If you have a startup idea but no product, no revenue and maybe no co-founder yet, you can still raise money. A growing group of accelerators and fellowships now write their first check before a company has any traction, and a few of them will back you before you have even settled on an idea.
This guide covers eight startup programs that fund founders at the idea stage in 2026, with checks ranging from $100,000 to $2 million. For each one you will find what you get, how much equity it costs, where you need to be and how to apply.
If you are looking for free credits rather than cash, our guide to AI startup programs offering free credits and funding covers that side of the market.
What Is an Idea-Stage Startup Program?
An idea-stage startup program is an accelerator, fellowship or residency that invests in founders before they have traction, and sometimes before they have a product or a formed company. These programs mostly judge the founder, looking at what you have built before, how you think about a market and how quickly you move.
Most of them work the same way. You apply online, go through one or two interviews, and if you are accepted you receive an investment on a SAFE in exchange for a small share of your company. You then spend a set period, usually between five weeks and three months, building alongside a cohort of other founders, with the program helping you find customers, sharpen your pitch and raise your next round.
The main differences between them are the size of the check, the equity they take, whether you need to relocate and how early they are willing to go.
8 Startup Programs That Fund Founders at the Idea Stage
1. PearX by Pear VC
What you get: $250,000 to $2 million in investment, plus more than $1 million in cloud credits
Best for: Founders who can spend 12 weeks in the San Francisco Bay Area
PearX is the 12-week pre-seed accelerator run by Pear VC, and it has the largest check on this list. Pear invests between $250,000 and $2 million in every company it accepts, with the exact amount depending on how far along the company is. Batches are small, at around 20 teams, and the whole Pear partnership works directly with the cohort.
Pear welcomes applications from founders at the idea stage as well as companies with early traction. Most PearX companies have not raised money before joining, although some have raised up to $2 million. The program includes a dedicated recruiter who helps companies make their first hires, hands-on fundraising support and a Demo Day, and Pear says that 80 to 90% of PearX companies go on to raise from institutional investors.
How to apply: Apply through the PearX application on Pear's website. No warm introduction is needed. PearX runs a winter and a summer batch each year, and you need to be based in the Bay Area for the length of the program, so check the site for the next deadline and plan your move before you apply.
2. Character Labs by Character Capital
What you get: $200,000 for 5% equity, invested on the day you are accepted
Best for: Software founders who have spotted an opportunity but have not found product-market fit
Character Labs is an accelerator built entirely around finding product-market fit. It is run by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky, who created the Design Sprint at Google Ventures and wrote the books Sprint and Click, together with general partner Eli Blee-Goldman.
The program runs for five weeks as a series of back-to-back sprints. Founders start with a Foundation Sprint to pin down the hypothesis behind their company, then move through sprints on positioning, finding leads, product design and customer testing, and finish with a Pitch Sprint to build their fundraising deck. The first week takes place in San Francisco and the rest is online, with live sessions on US Pacific time. Each group is capped at 15 companies, and a demo day with investors follows a few months later.
The $200,000 investment is not tied to any milestones and there are no program fees. Character also commits to investing at least its pro rata share in your next round. The program only backs software products and software-enabled services, and companies need to be incorporated in the United States. Solo founders can be accepted, although Character prefers teams of two or three.
How to apply: Applications for the current group closed on September 23, 2026, and the program starts on October 26. Subscribe to Character Labs updates on the website to hear when the next group opens, and apply early when it does, since applications are reviewed in the order they arrive.
3. EWOR Fellowship
What you get: Up to €300,000 at the idea stage, or €500,000 if you already have traction
Best for: Founders who want hands-on mentorship without relocating
EWOR is a European founder fellowship for people who do not want to move cities to join a program. It runs virtual-first, and every fellow works one-on-one with an EWOR partner, a group that includes the founders of SumUp, Adjust and ProGlove, who are full-time at EWOR and offer weekly sparring sessions. EWOR selects roughly 35 to 40 startups a year.
There are two tracks. The Ideation Fellowship accepts founders as early as pre-idea, and EWOR can invest up to €300,000: up to €65,000 at a €1 million post-money cap and up to €235,000 more on an uncapped SAFE. If EWOR invests, it also takes 3% of the company as a tuition fee, and not every Ideation fellow receives an investment. The Traction Fellowship is for founders with early revenue, users or pilots, and every accepted company receives €500,000 with no tuition fee.
Although the fellowship is remote, fellows are invited to in-person gatherings, up to two months of co-working each year and a two-month San Francisco residency. EWOR also runs a twice-yearly Grand Pitch where fellows present to investors, and it does not require you to change where your company is incorporated.
How to apply: The application takes about 15 to 20 minutes and is reviewed on a rolling basis, with a response usually within three weeks. Pick the Ideation track if you have no traction yet and the Traction track if you do.
