Biotech & Life Sciences accelerators
Accelerators for Biotech & Life Sciences founders
Biotech founders reading accelerator terms need to watch one thing above all: whether the numbers on the page describe the program that exists today. Illumina's famous accelerator terms, 7% equity with up to $200,000 in optional notes, come from a program that ran through 2023 and has since relaunched as Illumina Ventures Labs, which publishes no terms at all, and our page says exactly that. SOSV's IndieBio rebranded to SOSV SF and SOSV NY in early 2026, still writing up to $550,000 pre-seed SAFEs with a wet lab residency, equity percentage unpublished. The clearest deal in the vertical is Nucleate Activator, a free, equity-free company-formation program for academic founders, with US applications open now and closing in October 2026. Every figure here is the program's own published number; where a program does not publish a figure, we say so instead of guessing.
Showing 6 of 6 programs
| Check size | Equity | Terms | Format | Next window | Signal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BioTools Innovatorlife-science tools and diagnostics | up to $250,000 in non-dilutive awards (grand prize $250,000) | Not publishedA non-dilutive competition accelerator for life-science tools and diagnostics companies, run by MedTech Innovator over about four months with virtual programming and multi-city events. It awards non-dilutive cash prizes, including a $250,000 grand prize, with no application fee; a separate VANGUARD program provides up to $200,000 each to five startups. Cohort size is not consistently published. The 2026 cohort application closed December 16, 2025, and a 2027 window is not yet posted. | Non-dilutive | CA | Hybrid | None confirmed | Aug 26, 2026 | Verified |
| Endless Frontier Labs (NYU Stern)deep tech / life sciences | Not publishedA 9-month, equity-free accelerator run by NYU Stern for early-stage science and deep-tech startups across deep tech, digital health, digital tech, and life sciences tracks. EFL takes no equity, no fees, and no IP rights. The program runs across five meeting days, three virtual and two in person at NYU Stern. Associated venture funds may separately invest in top performers. Applications run from mid-May through the end of July. | Not publishedA 9-month, equity-free accelerator run by NYU Stern for early-stage science and deep-tech startups across deep tech, digital health, digital tech, and life sciences tracks. EFL takes no equity, no fees, and no IP rights. The program runs across five meeting days, three virtual and two in person at NYU Stern. Associated venture funds may separately invest in top performers. Applications run from mid-May through the end of July. | Equity-free | NY | Hybrid | None confirmed | Aug 26, 2026 | Verified |
| Illumina Ventures Labs (formerly Illumina Accelerator)genomics / NGS applications | up to $200,000 (optional convertible note) plus $20,000 credit line | 7% | Equity for cash | CA | In person | None confirmed | Jul 22, 2026 | Verified |
| IndieBio (rebranded SOSV SF / SOSV NY, 2026)biotech / deep tech life sciences | up to $550,000 | Not publishedSOSV 'First Check in Deep Tech': up to $550k pre-seed SAFE with up-to-6-month lab/co-working residency. Equity percentage not disclosed on fetched SOSV pages, so null. In early 2026 IndieBio rebranded to SOSV SF and SOSV NY (second US site at 7 Penn Plaza, New York, NY); scope broadened beyond bio to deep tech, but therapeutics/diagnostics remain core. DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: Applications appear rolling via SOSV site; no dated 2026 deadline published on fetched pages. | Equity for cash | CA | In person | None confirmed | Jul 22, 2026 | Verified |
| Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JLABSbiotech / medtech / health | Not publishedAn equity-free, fee-based life-science residency: startups rent lab and office space and keep full ownership and IP, with no equity taken. US campuses are South San Francisco and San Diego, California, and Cambridge, Massachusetts (via LabCentral), plus a virtual East North America membership; the US footprint was reduced in 2026. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and separate QuickFire Challenges award non-dilutive grants. | Not publishedAn equity-free, fee-based life-science residency: startups rent lab and office space and keep full ownership and IP, with no equity taken. US campuses are South San Francisco and San Diego, California, and Cambridge, Massachusetts (via LabCentral), plus a virtual East North America membership; the US footprint was reduced in 2026. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and separate QuickFire Challenges award non-dilutive grants. | Fee-based | Not published | In person | None confirmed | Aug 26, 2026 | Verified |
| Nucleate Activatoracademic biotech company formation | Not publishedFree, equity-free ('The program is free and we do not take equity') nonprofit company-formation program for academic founders; provides no cash investment, hence investment_amount null. Runs across 16 regions including Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, LA, Michigan, New Haven, NY, San Diego, Seattle, Texas, plus a Global Virtual track; city/state null because it is multi-city. DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: Program page (fetched July 2026) lists October 20 application deadline for most US chapters (one reference says Oct 21); year inferred as 2026 from the live current-cycle page. Program length not stated (roughly an academic year; ~5-10 hrs/week), so null. | Not publishedFree, equity-free ('The program is free and we do not take equity') nonprofit company-formation program for academic founders; provides no cash investment, hence investment_amount null. Runs across 16 regions including Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, LA, Michigan, New Haven, NY, San Diego, Seattle, Texas, plus a Global Virtual track; city/state null because it is multi-city. DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: Program page (fetched July 2026) lists October 20 application deadline for most US chapters (one reference says Oct 21); year inferred as 2026 from the live current-cycle page. Program length not stated (roughly an academic year; ~5-10 hrs/week), so null. | Equity-free | Not published | Hybrid | Oct 20, 2026 | Jul 22, 2026 | Verified |
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