Primary Care Innovation Challenge: The Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) is seeking startups and entrepreneurs who are developing and validating digital health-based solutions that strengthen and sustain primary care in Massachusetts to compete in the fourth Massachusetts Digital Health Sandbox Challenge. This Challenge focuses on digital health innovations that address urgent issues in primary care, specifically in the areas of administrative burden, workforce burnout and patient access. Finalists will compete for $300,000 in grant funding to support validation projects with MeHI’s Digital Health Sandboxes. Applications are due December 18. More information here.
The AI Ventures Accelerator is a free accelerator from Technovation and Generation Unlimited that fast-tracks teams of young women from idea to investor-ready AI venture with a chance at $10,000 in equity-free seed funding. The AI Ventures Accelerator exists to jumpstart new tech businesses from young women with exciting ideas and an interest in technology and entrepreneurship. Applications are due December 31. More information here.
Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2) Grants: Administered by MassTech Collaborative, M2I2 provides state grant funding to help Massachusetts innovators who are ready to begin manufacturing their hardtech technologies. Submit Concept Papers by January 5. More information here.
Sage Impact Entrepreneurship: Scaling Solutions for People and the Planet 2026: In partnership with Sage Foundation, this year’s program will support 12-13 early-stage and under-resourced startups based in the US through its Annual Core Cohort offering tailored mentoring, Sage’s product support, grants, and strategic training. An additional 14-16 US-based startups will join the Annual Community Cohort and have access to various resources, including a curated digital platform, asynchronous tools, and visibility through Village Capital’s website and social channels. Applications are due January 5. More information here.
Go Build 2026 with Amazon and the Global CO₂ Initiative at the University of Michigan aims to accelerate collaborations with startups in the field of CO₂ utilization and valorization. Specifically, the program seeks to speed the development and implementation of advanced CO₂ mineralization and carbonation technologies to decarbonize the built environment—both within Amazon’s operations and the construction industry more broadly. Applications are due January 9. More information here.
Innovation Ecosystem Program (IEP): IEP provides grants to Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) in Massachusetts — incubators, accelerators, and innovation hubs — that deliver targeted support to early-stage climatetech entrepreneurs and accelerate their path to market. Concept papers are due January 13. More information here.
The VentureWell Ocean Enterprise Accelerator is here to help innovators from across America turn their vision into reality by supporting the development, commercialization, and adoption of new ocean data technologies and services for economic and societal benefit to the U.S. and our growing blue economy. Whether you’re a student, researcher, entrepreneur, industry professional, or innovator passionate about building ocean solutions, this transformative national suite of programs is designed to equip blue innovators with the tools, resources, and support needed to turn bold ideas into impactful solutions. Application deadline is January 14. More information here.
HAYVN HATCH is a pitch night for female founders, held two times a year at HAYVN, a women-centric coworking & event space. Female Founders are invited to present at HAYVN HATCH. The businesses that are most likely to be selected are scalable, with opportunity for growth and an interesting USP. Pitches will consist of a 3 minute presentation by you, the founder, followed by 5 minutes for Judge / Audience questions. Applicants MUST have a deck to submit with their application. Application Deadline: Friday, January 16. More information here.
The MassVentures Founders School seeks to provide each founder with robust preparation for getting ready for investment, joining competitive accelerator programs and being part of the MassVentures deep tech ecosystem. The program is designed for underrepresented deep tech founders with a focus on empowering early-stage founders in Massachusetts, as well as founders curious about moving and building their business in the Commonwealth. Our goal is to provide each fellow with an individualized mentorship and coaching experience that will maximize their success. Applications are due January 17. More information here.
Springboard’s Women’s Health Accelerator Program is for women-led companies seeking growth funding and connections to experts and strategic partners for product development and expansion. The program combines high-value events and workshops with an impactful community. Applications are due January 23. More information here.
The E-Team Program, part of the VentureWell Accelerator, supports student ventures as you embark down the path you’re likely to take as an innovator and entrepreneur, through a powerful mix of up to $25,000 in grant funding, entrepreneurship training, mentorship by dedicated staff, national recognition, and networking with peers and industry experts. Do you have an idea that can change the world? Applications for the spring 2026 cohort of the E-Team Program are now open! Application deadline: January 27. More information here.
Capital One Auto Growth Stage Program aims to fuel the mobility startup ecosystem by growing your business with unique opportunities for connection and collaboration. Capital One is supporting startups in the mobility industry through two program offerings: the idea-stage and growth cohorts. Whether you are at the idea stage or have a venture you are ready to grow, each of these will help propel your idea or business forward. Applications are due January 31. More information here.
iNext is a pitching competition designed to spark transformational “moon-shot” ideas. Sanofi invites innovative Startups and Academic Labs from both North America and Europe to submit groundbreaking proposals, in the fields of either (1) Next-Gen approaches to counter aging related cellular and tissue dysfunction and/or (2) paradigm shifting strategies for targeted delivery of large molecules and nucleic acids. Applications are due January 31. More information here.
Cultivate Small Business Cohort 13: Santander’s Cultivate Small Business helps early-stage entrepreneurs build and sustain businesses in the food industry, with a focus on historically underserved founders in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. The program is completely free for eligible entrepreneurs and provides a 12 week food-focused curriculum, mentorship, and capital grants. Applications are due February 2. More information here.
