Unit
7
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Lesson
7
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1
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5
min read

Should you do an accelerator?

In this lesson
whether an accelerator is worth it for a deeptech founder, what the best ones give you, and when to skip straight to raising.

Why this matters

An accelerator can be a real accelerant or an expensive detour. Which one it is depends on where you are, not on the program's prestige.

What a great accelerator gives you

  • Network and credibility. The best programs, YC especially, put 100+ investors focused on your company at the same time, which can mean competing term sheets and a higher valuation. Top deeptech companies in recent batches have raised seeds at $40M to $100M+.
  • A forcing function. The intensity, deadlines, and demo day compress months of progress into weeks.
  • Access. Peers, mentors, and sometimes your first customers.

Deeptech is increasingly welcome, too: hardware is now roughly 10 to 15% of a YC batch, up from 3 to 5% a decade ago.

What it costs

  • Equity. YC, for example, takes 7-8% for $500K.
  • Time and full-time commitment during the batch.
  • Focus. A batch is all-consuming. That's great if you need the push, and costly if you're already moving fast on your own.

The landscape beyond YC

YC is the biggest name, but there are strong deeptech-friendly options: a16z Speedrun, Discipulus, IndieBio, HAX, CDL, and Hf0, among others. Several are hardware or bio specific.

When to do one, and when to skip

Do one if you're early and need the network, credibility, a forcing function, or help finding customers and pulling a round together. Skip it if you can already raise a pre-seed or seed now on your own. In that case a program mostly costs you equity and time you don't need to spend. If you're ready to raise today, go straight to investors, or submit to Deep Checks and get matched to thesis-fit deeptech VCs in about a minute.

For more, see our guide on nailing the YC application.

Key takeaways

  • Accelerators help most when you're early and need network, credibility, or a forcing function.
  • The best ones can unlock competing term sheets and higher valuations, and deeptech is increasingly welcome.
  • They cost equity, time, and full focus.
  • If you can raise now on your own, you can skip straight to pitching.
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Written by Julian Capital & Deep Checks
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Do this now

Answer honestly: could you get a lead investor interested in the next two months without a program?

If yes, you probably don't need one. If no, write down what you'd want a program to give you (network, customers, a cofounder, credibility) and choose accordingly.

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