Rolling admissions · Rolling admissions
Plug and Play Tech Center is a global innovation platform, accelerator, and venture fund founded in 2006 by Saeed Amidi in Sunnyvale, California. One of the world’s largest startup ecosystems, it operates 60+ locations across five continents and runs 25+ vertical-specific programmes, including FinTech, HealthTech, Mobility, Web3, Sustainability, and Smart Cities, rather than one generalist track. Each 3-month vertical cohort connects startups with 550+ corporate partners and 300+ VC partners for exclusive events, mentor sessions, and private deal flow. The accelerator itself takes no equity; a separate in-house Plug and Play VC fund makes optional, stage-agnostic investments of $50,000-$250,000, up to $1M in follow-on, for 1%-5% equity. Startups at any stage from any country may apply to the vertical programme matching their industry. Since 2006, Plug and Play has invested in 2,000+ companies, producing 35+ unicorns, including PayPal, Dropbox, LendingClub, Honey, acquired by PayPal for $4B, and N26. In 2026, Time magazine ranked Plug and Play 34th on its list of America’s best incubators and accelerators.
Frequency
Rolling
Duration
3 months
Investment
$50,000-$250,000 for Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A startups; up to $1,000,000 in follow-on investment.
Equity
1%-5%, no fixed percentage.
Program fees
None
Where
Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Cyprus, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, S. Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Uzbekistan
Sectors
AI/ML, Aerospace, AgriTech, Animal Health, ConTech, DeepTech, Defence, Energy, Enterprise, FinTech, FoodTech, HealthTech, Industry 4.0, Maritime, Media, Medical, Mobility, PropTech, Retail, Smart Cities, Sportstech, Supply Chain, Sustainability, Tourism, Travel, Web3
Stages
Growth/Late Stage, Idea/Pre-Team, Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A
Eligibility
• Must apply to a specific vertical program matching their industry
• Evaluated on: strong founding team, innovative solution, and fit with corporate partner needs in the vertical
• No minimum revenue or funding requirement published
Selection process
• Evaluated on team quality, solution innovation, and fit with corporate partners in the vertical
• Selected startups join the 3-month program: Dealflow meetings, Focus Weeks, and networking events with corporate and VC partners
• Each program concludes with an Expo or Summit where all batch startups present to a broader audience
Benefits
• Dealflows: curated, private one-on-one pitch meetings with corporate partners
• Focus Weeks bringing together startups, corporates, and investors for curated activities
• Access to 800+ annual events, plus community exposure through Plug and Play’s global co-working spaces
• Connections with 550+ corporate partners and 300+ VC partners across verticals
• Optional seed investment from the Plug and Play VC fund ($50,000-$250,000, up to $1M follow-on, stage-agnostic)
• Long-term office space available for 400+ startups at the Sunnyvale campus
• Each program concludes with an Expo or Summit where startups present to a broader audience of investors and partners
Network
550+ global corporate partners across verticals, including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Visa, Mastercard, JLR, Bayer, Volvo Group, Eli Lilly, Porsche, PepsiCo, and MUFG. 300+ VC partners in the ecosystem. 100+ university partnerships for technology transfer and student pipelines.
Portfolio
2,000+ startups have received direct investment to date, producing 35+ unicorns (85% at seed stage); the broader ecosystem has matched 10,000+ startups to growth and investment opportunities, and engaged 100,000+ startups in total since 2006; 400+ startups hold long-term office space at the Sunnyvale campus.
Funds raised
Portfolio companies have collectively raised over $40 billion in follow-on funding, and produced 35+ unicorns (200+ new investments made per year); notable exits include Honey ($4B acquisition by PayPal), Dropbox IPO, LendingClub IPO.
🕐 Sep 2026
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