The 2026 Snowflake Startup Challenge: Are you ready to take your startup to the next level? Snowflake is excited announce the launch of the 2026 Snowflake Startup Challenge in collaboration with the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). This Snowflake Startup Challenge is contest for early-stage startups that are building innovative applications and products powered by Snowflake’s Al Data Cloud. The winner and finalists may receive up to $1 million in investments from Snowflake, mentorship from industry leaders at NYSE-listed companies, along with global exposure, and the opportunity to ring the NYSE Bell! Applications are due February 18. More information here.
16th Annual Export Expo: February 26 – 27 The Export Expo is the state’s largest and most important export event of the year that brings together resources, training and information for the local exporting community, providing a forum for exporters to connect with the wide range of export resources available in Massachusetts while learning about issues that impact their day-to-day operations. This virtual event will include an exhibit area featuring government, non-profit and private sector service providers serving the export community, and will feature a lineup of workshops, panel discussions and special addresses on a wide variety of export-related topics. More information here.
The Business Planning for Food-Preneurs (BPF) is designed to help plan, expand and grow your food business. With the training, business plan, networking, and access to resources, the food-preneur will create plans to effectively start and scale their business. This program is seeking food entrepreneurs who have recently launched and started to sell their products (such as a food truck, catering company, or food product line).Accepted applicants receive a 6-month subscription to LivePlan, the world’s leading business plan writing software. Application deadline is March 9. More information here.
The InnovateMass program provides up to $350,000 in grant funding and technical support to applicant teams deploying new clean energy technologies or innovative combinations of existing technologies with a strong potential for commercialization. Successful applicants will propose projects that address important energy challenges within our four focus areas, help to grow the state’s clean energy economy, and contribute to Massachusetts’ continued clean energy leadership. Applications are due March 9. More information here.
EmPower Massachusetts offers multiple stages of investment in communities and community-based organizations so that they can explore, develop, and implement program models or projects that provide access to the benefits of clean energy for previously underserved populations. Applications are due March 26. More information here.
The EforAll Business Accelerator is a free, 12-week program offered three times a year. The program delivers immersive business training, peer-to-peer support, mentorship, and access to an extended professional network. Anyone looking to gain increased business confidence, clarity, and connections is encouraged to apply. Applications are due March 26. More information here.
ARPA-E SCALEUP Ready Program: The SCALEUP Program is ARPA-E’s early commercialization program designed to help teams turn their groundbreaking ideas into reality. During the SCALEUP Ready program, ARPA-E experts will provide guidance to awardees as they establish their business model, supply chain, and sales channels. Applications are now accepted on a rolling basis. More information here.
Accelerate Your Impact: Massachusetts Small Business Coaching Program: Boston Impact Initiative (BII) and Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) have partnered to offer entrepreneurs and small business owners coaching and resources to build sustainable and socially impactful businesses. More information here.
FinTech Sandbox is a nonprofit which enables financial technology entrepreneurs to build robust products by providing access to critical data, development tools and a curated network of customers, entirely for free. FinTech Sandbox is open to all startups innovating in financial services that can use financial data products we offer for product development and testing. The spirit of the program is to offer data to start-ups that could not otherwise afford it. More information here.
Techstars is the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. As one of the largest pre-seed investors in the world, they funded over 3,200 companies that have gone on to have a market cap of $79B+. Each company receives up to $120,000 in funding, and access to the worldwide network of investors, hands-on mentorship, and over $4M of perks. Applications are open year-round and will be considered on a rolling basis. Your application will be valid for 12 months from the date of application. More information here.
Through its 2030 Fund, MassCEC invests at the earliest stages of company development across the climatetech landscape. With a focus on tough tech and underserved sectors, MassCEC investments aim to advance clean technology, fill funding gaps, create green jobs, and leverage private capital throughout the Commonwealth. More information here.
P&G Ventures is an early stage startup studio within Procter & Gamble that partners with entrepreneurs to accelerate billion dollar ideas that improve consumers’ lives. Focus areas include nontoxic home and garden, women’s health, anti-aging, daily wellness, and cleaning/sanitizing. More information here.
IFundWomen Boston is a crowdfunding ecosystem designed to help the women-led startups, small businesses, nonprofits, side hustles, and passion projects of Boston raise funds to launch and grow. Join iFundWomen if you are a Boston-area women-led startup to fundraise for your business and get your ideas launched. More information here.
AmplifyMass supports academic researchers and companies who need cost-share or adders for federal/non federal prime awards. AmplifyMass provides up to $300,000 for academic or company projects pursuing cost-share or adders for federal or non-federal prime awards (such as awards from ARPA-E, NSF, DOE, and USABC), or up to $100,000 for academic projects that are not tied directly to a prime grant. The program supports projects that aim to commercialize or substantially de-risk an innovation that falls within MassCEC’s mission. More information here.
SoGal Foundation has teamed up with Winky Lux, bluemercury, twelveNYC, Twilio, and other sponsors to make a small step towards progress by providing several $10K and $5K cash grants to Black women or nonbinary entrepreneurs. Awardees will also receive tactical help navigating the fundraising environment at large so that they will have a more equitable opportunity at scaling the next billion dollar idea. They will also receive lifetime “ask-me-anything” access to the SoGal Foundation and SoGal Ventures teams. More information here.
The Innovate413 Accelerator is a five-month, no-equity launch program that helps founders test ideas, find real customers, and raise early funding. Innovate413’s model emphasizes early customer access, providing introductions to more than 100 employers and nonprofits in advanced manufacturing, sustainability, fintech, and adjacent sectors. Startups also receive hands-on AI and product development support through UMass Center for Data Science & AI and PixelEdge, along with structured investor exposure throughout the program. Standout teams may receive up to $10,000 in grant funding. More information here.