Introduction
Early stage startups have certain unique challenges requiring professional support to accelerate growth, make available resources last to find product-market-fit (PMF), and ultimately achieve investment readiness to scale businesses to the next level.
Acceleration has been a need for builders in the ecosystem and through Catalyst’s partner track funding category, accelerators are coming to Cardano. In recently completed fund13, Catalyst funded tier-1 global accelerators and programs such as Draper University, Techstars, UNDP, and CV Labs. Each organization has designed programs tailored for founders building on Cardano.
How do you get involved? This blog will provide a basic overview of the different Accelerator programs so that the Cardano community can learn what’s in store and how to apply. Let’s dive in!
Cardano Accelerators
Draper University Residency Program: Draper University, in collaboration with the Cardano ecosystem, funded by Project Catalyst, has launched the Cardano x DraperU Founder Residency Program to support and accelerate startups building on the Cardano blockchain. This five-week residency in Silicon Valley offers selected teams up to ₳42k in grant funding, mentorship from industry experts, and direct exposure to investors. Draper University is renowned for its entrepreneur-first approach, ensuring that participants learn directly from successful founders and globally recognized facilitators. The program offers best-in-class programming, including expert-led workshops, fireside chats with industry leaders, and hands-on guidance in pitch readiness and investor engagement. Participants gain access to an extensive network that includes world-class mentors, venture capitalists, and a thriving alumni community of over 5,000 entrepreneurs worldwide.
The program features workshops on user acquisition, MVP development, tokenization, customer discovery, and fundraising, leading up to a Demo Day where pitches are presented to top venture capitalists, including Tim Draper.
Program Timeline:
- Application Deadline: March 3, 2025
- Selection Announcement: March 10, 2025
- Final Offers: March 15, 2025
- Program Start: March 31, 2025
Interested projects should submit their applications before the March 3rd deadline to get involved. The application process includes an initial submission, an introductory call with the Draper U admissions team, investment committee, and completion of a detailed questionnaire. For more information and to apply, visit the official program page: https://draperuniversity.com/cardano.
CV Labs Cardano Accelerator: The CV Labs Cardano Accelerator is a comprehensive 10-week program designed to empower entrepreneurs building on the Cardano blockchain. This accelerator provides a structured approach to business development, offering resources, mentorship, and funding opportunities to help founders on Cardano scale their ventures. This accelerator is a hybrid of both in-person and remote experiences. The program kicks off with an immersive two-week bootcamp in Zug, Switzerland, a renowned hub for blockchain innovation. During this fortnight, founders engage with peers, mentors, and industry leaders, gaining insights into the latest trends and strategies in blockchain business development.
The next eight weeks are conducted remotely, focusing on refining business models, enhancing technical development, and preparing startups for successful market entry. Weekly workshops cover essential topics such as tokenomics, go-to-market strategies, regulatory frameworks, and fundraising strategies. This hybrid format ensures that founders receive the best of both worlds with hands-on mentorship and the flexibility to continue building their startups from anywhere in the world.
CV Labs accelerator program is designed to provide substantial support to Cardano startups. However, the program does not provide any direct funding, it offers other benefits that include access to a wide range of perks worth over $200k, co-working space access in Switzerland, Portugal, Liechtenstein, and South Africa, cloud credits, design and branding agency, discount on code audits, mentorship, and external fundraising opportunities.
Program Timeline
- Application Deadline: April 19th, 2025
- Program Start: May 19th, 2025
Interested projects should submit their applications before the April 19th deadline to get involved. For more information and to apply, visit the official program page: https://www.cvlabs.com/accelerator/cardano
The EMURGO x UNDP Blockchain Accelerator: The EMURGO x UNDP Accelerator showcases Blockchain technology’s potential to drive transformative change. With a focus of integrating blockchain solutions into sustainable development initiatives, this program combines UNDP’s global field expertise with EMURGO’s blockchain technical knowledge, ensuring that blockchain’s benefits are impactful.
This collaboration was designed to tackle key challenges in blockchain adoption. By integrating blockchain solutions into UNDP-led development projects, blockchain’s ability to tackle global challenges is demonstrated.
More details about this program will be shared as soon as they become available.