100+ Accelerator

Pick your challenge first

• Each company applies once, to the single challenge that best matches its core offering. Choose on what you already sell, not on which corporate partner you would like to work with.
• The challenge areas are water stewardship, climate solutions, better packaging, sustainable agriculture, nature and biodiversity, supply chain excellence and impact-driven growth. A Resilient Africa challenge is also listed on the challenges page.

Check you are eligible

• You need a registered legal entity and a website.
• There is no minimum company age, and the solution does not have to be deep technology.
• Your solution should be ready to pilot, since the programme is built around a pilot with a corporate partner.
• The pages disagree on whether the target stage ends at Series A or Series B. Later-stage companies are welcome.

How applications work

• Applications open once a year in a set window. The 2026 round closed on 10 July 2026, so the next step for most founders is to sign up for round updates on the programme site.
• You cannot edit an application after you submit it. You can share important updates by emailing communications@100accelerator.com.
• Propose a pilot budget below the maximum where you can, and do not inflate costs. The programme says a smaller pilot is easier to scale and more viable.

How selection works

• The 100+ team does a first review, subject matter experts assess the applications that pass, and the corporate partners make the final choice.
• Non-disclosure agreements are only considered at the interview stage, and only if you ask.

What reviewers look for

• A solution that fits one challenge area and is ready to pilot.
• A pilot that is scoped at a size the partner can test and scale, not the largest budget you can justify.
• Readiness: the programme says selection at each stage depends on the quality and readiness of applications.

The 100+ Accelerator is a six-month, remote sustainability accelerator for startups. AB InBev launched it in 2018 to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and it is now co-sponsored by AB InBev, The Coca-Cola Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, Mondelēz International and Unilever. It is a global programme, and its pages do not tie it to any one city or country.

How the programme works

The 100+ Accelerator runs one programme on a yearly cohort cycle. Startups apply in an open round, and those selected join a six-month remote programme built around a pilot: a real trial of the startup's solution with one of the corporate partners. Each selected startup is backed by a dedicated champion inside that company, gets access to mentors and training, and presents at a Demo Day at the end.

The programme takes no equity. Its pages describe pilot funding for selected startups, and elsewhere describe the funding as potential funding from the partner companies and their networks, so treat it as not guaranteed. Applicants are encouraged to propose a pilot budget below the maximum, to keep the pilot scalable and viable, and not to inflate costs. The aim is for startups to leave with a larger commercial contract and a lasting relationship with a partner.

Challenge areas

Each startup applies to the challenge that best matches its core offering. The home page and the main programme pages list seven challenge areas: water stewardship, climate solutions, better packaging, sustainable agriculture, nature and biodiversity, supply chain excellence, and impact-driven growth. The challenges page also lists a further challenge, Resilient Africa. The programme's own pages are not consistent about whether there are six, seven or eight challenges.

Who can apply

The programme asks for a registered legal entity and a website. There is no minimum company age. The solution should be ready to pilot and should fit one of the challenge areas. It does not have to be deep technology.

On stage, the programme's pages disagree. One describes startups from Seed to Series B; another says it is designed for Seed to Series A companies, and adds that later-stage companies are welcome.

There is no country restriction on the pages, and they say the company's headquarters does not limit where a pilot can take place. They do not mention India or any Indian alumni, so an Indian startup should check its fit against a challenge before investing time in an application.

How selection works

Selection has three steps. The 100+ team makes a first review, subject matter experts then assess the applications that pass, and the corporate partners make the final choice. Non-disclosure agreements are only considered at the interview stage, and only on request. Final cohorts are typically 30 to 45 startups, though the number depends on the quality and readiness of applications at each stage.

Application rounds

The 2026 application round opened on 2 June 2026 and closed on 10 July 2026. The home page now reads that applications are closed. The programme's pages label that round with different cohort numbers, so check the number before you quote it. Founders who missed the round can sign up on the programme site to be told when the next one opens.

Scale

These figures are the programme's own. Its pages give different totals for the number of startups it has worked with: about 190 on one tile, more than 200 across the first six cohorts, and more than 240 on the home page, in each case across more than 40 countries. Demo Day 2025 was held in London and brought together more than 470 founders, corporates, investors and sustainability leaders. The programme also reports that more than half of the startups in its first two cohorts secured long-term contracts with AB InBev.

Who runs it

The programme is operated by the 100+ team, and the site and its terms belong to AB InBev. Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever joined in 2020, Danone became the fifth corporate partner in 2024, and Mondelēz International joined as the sixth in 2026. Each partner opens its supply chain to the startups selected for its challenges.