San Diego's 20 Best Startup Accelerators & Incubators [2024]

Updated: January 20th, 2022

Are you looking for an accelerator program in San Diego city?

Did you know that according to the San Diego Innovation Report, 477 start-ups came to life in San Diego County in the year 2020, a record number.

If you're starting a startup in San Diego, you might be wondering what startup accelerators or business incubators exist in the area.

In this list, you'll find the best business incubators, startup incubators, startup accelerators in San Diego. Here's the full list:

Startup Accelerators & Business Incubators In San Diego

# Accelerator/Incubator Funding Location Apply
1 Launch Factory $300K San Diego Apply
2 Logic Boost Labs $150K San Diego Apply
3 Scale Matrix Launch Center Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
4 Bio, Tech and Beyond Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
5 Bio Labs Not Disclosed San Diego... Apply
6 EvoNexus Not Disclosed San Diego... Apply
7 Cyber Hive Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
8 Bootstrap Venture Partners Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
9 Scale SD Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
10 Stella Labs Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
11 Hera Hub Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
12 JLabs Not Disclosed San Diego... Apply
13 Fab Lab Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
14 Connect Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
15 The Basement Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
16 The Brink SBDC Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
17 Launch Pad Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
18 Start R Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
19 EXO Incubator Not Disclosed San Diego Apply
20 Ad Astra Ventures Not Disclosed San Diego Apply

San Diego's 20 Best Startup Accelerators & Incubators [2024]

1. Launch Factory

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: All Industries

  • Investment Size: $300K

  • Program: Not Disclosed

Launch Factory is a reverse incubator program that launches successful companies in the markets of San Diego. They follow a three-course route; ideate, recruit and incubate. This program first develops a promising business idea for the next startup venture. They look for and identify the most talented and qualified founders and entrepreneurs to lead that new idea and start a startup firm. Finally, they provide entrepreneurs with seed funding, capital, a network of mentors and experts who help them to grow that business idea.

Apply to Launch Factory, or learn more ➜

2. Logic Boost Labs

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: B2B SaaS Industry

  • Investment Size: $150K

  • Program: Not Disclosed

Logic Boost Labs is an accelerator program that helps B2B SaaS startups to grow and scale in the industry. This program provides participants with $150K of seed funding, mentoring, investment, knowledge about sales and technology, and access to a network that helps startup businesses to succeed in the industry.

Apply to Logic Boost Labs, or learn more ➜

3. Scale Matrix Launch Center

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: Technology and Life Science

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: Not Disclosed

Scale Matrix Launch Center is a life science and technology accelerator program and co-working space that helps early-stage startup businesses to develop, grow, and scale in the industry. They provide participants with a low-cost co-working space, business services, traditional office space, and access to industry-leading resources such as science, technology, cloud, and data, necessary for the success of business firms.

Apply to Scale Matrix Launch Center, or learn more ➜

4. Bio, Tech and Beyond

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: Life Science

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: Not Disclosed

Bio, Tech, and Beyond is a life science incubator program in north San Diego. Their mission is to make it easy to start a life science startup company for entrepreneurs. They provide participants with low-cost labs, shared resources, and tools of modern life science research. They fulfill the dreams of the people who want to change the world through biotechnology.

Apply to Bio, Tech and Beyond, or learn more ➜

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5. Bio Labs

  • Location: San Diego, Boston, Cambridge, Philadelphia, New York, and more

  • Industry: Life Science

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: Not Disclosed

Bio Labs is an accelerator program and co-working space for life science and biotechnology startups. The participants of this program can access the leading pharmaceutical industry partners and life science tools necessary to grow in their industry. They fuel the life science ecosystem by supporting the community and creating jobs. They provide startups with best-in-class equipment, PCR machines, centrifuges, plate readers, and more.

Apply to Bio Labs, or learn more ➜

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6. EvoNexus

  • Location: San Diego, Orange County, and Silicon Valley
  • Industry: DeepTech, FinTech, and MedTech
  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed
  • Program: 3 Months
  • Equity Taken: *Not Disclosed *

EvoNexus provides a three-month accelerator program that motivates and empowers entrepreneurs to turn their innovative ideas into scalable and viable business firms.

They offer incubation and collaborative workspace for DeepTech /5G, FinTech, and Med Tech industries.

Additionally, they provide participants with mentorship, fundraising opportunities, access to capital, pitch scrubs, strategic and corporate networks, one-on-one meeting opportunities with experts, credibility, and the chance to collaborate with other entrepreneurs.

Apply to EvoNexus, or learn more ➜

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7. Cyber Hive

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: Technology Industry

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: Not Disclosed

The Cyber Hive is an incubator program hosted by the Cyber Tech Network. This program creates new job opportunities for entrepreneurs, fuels innovation, drives revenue, and contributes to the economic growth of San Diego. They help early-stage high potential companies who want to develop and commercialize their tech-related businesses. They offer support for innovative startups that focus on modern technologies, such as robotics, drones, the internet of things, software, app development, and 3D printing. They provide them with offline co-working space, mentorship, funding opportunities, and go-to-market strategies.

Apply to Cyber Hive, or learn more ➜

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8. Bootstrap Venture Partners

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: Technology and Healthcare

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: Not Disclosed

Bootstrap Venture Partners is a program that provides mentorship and guidance to early-stage startup companies whose products and services will bring a meaningful change in society and people’s way of living. They invest in healthcare and tech-related business who aims to deliver the solution of real world’s problems.

