1. What: A startup accelerator, sometimes referred to as a seed accelerator, is a business program that supports early-stage, growth-driven companies through education, mentorship and financing. Startups typically enter accelerators for a fixed period of time and as part of a cohort of companies. While accelerator programs can provide beneficial resources to organizations at all stages of development, most focus on those that are pre-revenue. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FocusedFounder focuses on startups that have revenue and gives them education, mentorship, and alternate forms of financing. Startups enter remotely at any point of the year, give up 0% equity and pay a yearly membership fee, and have access to an online portal, weekly calls, and in person events. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Startups that want to join an accelerator submit an application and are often admitted in batches split up throughout the year. Once accepted, the startup accelerator will provide resources and services such as guest speakers, advising hours, a negotiated amount of capital and sometimes a shared coworking space. Term periods average around 3-4 months and require anywhere around 3-8% ownership of the startup. The assistance of an accelerator ends with a "graduation" or demo day, when startups present their work and proceed independently. The most popular sectors for startup accelerators include tech hardware, AI and biotech and many big brand names have received early assistance from accelerators. Silicon Valley accelerator Plug and Play Tech Center helped Google, PayPal and Zoosk transform their ideas into businesses. Other well-known accelerators include Y Combinator, which launched Airbnb, Dropbox and Reddit, and Techstars, which has sponsored over 21 startups.