Accelerators and incubators provide a combination of services for online and mobile startups, including mentorship, funding, networking, training and/or office space. Most accelerator programs run a few months long and they often take equity in exchange for providing their services.

General Information on Accelerators and Incubators

“How to Choose an Incubator” (New York Times): This article provides a quick overview of incubators and accelerators.  

“Seed Accelerators and Their Companies” (Google spreadsheet): Jed Christiansen shares his findings from the research he completed for his master’s thesis on seed accelerator programs. This spreadsheet shows the funding and acquisitions of companies that participated in specific programs such as Y Combinator, TechStars and others.

Christiansen’s accompanying blog posts are also valuable to read:

Copying Y Combinator – Why and How

Looking Back – 1.5 Years Since "Copying Y Combinator"

 “The Startup Factories” (NESTA): The United Kingdom-based National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) published this 2011 report on startup accelerator programs. Informed by primary research, it includes profiles for Y Combinator, TechStars, Seedcamp, The Difference Engine and Startupbootcamp.

“Do Startup Accelerators Deliver Value?: The Economics of Creating Companies" (Part 1 of 2) (MIT Entrepreneurship Review)

“Accelerators Groom Technology Ventures for Success” (PBS Newshour): This video and transcript of a segment recently broadcast on PBS features San Francisco’s AngelPad and New York City’s TechStars, among others.

Accelerators and Incubators in Canada

This is a selective listing of accelerators and incubators that are focused on online and mobile startups. For a full list of accelerators and incubator programs in Canada, check out this Techvibes blog post, as well as this StartupNorth post.

Toronto

Extreme Venture Partners: Extreme University (ExtremeU) is a 12-week program that provides $50,000 in seed funding.  

Mantella Venture Partners' Basecamp Labs: Basecamp Labs is backed by Mantella Venture Partners' venture fund which invests up to $500,000 in its companies.  

  Mobile Experience Innovation Centre (MEIC): In January 2012, MEIC is launching a mobile acceleration program focused on mobile startups.  

The Next 36: Open to Canadian undergraduate students, The Next 36 provides $50,000 in seed capital to each team.  

Ryerson Digital Media Zone: The Ryerson DMZ is open to both Ryerson students and outside startups.  

Ottawa

Invest Ottawa: The Ottawa Centre for Regional Innovation (OCRI) launched this accelerator for Ottawa-based entrepreneurs in December 2011.

Waterloo

 Accelerator Centre: The Accelerator Centre is open to startups and includes options for office space and infrastructure.

UW Velocity: UW Velocity is open to University of Waterloo students only.

Communitech Hub: The Hub accelerates the growth of digital media companies by helping entrepreneurs focus on their business, commercialize their technology and ultimately graduate market-ready organizations.

Montreal 

FounderFuel: FounderFuel is a 12-week program for web and mobile startups. Teams receive a $10,000 investment, plus an additional $5,000 per co-founder, in exchange for 6% equity in the company.  

Edmonton 

Flightpath: Flightpath’s first cohort will begin in 2012, focused on software and digital media startups. 

Vancouver 

GrowLab: Companies receive between $20,000 and $25,000, in exchange for 5 to 10% equity during this four-month program.

International Accelerators and Incubators

Here are some links to international programs with excellent track records. 

Founder Institute: The Founder Institute takes a unique approach to the typical program, requiring applicants to take a predictive test to find out whether the founders are cut out to be entrepreneurs. The Founder Institute currently operates in more than 30 cities worldwide.  

TechStars: TechStars is a competitive program that runs in cities across the United States, including Boston, Massachusetts; Boulder, Colorado; New York City, New York; Seattle, Washington; and San Antonio, Texas, with affiliates around the world. TechStars openly publishes the metrics of their companies.

 Y Combinator: The accelerator that started it all, Y Combinator is the most competitive program with an acceptance rate of just 3%.   

Start-Up Chile: Start-Up Chile is a new program that has accepted several Canadian companies. Running until 2014, this government-sponsored initiative provides US$40,000 for its four-month program. In exchange, entrepreneurs help to build the local startup community.  