Apply to Bootstrap Venture Partners, or learn more ➜

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9. Scale SD

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: Smart Cities and Urban Tech

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: 2 Months

Scale is a two-month accelerator program that helps entrepreneurs convert their prototypes into solutions and help them build the change they wish to see globally. They also provide the participants with a network of experts and mentors, and at the end of the accelerator program, they host a pitch day program for deciding the next steps of the business. The participants or the startups for the accelerator program are selected through a seven-day innovation sprint program.

Apply to Scale SD, or learn more ➜

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10. Stella Labs

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: All Industries

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: 12 Weeks

Stella Labs is a business incubator program that empowers women entrepreneurs and fosters innovation through leading females in the industry. This program accelerates female entrepreneurship through various programs. They host intensive launch programs, scale intensive programs, virtual accelerator, and business strategy sessions. Stella Labs have a team of 140 top-class mentors who assist women entrepreneurs, promote culture and collaboration, and guide them to take their business startups to the next level.

Apply to Stella Labs, or learn more ➜

11. Hera Hub

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: All Industries

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: Not Disclosed

Hera Hub is a female-focused business accelerator and co-working space that supports its participants through mentorship, education, and collaboration. They provide a thriving ecosystem to entrepreneurs who want to succeed in the industry. They also offer a productive & professional space to the women entrepreneurs to grow a prosperous business and build a robust community. Hera Hub also supports its female participants to successfully launch and grow their business through creativity, launch, and growth programs.

Apply to Hera Hub, or learn more ➜

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12. JLabs

  • Location: San Diego, Washington, Toronto, New York, Boston
  • Industry: Biotech
  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed
  • Program: Not Disclosed
  • Equity Taken: Not Disclosed

JLabs is a lab space and a biotechnology incubator program in San Diego that empowers innovations to healthcare startups. They provide a global innovation ecosystem to health tech businesses and catalyze their growth through various entrepreneurial programs. They also optimize the research and development of medical firms and help them break through tomorrow's healthcare solutions.

Apply to JLabs, or learn more ➜

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13. Fab Lab

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: Fabrication Industry

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: Not Disclosed

Fab lab is a fabrication laboratory that helps small-scale startups and innovation hubs across the world. This program provides its participants with production workshops, digital fabrication machines, and technologies to produce tools and objects. Fab Lab is a global program that provides resources and training to entrepreneurs and guides them to bring their ideas into reality and succeed in the industry.

Apply to Fab Lab , or learn more ➜

14. Connect

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: Tech and Life Science

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: Not Disclosed

Connect is a program that does the work of connecting technology and life science companies to quality mentorship and capital. They help entrepreneurs to build great companies and create a world-class innovation system through access to education, investors, and mentors. They help participants understand the meaning of collaboration and thus impact the economy of San Diego.

Apply to Connect, or learn more ➜

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15. The Basement

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: All Industries

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: Not Disclosed

The Basement is a startup incubator program hosted by UC San Diego. This program supports new and first-time entrepreneurs and makes them leaders and change-makers of tomorrow. They provide market insights and guidance on building, growing, and scaling a business to the idea-stage entrepreneurs. They also offer startup space, mentorship, prototype funding, ideation support, and entrepreneurship mindset education to their participants.

Apply to The Basement, or learn more ➜

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16. The Brink SBDC

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: All Industries

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: Not Disclosed

The Brink SBDC is known to the best incubator program in San Diego. This program is hosted by the University of San Diego and they help startup businesses to build, grow, and scale in the industry. This innovation hub supports growth-oriented innovation-based companies. They provide training and consultation to the entrepreneurs and help them to get funding from the investors.

Apply to The Brink SBDC, or learn more ➜

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17. Launch Pad

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: Technology Industry

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: 9 Months

LaunchPad by Procopio is an incubator program that provides technical guidance and early- funding to startup companies. They help them grow and scale in the industry by providing legal services, offline space, and education on key topics like valuation, funding, employment, property strategies, and access to investors & experts. This nine-month incubator program helps in the growth and success of startups in the niche of high-tech hardware, software technology, the internet of things, life sciences, medical technology, cleantech, renewable energy, and more.

Apply to Launch Pad, or learn more ➜

18. Start R

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: All Industries

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: Not Disclosed

Start R is a non-profit accelerator program hosted by the UC San Diego Rady School of Management. This program is for the student entrepreneurs and alumni of this institution. The program is designed to provide the necessary tools and resources to the participants needed to build, start, grow, and scale the startup business firm. This program also hosts a series of workshops and guidance, gaining opportunities for the participants to succeed in the industry.

Apply to Start R, or learn more ➜

19. EXO Incubator

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: Exosome Technologies

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: Not Disclosed

EXO Incubator Program assists business companies related to exosome technologies and guides them to commercialize their business startup. This program provides participants with a deep knowledge of exosome technology, access to research, investor network, and top-talented industry leaders.

Apply to EXO Incubator, or learn more ➜

20. Ad Astra Ventures

  • Location: San Diego

  • Industry: Up to $100K

  • Investment Size: Not Disclosed

  • Program: 24 hours to 6 months depending on program

Ad Astra Ventures is a program that supports female-led business firms and helps them to discover their potential. This unique program provides tools to women entrepreneurs and guides them to build a successful business. They offer tailor-made programs to the participants, help them in product-market fit, go-to-market strategies, and access to the mentor-investor network. They prepare female entrepreneurs to build, grow, and scale their business firms successfully.

Apply to Ad Astra Ventures, or learn more ➜

meet the author
Pat Walls