I almost lost my hope in accelerators, before I found these guys, who believe in teams not only with % they take but also with $ they put.
So, my top-6 of pre-seed accelerators that accept startups at the idea stage and give 6M+ valuation š§µ:
1/ @a16z START: a16z.com/programs-a16z-start/
1M investment, focus on talent and very early stages, 11 teams have been taken so far. Apps are on a rolling basis.
2/ @sequoia Arc: arc.sequoiacap.com/
1M investment, 15 companies in a batch, mainly oriented to Europe. Apps are currently closed.
3/ @Accel Atoms: atoms.accel.com/
250k investment at uncapped note! Which means a much higher valuation of the next priced round. Focus on India and SEA. Cohort based.
4/ @pearvc Accelerator: pear.vc/accelerator
$500-750K at 10M cap. 15 teams in a batch. Quite a reputable fund. Cohort based.
5/ @AforeVC Alpha: afore.vc/afore-alpha
1M at 10M post-money SAFE. No company is too early. Response within a week.
6/ @hyper_: hyper.com/#apply
300k at 6M post (could be better). Just 4 weeks (could be better). But they claim a very individual approach and elite network of operators.
7/ Honorable mention: @ycombinator (the link you know better than me)
Still the best in the industry, and with their new deal selected companies can effectively get 500k at 6M+ cap, while realistically it will be more like 5M (125k at 7% + 375k at val of next round).
8/ Honorable mention: friends and family
Jk, they are as broke as you are. But they may give you 20 dollars at 1B val if you ask nicely.