Good
→
B+
MIT delta v
University Accelerator · Zero equity; affiliation-based
85/100
Good
→
B
Harvard i-Lab
University Accelerator · Zero equity; affiliation-based
80/100
Good
→
B-
NYU Innovation Venture Fund
University Accelerator · Equity-based investment
75/100
Good
→
B-
UCLA Anderson Venture Accelerator
University Accelerator · Zero equity; school-affiliated
74/100
Good
→
B
CMU Project Olympus
University Accelerator · Zero equity; affiliation-based
79/100
Good
→
B-
Disney Accelerator
Corporate Accelerator · Investment + corporate partnership
74/100
Good
→
B-
Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs
Corporate Accelerator · Investment + Techstars partnership
75/100
Good
→
B-
Google for Startups Accelerator
Corporate Accelerator · Zero equity; Google Cloud credits + ment
75/100
Good
→
B-
Microsoft for Startups
Corporate Accelerator · Zero equity; Azure credits + ISV partner
76/100
Good
→
C+
Citi Ventures Accelerator
Corporate Accelerator · Investment + Citi corporate partnership
67/100
Mixed
→
C+
Mastercard Start Path
Corporate Accelerator · Zero equity; partnership-based
68/100
Mixed
→
C
Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator
Corporate Accelerator · Investment + Wells Fargo partnership
62/100
Mixed
→
B
Seedcamp
International Accelerator · ~7-8% for £100K-£300K
80/100
Good
→
B-
Founders Factory
International Accelerator · ~6-8% for £100K-£250K + corporate partne
75/100
Good
→
B-
Startup Wise Guys
International Accelerator · ~6-8% for €60K-€100K
74/100
Good
→
D+
Founder Institute
International Accelerator · Paid program $50-$1500 + 3.5% equity war
48/100
High Risk
→
B-
Antler Asia (Singapore)
International Accelerator · ~10-20% for $100K + co-founder matching
76/100
Good
→
B
a16z Crypto Startup School
Web3 Accelerator · Zero equity; non-investment program
81/100
Good
→
B-
Alliance DAO
Web3 Accelerator · ~5-7% for $250K
74/100
Good
→
C+
Outlier Ventures
Web3 Accelerator · ~5-7% for $100K + tokens
67/100
Mixed
→
C-
Binance Labs
Web3 Accelerator · Investment + Binance ecosystem access
54/100
Mixed
→
B+
AI Grant
Vertical Specialist · $250K SAFE + zero equity for grant phase
86/100
Good
→
B
Atomic
Venture Studio · Studio model — Atomic incubates and capi
80/100
Good
→
C+
Pioneer
Pre-Idea Program · $5K-$100K + small equity stake
67/100
Mixed
→
B-
Cleo Capital
Pre-Idea Program · Investment-based; selective
75/100
Good
→
B-
Long Journey Ventures
Pre-Idea Program · Selective angel investment
75/100
Good
→
B
Crew Capital
Pre-Idea Program · Selective angel investment
78/100
Good
→
F
Lerer Hippeau Accelerator (Defunct)
Defunct · Historical: ~6% for $120K
32/100
Critical
→
C+
DreamIt Ventures
Vertical Specialist · Variable; ~5-8% for $50K-$200K
68/100
Mixed
→
C+
The Brandery
Geographic Accelerator · ~6% for $100K
66/100
Mixed
→
B
Betaworks
Vertical Specialist · Variable; studio + investment
80/100
Good
→
C+
9Unicorns
International Accelerator · ~5-8% for $100K-$250K
66/100
Mixed
→
B+
Y Combinator (Bio Track)
Vertical Specialist · 7% for $500K + $1.5M SAFE
85/100
Good
→
The right cohort yields. The wrong one dilutes.
Every accelerator promises a multiplier on your trajectory. Most produce a smaller-than-promised return on the equity stake you give up. The Cohort Yield Index makes the actual yield visible — so founders can pick programs that compound, and skip the ones that subtract.