4. Solo Founders Program
What you get: $100,000 investment for 2.5% equity, plus more than $800,000 in perks
Best for: Founders building a company on their own
The Solo Founders Program is a three-month, in-person program in San Francisco built only for people building alone. It was started by Julian Weisser, co-founder of On Deck, and each cohort brings together about a dozen solo founders who share an office, meet with Julian one-on-one every week and act as each other's sounding board.
The $100,000 investment comes on an uncapped MFN SAFE, and participating costs 2.5% equity with no program fee. It is designed to sit alongside a pre-seed round or another accelerator, so founders do not have to choose between them. The program also includes a kickoff retreat, founder dinners, a desk with equipment in the office and optional housing above it for $1,500 a month.
The program is open from pre-launch to post-revenue, but you need to be working on your company full-time, or be ready to, and building something real. It cannot sponsor visas, although the team works with founders on different visa routes.
How to apply: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and the next cohort starts in February 2027. You need to be in San Francisco for the full three months.
5. Y Combinator
What you get: $500,000 investment, with $125,000 for 7% and $375,000 on an uncapped MFN SAFE
Best for: Founders who want the largest startup network and investor reach
Y Combinator is the best-known accelerator in the world, and it has always been willing to fund companies that have just started and have nothing more than an idea. It now runs four batches a year, in winter, spring, summer and fall, each spent in person in San Francisco.
Every accepted company gets the same standard deal. YC invests $125,000 for a fixed 7% of the company and another $375,000 on an uncapped SAFE that converts on the terms of your next SAFE round. The investment is not tied to milestones, it is committed on the day you are accepted, and YC does not charge any fees. YC invests in companies incorporated in the US, Canada, the Cayman Islands or Singapore, and it helps founders who have not incorporated yet set up their company.
How to apply: The on-time deadline for the Winter 2027 batch is November 2, 2026 at 8pm Pacific Time. You can also apply early for later batches through YC's Early Decision option, and late applications are still considered.
6. a16z speedrun
What you get: Up to $1 million, with $500,000 for 10% upfront and $500,000 in your next round, plus more than $10 million in partner credits
Best for: Teams that are already building, even if they only have an idea or a prototype
speedrun is Andreessen Horowitz's early-stage program. It invests very early, at the idea, prototype or early product stage, and the team says it has backed founders before they left their jobs. Each residency runs for twelve weeks at a16z's San Francisco office and backs around 70 to 80 companies, with fewer than 0.4% of applicants accepted.
The standard deal is $500,000 for 10% on a SAFE, followed by another $500,000 invested in your next round within 18 months. a16z does not take a board seat. Accepted companies also get access to more than $10 million in credits from over 200 partners, introductions to executive buyers, a talent network for hiring and a Demo Day in front of thousands of investors. speedrun invests across almost every sector and accepts solo founders, but it prefers teams that can build their own product, which usually means having a technical co-founder.
How to apply: Applications for the next residency, SR008, are open from October 12 to November 1, 2026. The residency runs from February 1 to April 18, 2027, with Demo Day on April 13. Students and recent graduates who are still looking for their idea or team can apply to a16z's separate alpha fellowship instead, which invests up to $250,000.
7. South Park Commons Founder Fellowship
What you get: $1 million in total, with $400,000 for 7% upfront and $600,000 guaranteed in your next round, plus up to $1 million in credits
Best for: Technical founders who want time to find the right idea
South Park Commons is a community of technologists built around what it calls the "-1 to 0" stage, the period before a company exists. Its Founder Fellowship is the funded way in, and you do not need an idea to apply. You do need to show how you generate ideas, which means being ready to talk about technical approaches, markets you find interesting and ideas you have already considered and dropped.
Fellows are funded as soon as they sign, then join an eight-week, in-person bootcamp in a small cohort at SPC's offices in San Francisco, New York or Bangalore. After the bootcamp, the fellowship moves into an open-ended residency that lasts as long as you need to find the idea worth building, with SPC partners helping you prepare and introduce you to investors when you are ready to raise your seed round. Solo founders are welcome, with a preference for those who can build and prototype themselves.
How to apply: Applications for the Fall 2026 fellowship closed on August 2. Sign up for updates on the SPC website to hear when the next round opens. If you are not ready for funding yet, SPC also runs a free six-month Member Residency that takes no equity.
8. Entrepreneurs First
What you get: An equity-free grant while you are ideating, then up to $250,000 once you form a company and up to $5 million in follow-on funding
Best for: Individuals who have no co-founder and no idea yet
Entrepreneurs First, often shortened to EF, is a talent investor founded in London in 2011 that backs people before they have a team, a company or a fully formed idea. You apply as an individual, and EF helps you find a co-founder through its matching process, a residential retreat and a cohort of screened peers.
While you are testing ideas and co-founders, EF supports you with an equity-free grant. Once you form a company and pass EF's investment committee, you can receive up to $250,000, with up to $5 million more available in later rounds. Founders get office space for nine months in London, Bangalore or San Francisco, more than $600,000 in credits and the chance to pitch at EF's San Francisco Demo Day, which is attended by more than 200 venture partners. EF says its companies typically raise $1 million to $7 million within a couple of weeks of Demo Day.
