The accelerators actually operating in SoCal
28 independent programs, hand-verified — focus, location, and how to apply, not just a name and a logo.
Looking for a campus program instead? 19 university-run accelerators & incubators →
ACCELERATORS
Connect Springboard
San Diego, CA
Started in 2005 as the country's first accelerator, Springboard is now Connect's no-cost advising program pairing life sciences and hi-tech founders with strategic advisors and industry experts to help them scale and raise capital. Run by Connect, the San Diego innovation nonprofit based at UCSD Park & Market.
Octane LaunchPad
Orange County, CA
The flagship accelerator program of Octane, a nonprofit founded in 2002 by Jim Mazzo, Dwight Decker, Mike Mussallem, Matthew Massengill, and UCI's Tom Moebus to grow Orange County's tech and life-sciences sectors. Run in partnership with the SBA's OC/Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Network; portfolio companies have raised over $8.3B to date.
EvoNexus
San Diego, CA
A nonprofit, equity-free technology incubator — it does not take a stake in the companies it supports. Focused on San Diego's tech ecosystem across software, hardware, and life sciences.
University Lab Partners
Irvine, CA
A nonprofit, open-ended wet-lab incubator at UCI Research Park (with a second site in Aliso Viejo), founded as a project of the Beall Family Foundation in partnership with UCI Beall Applied Innovation. No IP or equity claims on resident companies.