New York has long been a magnet for ambitious founders — a city where finance meets creativity, and big ideas find their footing fast. At Hubble, our mission is to make workspace as dynamic as the teams that use it, helping businesses find flexible offices, day-spaces and meeting rooms wherever they need them.
Inspired by our previous guide for London, we’ve turned our attention to the Big Apple and curated the definitive list of New York City’s startup incubators and accelerators. Whether you’re building your first MVP in Brooklyn or scaling in Midtown, here’s where the city’s best entrepreneurial programmes can help you take the next step.
- What is a startup incubator?
- What is a startup accelerator?
- Pre-Seed / Early-Stage Incubators
- General Tech Accelerators
- Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA)
- Hardware / Deep-Tech / Urban Innovation
- Corporate and Industry-Specific Accelerators
- Social Impact and Sustainability
- FinTech and Blockchain
- University-Affiliated Programmes
- Creative / Media / Fashion
- PropTech / Real Estate / Urban Innovation
What is a startup incubator?
A startup incubator is a programme or space designed to help early-stage companies grow from idea to market. Incubators often provide office space, mentorship, workshops, and access to professional networks, helping founders validate their concepts and build a foundation for funding. Many are tied to universities, corporate sponsors, or independent organisations.
What is a startup accelerator?
An accelerator is a time-limited, cohort-based programme that supports startups with intensive mentorship, education, and networking, often in exchange for equity. Accelerators usually culminate in a “Demo Day,” where founders pitch their businesses to investors. They’re best suited for startups that have a minimum viable product (MVP) and are ready to scale quickly.
Pre-Seed / Early-Stage Incubators
AngelPad (NYC)
Location: New York City
Duration and deal (approx): ~3 months, seed-stage cohort.
A highly selective seed accelerator that works with founders to define product-market fit, validate early traction and prepare for first institutional raise. With a reputation for rigorous selection and strong outcomes, AngelPad is a go-to for early-stage teams aiming to scale.
Why it stands out: If you’re pre-Series A and want a hands-on, high-intensity programme that connects you to top investors and mentors in NYC, this one ticks the box.
Betaworks Camp
Location: New York City
Duration and deal (approx): ~13-week in-residence programme; pre-seed funding and product development.
Betaworks isn’t a traditional accelerator in every sense, but its “Camp” residency offers early-stage founders space, mentorship and a community of peers in front-end and frontier technology.
Why it stands out: Good for founders working on experimental tech or media formats who want a creative environment rather than just a traditional demo-day programme.
General Tech Accelerators
Techstars NYC
Location: New York City
Duration and deal (approx): ~3 months; global brand with strong NYC presence.
One of the world’s most recognised tech accelerator brands, Techstars in NYC gives you access to a global network, strong investor connectivity and the credibility that comes with the name.
Why it stands out: Ideal if you want to tie into a broad ecosystem, and you’re comfortable competing for entry into a global-brand programme.
Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA)
Location: New York City
Duration and deal (approx): ~4 months; investment terms typical for NYC early-stage.
A local heavyweight in New York City’s accelerator landscape, ERA works with early-stage startups across sectors and offers mentor-rich programmes and investor readiness support.
Why it stands out: If you want a more local-centric programme (vs global brand), ERA delivers strong NYC coverage and community.
Hardware / Deep-Tech / Urban Innovation
Newlab
Location: Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn
Duration and model: Flexible; multi-disciplinary tech incubation and shared lab/production space.
Operating out of a former shipyard turned innovation campus, Newlab specialises in robotics, connected devices, energy, urban tech and hardware manufacturing. It’s as much about space and physical build-out as the accelerator curriculum.
Why it stands out: For founders building hardware, “hard” tech, urban infrastructure or manufacturing-adjacent startups, this place is uniquely set up for the job.
Corporate and Industry-Specific Accelerators
URBAN‑X
Location: Brooklyn, NYC
Duration and focus: ~20 weeks; smart-cities, mobility, urban tech.
URBAN-X is geared explicitly at startups re-imagining city life — from mobility solutions to real-estate innovation, energy and infrastructure.
Why it stands out: If your startup is rooted in physical or urban spaces (rather than pure software), URBAN-X speaks your language and delivers relevant network and partners.
Social Impact and Sustainability
Urban Future Lab (NYU Tandon)
Location: Brooklyn, NYC
Duration and model: Clean energy and climate-tech vertical, within a broader incubator environment.
Aimed at startups focused on sustainability, climate, cleantech and urban innovation, the Urban Future Lab offers programmes, workspace and access to investors aligned with impact.
Why it stands out: If your mission is social or environmental impact as much as growth, this one gives you the alignment and ecosystem you’ll want.
FinTech and Blockchain
FinTech Innovation Lab (NYC)
Location: New York City (NYC)
Duration and model: Typically ~3-months; no equity for some cohorts; fintech-specific.
Backed by banks and fintech-partners, this accelerator helps fintech startups pilot, scale and connect with financial-industry buyers and resources.
Why it stands out: For fintech founders, the value is less about raw funding and more about access to financial-industry customers, regulatory insight and high-value partnerships.
University-Affiliated Programmes
NYU Tandon Future Labs
Location: New York City (NYC)
Duration and model: Various lab/incubator programmes across deep tech, AI, clean energy.
A part of the academic-entrepreneurial ecosystem, Future Labs offers access to university resources, labs, experienced mentors and founder communities tuned to early-stage innovation.
Why it stands out: If you’re a founder with a technical background coming out of university or looking for lab space and research support, this is a compelling route.
Creative / Media / Fashion
CFDA Fashion Incubator
Location: New York City (NYC)
Duration and model: Multi-month support for fashion and retail tech startups (industry-specific).
For innovators in fashion, retail, direct-to-consumer and hybrid physical/digital retail models, the CFDA programme provides mentorship, industry introductions and niche network in a creative ecosystem.
Why it stands out : If your startup sits at the intersection of design, retail experience and tech, this accelerator gives you the credibility and fashion-industry access you require.
PropTech / Real Estate / Urban Innovation
MetaProp NYC
Location: New York City (NYC)
Duration and model: Typically 5-month programmes; focus on real-estate tech, property innovation.
A real-estate-tech specialist accelerator backed by major property investors and firms; ideal for startups building solutions in property, construction tech, smart buildings or urban management.
Why it stands out: For founders solving real-estate or built-environment problems, this programme delivers the domain-specific network and partnerships you’ll need.
Finding Your Perfect Workspace in NYC’s Startup Ecosystem
New York’s startup ecosystem is broad, deep and highly varied — it’s not just tech, it’s finance, fashion, urban innovation, property, hardware, cleantech and beyond. Much like London, the programmes listed above represent a cross-section of what’s available, from early-stage incubators to industry-specific accelerators and university-affiliated labs.
Choosing the right programme means matching your stage, sector and ambition with the right set of mentors, peers, space and partners. And remember: flexible workspace matters too. Whether you’re midway through a cohort, prepping for Demo Day or scaling your team post-accelerator, Hubble’s flexible workspace solutions can help you give your team the workspace they deserve.
Explore Hubble On-Demand today to find day-offices, coworking seats or event space in NYC’s most dynamic hubs.