How to apply: Apply as an individual on EF's website. EF looks for people who have consistently outperformed their peers, have built products, organisations or startups before and want to build a company in the US.
Find the Investors Who Come Next
Every program on this list is built to get you to your next round, so it helps to know which funds are actively writing early checks before Demo Day arrives. The EverythingStartups New VC Funds Database tracks newly announced funds every week, with check sizes, stage and focus for each firm.
For more options at this stage, our guide to the best pre-seed funds that invest at the idea stage lists firms that back founders before there is a product, and our list of 45 startup accelerators that back founders before traction covers even more programs to apply to.
Idea-Stage Startup Programs at a Glance
- PearX: $250,000 to $2 million, 12 weeks in the Bay Area
- Character Labs: $200,000 for 5%, five weeks, mostly remote after a San Francisco kickoff
- EWOR: up to €300,000 at the idea stage or €500,000 with traction, virtual-first
- Solo Founders Program: $100,000 for 2.5%, three months in San Francisco, solo founders only
- Y Combinator: $500,000 ($125,000 for 7% plus $375,000 on an uncapped SAFE), three months in San Francisco
- a16z speedrun: up to $1 million ($500,000 for 10% plus $500,000 in your next round), twelve weeks in San Francisco
- South Park Commons: $1 million ($400,000 for 7% plus $600,000 in your next round), eight-week bootcamp in San Francisco, New York or Bangalore
- Entrepreneurs First: equity-free grant, then up to $250,000 at company formation, offices in London, Bangalore and San Francisco
How to Choose the Right Program
Start with whether you can relocate
Most of these programs expect you to be in San Francisco for at least a few months. If moving is not an option, EWOR is the strongest choice because it runs virtual-first, and Character Labs only needs you in San Francisco for its first week.
Match the program to how early you are
If you do not have an idea or a co-founder yet, Entrepreneurs First, South Park Commons and EWOR's Ideation track are built for exactly that stage. If you already have an idea and are building, YC, speedrun, PearX and Character Labs are a better fit. If you are building alone and plan to stay that way, the Solo Founders Program is the only one designed around it, although South Park Commons, PearX and speedrun also accept solo founders.
Compare what the equity actually costs you
The headline check size can hide very different prices. A quick way to compare is to divide the upfront investment by the equity it buys. YC's $125,000 for 7% values that part of the deal at roughly $1.8 million, Character Labs and the Solo Founders Program both work out at about $4 million, speedrun's $500,000 for 10% works out at $5 million and South Park Commons' $400,000 for 7% works out at about $5.7 million. The second halves of the YC, speedrun and SPC deals convert at the price of your next round, so they cost less dilution if that round goes well.
Apply to more than one
These programs are extremely selective, with acceptance rates well below 1% at several of them. Most of the deals are also designed to sit alongside other funding, so applying to two or three programs at once is normal and gives you a much better chance of getting in somewhere.
How to Make Your Application Stand Out
At the idea stage, the program is mostly betting on you, so the strongest applications spend most of their space on the founder. EWOR says nearly all of its selection is focused on the person rather than the idea, and speedrun says it spends most of its review time on the team and bio section.
Show evidence that you are already moving. That can be a prototype, a waitlist, a design partner, conversations with potential customers or simply how fast you have shipped so far. Programs that accept pre-idea founders want to see how you think, so describe the markets you have explored and the ideas you have ruled out and why.
Finally, apply early. Character Labs reviews applications in the order they arrive, YC guarantees a decision only for on-time applications and most programs have more time to give each application before the deadline rush.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you get startup funding with just an idea?
Yes. Y Combinator, a16z speedrun, PearX and Character Labs all invest at the idea stage, and Entrepreneurs First, South Park Commons and EWOR's Ideation Fellowship will back founders who do not have an idea yet. These programs judge the founder first, so your background and how quickly you build matter more than traction.
Which startup programs accept solo founders?
The Solo Founders Program is built only for solo founders. South Park Commons, PearX, a16z speedrun and EWOR also accept solo founders, while Character Labs may accept them but prefers teams of two or three.
Which startup programs do not require relocation?
EWOR runs virtual-first and does not require you to move. Character Labs only requires a week in San Francisco at the start of the program, with the rest held online. Most of the other programs on this list expect you to be in San Francisco for the length of the program.
How much equity do idea-stage accelerators take?
On this list, upfront equity ranges from 2.5% at the Solo Founders Program to 10% at a16z speedrun. YC takes 7% for its first $125,000, Character Labs takes 5%, South Park Commons takes 7% for $400,000 and EWOR's Ideation Fellowship takes a 3% tuition fee if it invests, on top of its investment.
Do I need to incorporate my company before applying?
Usually not. YC, speedrun and Entrepreneurs First help founders incorporate after they are accepted, and EWOR gives Ideation fellows 18 months to set up a company. Character Labs is the exception, since it only invests in companies incorporated in the United States.
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