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Program guide

US accelerators that accept founders from outside the US

Last verified: October 9, 2026

This guide is for an English-speaking founder outside the US who has already incorporated and is raising a seed round. It covers nine US-linked programs whose getfund catalog rows say a founder from another country can apply, and it reports only what those rows record about relocation, incorporation, money, equity and timing. Where a row is silent, the guide says the program page does not state it, so check the program's own page before you apply.

Which programs are included

Nine programs are included: Y Combinator, Greylock Edge, South Park Commons, Neo Residency, Alchemist Flagship, Techstars, HF0, a16z speedrun and Sequoia Arc.

The catalog rows for Y Combinator, Greylock Edge, South Park Commons, Neo Residency, HF0 and Sequoia Arc list no country restriction. The rows for Alchemist Flagship, Techstars and a16z speedrun list global eligibility. In both cases a founder based outside the US can apply.

Do you have to move to the US

Y Combinator: yes. The row records that relocation is required and that you must move to San Francisco for three months.

Neo Residency: yes. The row records that relocation is required: you work side-by-side for 3 months at the San Francisco space and attend a 2-week bootcamp.

Alchemist Flagship: no. The row records that relocation is not required, although the program is listed in San Francisco.

South Park Commons is listed in San Francisco, and the program page does not state whether you must relocate. For Greylock Edge, Techstars, HF0, a16z speedrun and Sequoia Arc the program page does not state a location or a relocation requirement.

Do you need a US company

South Park Commons: the row records that incorporation is not required.

For Y Combinator, Greylock Edge, Neo Residency, Alchemist Flagship, Techstars, HF0, a16z speedrun and Sequoia Arc the program page does not state an incorporation rule or an incorporation country. None of the nine rows records a requirement to incorporate in the US.

Money and equity

Amounts the rows record: Y Combinator $500,000, Neo Residency $750,000, Alchemist Flagship $30,000 and a16z speedrun $1,000,000. For South Park Commons, Greylock Edge, Techstars, HF0 and Sequoia Arc the program page does not state an amount here, so read the terms on the program's own page.

Equity: the Alchemist Flagship row records 5% equity. For South Park Commons, read the terms on the program page. The rows for Y Combinator, Greylock Edge, Neo Residency, Techstars, a16z speedrun and Sequoia Arc mark the program as not equity-free, but the program page does not state a percentage. For HF0 the program page does not state equity.

Stage fit for a seed founder

The rows for Y Combinator, Greylock Edge, Neo Residency, Alchemist Flagship, Techstars, a16z speedrun and Sequoia Arc list seed among the stages they accept. South Park Commons lists idea and pre-seed only. For HF0 the program page does not state a stage.

Two rows add conditions beyond stage. Alchemist Flagship asks that you monetize from enterprises (B2B or B2B2C), and the row limits it to AI/ML, deeptech hardware and B2B SaaS. HF0 selects only 10 teams per batch.

Rolling or deadline

Greylock Edge, South Park Commons, Alchemist Flagship and Sequoia Arc are marked rolling, so you can apply at any time.

Y Combinator, Neo Residency, Techstars, HF0 and a16z speedrun are marked as not rolling, and none of their rows records a deadline date. The a16z speedrun row says it runs twice a year. Check each program page for the current dates.

Left out on purpose

Accel Atoms is left out because its row lists Indian or Indian-origin founders as a requirement.

The a16z speedrun Alpha Fellowship is left out because its row requires valid authorization to work full time in the United States and is exclusively for software engineers who are technical students, recent graduates or dropouts.

Where to apply

The rows for Y Combinator, Greylock Edge, South Park Commons, Alchemist Flagship, Techstars and HF0 link a public application form. The rows for Neo Residency, a16z speedrun and Sequoia Arc link none, so start from the program's own page.

Each program's getfund page is listed below with its current status. For more programs open to a founder in Europe, or to a founder anywhere, use the hubs under the sources.

Frequently asked questions

Can a founder outside the US apply to these programs?
Yes. The catalog rows for the nine included programs list either no country restriction or global eligibility.
Which programs require moving to the US?
The rows for Y Combinator and Neo Residency record that relocation is required, in both cases to San Francisco. The Alchemist Flagship row records that it is not required. For the others the program page does not state it.
Do I need a US company to apply?
The South Park Commons row records that incorporation is not required. For the other programs the program page does not state an incorporation rule, and none of the rows records a US incorporation requirement.
Which of these programs accept applications on a rolling basis?
Greylock Edge, South Park Commons, Alchemist Flagship and Sequoia Arc are marked rolling in their rows.
Which programs state how much equity they take?
Only the Alchemist Flagship row records a percentage, 5% equity. South Park Commons states its terms on its program page, so read them there. The other rows either mark the program as not equity-free without a percentage or state nothing.

Official sources

More programs for founders outside the US

Programs in the United States