MassChallenge
Headquartered in the United States with locations in Boston, Israel, Mexico, Switzerland, Texas, and the UK - and with vertical programs in digital health and fintech - MassChallenge is committed to strengthening the global innovation ecosystem by accelerating high-potential startups across all industries, from anywhere in the world. Each year, MassChallenge accelerates the most startups in the world through our zero-equity, competition-based model.
Program Benefits
- Unrivalled access to 15+ global corporate partners, totalling over CHF 250 billion in revenue
- World class mentoring from 550+ experts and tailored programming in the spirit of a startup school
- Free office space and the chance to win up to CHF 1 million in non-dilutive cash prizes and several other in-kind awards
- Switzerland-specific support for entrepreneurs such as competitive regulations and tax system, easy access to the EU market, and strong trade links
- Proven model: more than 65% of Finalists raise funds during or immediately after the program
The selective four-month MassChallenge program connects participants to:
- Up to $3M USD globally in cash prizes
- An established international community of startups
- World-class mentoring from industry experts
- Tailored programming
- Unrivaled access to corporate partners
Eligibility
- For our early-stage accelerator programs in Boston, Israel, Switzerland, Mexico, Texas, and the UK:
We accept applications for early stage startups across all industries, from anywhere in the world. If your startup has raised less than $500K in equity-based funding, generated less than $1M in revenue, and are set to make a big impact in your industry or on the world, you’re our kind of entrepreneur.
- For our vertical programs MassChallenge HealthTech and MassChallenge FinTech:
We accept applications from industry-focused startups that have raised less than $10M in equity-based funding and generated less than $10M in revenue. If your startup exceeds these guidelines, we still recommend that you apply for the accelerator program. There will be an opportunity on the application for you to provide more information about your current funding amounts. Prospective startups should be developed enough to work collaboratively with a large business or institution.
Application Procedure
To learn more about our different programs and to view our application deadlines, please visit the relevant program page or contact us at [email protected].
How to apply
- Register at https://accelerate.masschallenge.org by creating your user profile
- Create your startup profile
- Submit the application fee ($45 USD before the early bird deadline, $99 USD before the regular deadline)
- Complete and submit your application
About our judging process
- In the first round of judging, all applications are reviewed online by our international community of judges.
- Each application is reviewed by at least three judges.
- Each applicant receives individualized feedback from the judges.
- Startups are notified if they make the second round of judging. In the second round of judging, those startups pitch to a panel of judges or challenge partners in-person or via Skype (in some circumstances).
- Just applying to the accelerator program can be a valuable experience for a startup. MassChallenge ensures that every single startup receives a comprehensive read of their application by assigning each of them a panel of diverse judges that represent a range of different industries:
- All applicants receive feedback from expert judges on their online applications.
- All Semi-Finalists receive extended feedback from expert judges on their in-person pitches.
