Equity for cash Defense & Space accelerators
These defense and space programs invest money in exchange for equity, with very different deal sizes and structures. The Techstars Space Accelerator, run with the U.S. Space Force and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, uses Techstars' standard $220,000 offer. IAI CATALYST, run by Israel Aerospace Industries' North American arm with Starburst, offers an optional $100,000 SAFE plus $100,000 of in-kind technical support. The Griffiss Institute's HUSTLE Defense Accelerator in Rome, New York, takes a SAFE for its programming and awards SAFE funding at pitch day, which ranged from $45,000 to $155,000 for Cohort 5. Each record explains the instrument and what it converts into.
Showing 3 of 3 programs
| Check size | Equity | Terms | Format | Next window | Signal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUSTLE Defense Accelerator (Griffiss Institute)dual-use and defense technology (Air Force problem sets) | SAFE funding awarded at pitch day: Cohort 5 awards ranged from $45,000 to $155,000 from a $550,000 pool | Not publishedDefense tech accelerator run by the Griffiss Institute in Rome, New York, sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory, Empire State Development and National Grid, for pre-seed and seed startups with dual-use technology. Cohorts are organized around a posted problem set. Participants sign a SAFE with the Griffiss Institute under which $24,500 of in-kind programming, $7,500 per founder (up to $15,000) and any prize money won convert into equity; the valuation terms are in the SAFE, not on the page. Cohort 5 was an eight-week program starting in March 2026 with five startups; on April 30, 2026 it awarded $550,000 in SAFE funding, from $45,000 to $155,000 per company, and funded companies must show at least one year of corporate residency in New York State. Nationality, citizenship and residency restrictions can apply depending on each cohort's funding source. No next cohort has been posted. | Equity for cash | NY | Not published | None confirmed | Sep 28, 2026 | Verified |
| IAI CATALYST (powered by Starburst)aerospace, defense and dual-use technology | $100,000 cash investment (optional, structured as a SAFE) plus $100,000 in in-kind technical support | Not publishedTwenty-week hybrid accelerator run by IAI North America, the U.S. arm of Israel Aerospace Industries, and powered by Starburst, for U.S. pre-seed and seed startups and mature research projects in aerospace and dual-use technology. Selected companies can take a $100,000 cash investment structured as a SAFE in exchange for equity, plus $100,000 of in-kind technical support, with the aim of a pilot project with IAI. There is no participation fee. About two of the twenty weeks are in person (a kickoff week and a Demo Day in Washington, DC), and participants can use IAI North America's innovation center in Herndon, Virginia. Cohort 5 took applications March 15 to June 7, 2026 and kicked off September 23, 2026, with Demo Day on March 9, 2027. Cohort 6 applications are open; the site counts down to a close on December 30, 2026 but prints no date. The program also appears in the Starburst Aerospace record's list of Starburst-run programs; it has its own application, so it has its own record. | Equity for cash | VA | Hybrid | None confirmed | Sep 28, 2026 | Verified |
| Techstars Space Acceleratorspace technology | $220,000 total: $20,000 via convertible equity agreement plus $200,000 uncapped MFN SAFE | 5% | Equity for cash | CA | In person | None confirmed | Sep 28, 2026 | Verified |
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