Seedstars
Seedstars runs acceleration and growth programmes for early-stage ventures in emerging markets, plus a seed fund. Its calls on the site were closed when we checked.
Seedstars at a glance
| Established | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Address | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Programmes | 8 standing programmes |
| Stages supported | MVP, Growth |
| Official website | www.seedstars.com |
| info@seedstars.com |
Which Seedstars programme fits you
8 programmes compared by who they are for, the stage they accept, how long they run and what they cost.
By stage
- MVP
- Seedstars Acceleration Program
- Growth
- Seedstars Growth Program
| Programme | Best for | Stage | Duration | Format | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seedstars Growth Program | Acceleration-ready ventures preparing to scale and raise a Series A | Growth | — | Online | — |
| Seedstars Acceleration Program | Companies with an MVP and a first base of users | MVP | — | — | Paid |
| Seedstars Investment Readiness Program | Startups selected for a cohort's investment readiness call | — | 2 to 6 month period | — | — |
| Seedstars International Ventures | Pre-seed and seed startups in emerging markets, mainly B2B | — | — | — | Takes equity |
| FTxSDG Challenge (formerly Seedstars World Competition)With Financial Times | Early-stage impact startups in emerging markets | — | — | — | — |
| Seedstars 01 | Young changemakers in emerging markets who want digital skills | — | two years | — | — |
| Enhancing Women Entrepreneurship in Africa (EWEA)With AFAWA, GrowthAfrica | Women-led SMEs in Africa and their support organisations | — | — | — | — |
| Financial Inclusion Lab (CAF)With CAF, Endeavor | Early-stage fintechs in CAF member countries | — | — | — | — |
Track record
What Seedstars reports about its portfolio.
All figures self-reported — seedstars.com, as of Oct 2026.
Programmes they run
Standing programmes at Seedstars, separate from the funding calls above.
Seedstars Growth Program
AcceleratorA virtual post-acceleration programme that helps startups build a growth team and a growth methodology to scale up and raise a Series A and beyond.
Best for: Acceleration-ready ventures preparing to scale and raise a Series A
- Growth
- Online
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
The Growth Program is a virtual post-acceleration programme. Startups build a growth team and adopt a growth methodology.
Who can apply
- Programmes for acceleration-ready ventures that want to scale their operations and get investment ready.
How to apply
- The growth calls listed on the site were closed when we checked. Watch the programmes page for the next call.
Seedstars Acceleration Program
AcceleratorA programme for companies with an MVP that aims to reach a functional prototype, first paying customers and product-market fit, through 1:1 mentoring and workshops.
Best for: Companies with an MVP and a first base of users
- MVP
- Paid
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
The Acceleration Program is for companies with an MVP and an existing base of first users. It uses 1:1 mentoring, workshops and weekly KPI sessions to get the venture to a working product and first paying customers.
What you get
- 1:1 mentoring and workshops, with a weekly KPI session.
- Access to the Seedstars network of investors.
How it runs
- Virtual, hybrid or onsite, depending on the cohort.
Cost
- Seedstars says almost all of its programmes take a programme fee. The acceleration pages do not state an amount.
Seedstars Investment Readiness Program
AcceleratorA customised programme that scores each startup's investment readiness, then runs webinars, individual assignments, group and 1:1 mentoring over roughly 2 to 6 months.
Best for: Startups selected for a cohort's investment readiness call
- 2 to 6 month period
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
The Investment Readiness Program adapts to each participating startup. Each startup is first scored on its investment readiness, then works through action-driven webinars, individual assignments and group mentoring sessions.
How it runs
- Each program timeline is customised. The programme can run for a 2 to 6 month period,.
- Virtual, hybrid or onsite formats are used.
How to apply
- Calls are published per cohort. The investment readiness calls listed on the site were closed when we checked.
Seedstars' fund that invests in pre-seed and seed stage startups across emerging markets and takes an ownership stake.
Best for: Pre-seed and seed startups in emerging markets, mainly B2B
- Takes equity
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
Seedstars International Ventures invests at the pre-seed and seed stage across emerging markets. It writes a first cheque and may follow on, and it takes an ownership stake in the companies it backs.
How to apply
- Pitch the fund through its website. You do not apply to a programme.
A yearly startup competition run with the Financial Times, split into SDG-themed challenges, with local, regional and global stages and one global winner.
Best for: Early-stage impact startups in emerging markets
With Financial Times
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
The FTxSDG Challenge looks each year, from June to November, for early-stage startups in emerging markets that want to become investment ready. Startups go through local, regional and global stages, and one of them is crowned the global winner.
What you get
- Intensive training on how to be investment ready.
- The global winner receives an equity investment as the prize.
Seedstars 01
ProgrammeA two-year digital skills and startup-based immersive education programme for the next generation of changemakers in emerging markets.
Best for: Young changemakers in emerging markets who want digital skills
- two years
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
Seedstars 01 is a talent incubator. It offers digital skills and immersive education to learners who want to solve large problems in emerging markets. It is not a funding route for startups.
A mentorship and skills programme for women-led SMEs and the organisations that support them in Africa, run with AFAWA and GrowthAfrica. Closed.
Best for: Women-led SMEs in Africa and their support organisations
With AFAWA, GrowthAfrica
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
EWEA gave women-led small and medium enterprises in Africa mentorship, skills capacity-building and access to funding and visibility. Community enablers that support women entrepreneurs could also apply for capacity building.
