Kevin William David · · 5 min read90+ articles on everything you need to know when applying to 500 Startups accelerator
Ever since I published how we got funded by 500 startups last month, a few founders have reached out for advice on getting into the accelerator. Hence, I created this guide for anyone applying to the 500 Startups accelerator program.
500 Startups
500 Startups is a Silicon Valley venture capital seed fund and startup accelerator. It has invested in over 1,500 companies in over 50 countries, and receives thousands of applications from startups who compete for 30 spots in their accelerator every quarter.
500 Startups run an accelerator program that emphasizes design and user experience, distribution and customer acquisition, and lean startup practices and metrics. Its investment team and mentor network has operational experience at companies including PayPal, Google, YouTube, Yahoo, AOL, Zynga, LinkedIn, Twitter, Apple and Facebook.
The 500 Startups seed fund usually invests between $25k to $100k for the first check, and between $100k to $500k for following checks.
500 Startups accelerator is a fast-paced program hosted in San Francisco and Mountain View for 4 months. The standard terms for San Francisco and Mountain View accelerators are $125k in exchange for 5 percent equity, and they charge a $25k fee for participation in their accelerator programs.
One of the biggest benefits of going through the 500 Startups accelerator program is having access to knowledgeable mentors. As founders going through the program, you will have access to the 500 Partners, seasoned entrepreneurs, experienced investors, or individuals with considerable expertise in their field to give feedback and offer you guidance. These mentors include top domain experts on important topics such as distribution, design, data, fundraising, and more.
From week to week, you’ll be exposed to a number of awesome talks, office hours, events, and hands-on mentorship in distribution,customer acquisition, metrics, design and UX, fundraising, PR, business development, and more. Here is a glimpse of what usually happens every week.
- Weekly roundup meetings with all hands to report wins and losses.
- Direct points of contact with appointed 500 Startups partners or EIRs for advice and mentorship.
- Weekly fireside breakouts, collaborative lunches, and brainstorming sessions.
- Weekly inspiration talks with founders and CEOs of successful tech companies (Box and Mailchimp to name a few).
500 Startups accepts application through AngelList.
FAQ & application process
- 500 FAQ
- How do I apply to 500 Startups ?
- How not to apply to 500 Startups?
- How do you apply for the 500 Startups Accelerator?
- 10 tips for getting into our next Accelerator Batch.
- 3 tips for getting into 500 Startups (video)
- What kinds of startups is 500 looking for?
- Your checklist for applying to get into 500 Startups
- The cheat sheet for successful 500 Startups applications
- Does 500 Startups invest in startup founders at the idea stage?
- Does 500 Startups invest in competing companies?
- Should 500Startups make investments in similar startups?
- Does 500 startups accept startups alumni from another accelerator program?
- How does 500 start-ups determine the credibility of the team approaching them for their accelerator program?
- What do startups get out of 500’s accelerator program?
- What are some of 500’s biggest exits?
- What is 500 Startups investment thesis?
- How does 500 Startups structure its investments?
- 500 startup fee vs initial investment, when it happens?
- What is 500 Startups’ business model?
- What do I have to get noticed by Dave Mcclure or 500 Startups
- How do we get in front of Dave McClure/500 Startups if we don’t have any connections within 500 Startups and don’t live in Silicon Valley?
- How do I get invited to a 500 Startups Demo Day?
- How many companies 500 Startups interviews for each batch?
- Will 500 Startups cover travel expenses if I’m accepted into the program?
- Is 500 Startups asking a lot for $100k?
- How 500 Startups helps Bitcoin startups with $100k and Advice
- Dave McClure’s tips for raising money from 500 Startups
- What have been the most successful 500 Startups companies so far?
- What is the reputation of 500 Startups
- What is the success rate of startups that have been funded by 500 Startups?
Interview
Mentors
- How does the 500 Startups Mentor program work?
- Who is the most helpful 500 startups mentor to approach?
- How did founders of non-US companies selected to 500 Startups get noticed by the mentors?
- What are typical advisor equity arrangements for 500 startup companies?
General advice and experience
- 50 things I learned at 500 Startups
- SoundBetter’s 4 Pieces of Advice when considering that 500 Startups Application
- Sink or Swim:What it’s like to being at 500 Startups
- What is it like being in 500 Startups?
- 5 things I wish I knew before 500 Startups
- How to get into the Startup Accelerator, 500 Startups
- Life after 500 Startups. What my company learned from being in an accelerator.
- Top 10 ways 500 Startups opens up doors for Love with Food
- Reflecting on my summer at 500 Startups
- Things I wish I knew when I join 500 Startups
- The story of Farmeron: AngelList, 500 Startups & Unicorns
- 15 things I learned from 500 Startups
- Recapping first week at 500 Startups Accelerator program
- 500 Startups: The good, the bad and the ugly
- Popbasic’s 500 Startups journey
- Sarah Paigi discusses 500 Startups
- The Chronicles of 500 Startups Week 1
- Why and how you should apply to 500 Startups
- Learning curve: 30 days of acceleration.
- Why the bar is higher for Indian companies to enter 500
- How 2 College Kids hustled into 500 Startups
- How to Successfully Apply to 500 Startups Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
- The Hustle — a 500 Startups Story
- How we got into 500 Startups Batch 9 and our expected dilemma
- How Gorefi hacked its way into 500 Startups
- Crashing our way into 500 Startups
- Getting into 500 Startups Part 1 Part 2
- Our path into 500 Startups
- The story behind pitching Dave Mcclure and getting into 500 Startups from Croatia
- How we became one of the first Argentine companies into 500 Startups
- How to get into 500 startups, advice from 500 Startups founders
- How we got into 500 startups and lessons learnt
Demo day/ Preview day
Events
Other resources
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