The call is closed. Sign-up was due before the end of December 2022.
Financial Inclusion Lab (CAF)
AcceleratorAn acceleration programme for fintechs and digital solutions that improve financial inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean. Past editions are closed.
Best for: Early-stage fintechs in CAF member countries
With CAF, Endeavor
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
The Financial Inclusion Lab accelerated early-stage fintech and digital solutions improving financial inclusion, run with CAF and Endeavor. The 2021 open call selected eight winning fintechs for an acceleration programme that ran between January and June 2022.
The call is closed. It was open to early-stage projects from CAF member countries.
Labs & facilities
Equipment and space on campus.
Seedspace hubs
Dedicated entrepreneurship spaces where ventures can have a physical space for coworking, networking and learning.
Support services
Help offered alongside funding and space.
Business advisory
Customised entrepreneurial programmes and advisory for founders and the institutions that support them.
How to apply to Seedstars
Choosing a programme
- Acceleration Program: for companies that already have an MVP and a first base of users.
- Growth Program: for acceleration-ready ventures preparing to scale and raise a Series A.
- Investment Readiness Program: for startups selected through a cohort's own call.
- Seedstars International Ventures: for pre-seed and seed startups. You pitch the fund rather than apply to a programme.
Before you apply
- Check the open calls first. The acceleration, growth and investment readiness calls listed on the site were closed when we checked.
- Expect a programme fee on the Acceleration Program. Seedstars says almost all of its programmes take one.
What the programmes assess
- The Investment Readiness Program scores each startup's investment readiness, then sets mentoring around the areas that need work.
About Seedstars
Seedstars is a Swiss-based private company, headquartered in Geneva, that runs acceleration and growth programmes for early-stage ventures in emerging markets. It was founded in 2012 by three entrepreneurs from Switzerland, and it also runs Seedstars International Ventures, a fund that invests at the pre-seed and seed stage. The group describes its activities as covering over 90 emerging ecosystems.
The pages we checked do not name India as a market the programmes are open to, and we found no open call for India-based founders.
How programmes work
Seedstars runs three main programmes for startups at different stages. The Acceleration Program is for companies with an MVP and a first base of users, and it aims to get them to a functional prototype, first paying customers and product-market fit. The Growth Program is a virtual post-acceleration programme that helps ventures build a growth team and prepare to raise a Series A and beyond. The Investment Readiness Program is customised to each startup and usually runs for a 2 to 6 month period.
Programmes can run virtually, in a hybrid format with short onsite bootcamps, or onsite where enough participants are available.
Who can apply
The Acceleration Program is for companies that already have an MVP. The Growth Program is for acceleration-ready ventures that want to scale and get investment ready. The Investment Readiness Program selects startups within each cohort's own call, sourced from Seedstars' database and networks.
Seedstars says that almost all of its programmes take a programme fee. The acceleration pages do not state an amount.
Investment and prizes
Seedstars International Ventures invests in bold founders at the pre-seed and seed stage across emerging markets, and it takes an ownership stake in the companies it backs. Founders pitch the fund through its website rather than applying to a programme.
The FTxSDG Challenge, previously known as the Seedstars World Competition, runs each year from June to November, with local, regional and global stages, and it is powered by the Financial Times. The global winner receives an equity investment as the prize.
Talent and learning
Seedstars 01 is a two-year digital skills and startup-based immersive education programme for the next generation of changemakers in emerging markets. It is a learning route for individuals, not a funding route for startups.
Facilities
Seedspaces are dedicated entrepreneurship spaces where ventures can have a physical space for coworking, networking and learning. Seedstars says its work spans 90+ countries with 15 offices.
Scale
Seedstars says it has worked with over 30,000 entrepreneurs, that its community has 250,000 members, and that its global investor network has over 500 members. These are the group's own figures.
Its pages give different counts of coverage: one says over 90 emerging ecosystems, and another says over 80 emerging market ecosystems.
Who runs it
Seedstars SA runs the programmes and the fund from Geneva. Contact is through the general inbox on the site's contact page.
Get in touch
Send a message to Seedstars — we'll forward it on your behalf.
Frequently asked questions about Seedstars
What is Seedstars?
Seedstars is an accelerator based in Geneva.
What does Seedstars do?
Seedstars is a Swiss-based private company, headquartered in Geneva, that runs acceleration and growth programmes for early-stage ventures in emerging markets.
Where is Seedstars located?
Seedstars is located at Geneva, Switzerland.
What programs does Seedstars run?
Seedstars runs Seedstars Growth Program, Seedstars Acceleration Program, Seedstars Investment Readiness Program and Seedstars International Ventures, among others.
Which Seedstars programme should I apply to?
It depends on how far along your startup is. MVP stage: Seedstars Acceleration Program. Growth stage: Seedstars Growth Program. Check the programme's own eligibility before applying — several programmes are sector-specific.
What facilities does Seedstars offer?
Seedstars offers Seedspace hubs.
How do I apply to Seedstars?
- Acceleration Program: for companies that already have an MVP and a first base of users. - Growth Program: for acceleration-ready ventures preparing to scale and raise a Series A. - Investment Readiness Program: for startups selected through a cohort's own call. - Seedstars International Ventures: for pre-seed and seed startups. You pitch the fund rather than apply to a programme.
When was Seedstars founded?
Seedstars was founded in 2012. It is an accelerator.
Recommended grants & schemes
Other open programmes matching Seedstars's focus areas.