Southeast Asia accelerators compared: terms, cheques and who they take

By GrantSnap team · Published 2026-10-31 · guide

The Antler Singapore residency page in October 2026 — Antler's Singapore page, captured 31 October 2026.

Four programmes publish enough to compare in 2026: Iterative, Antler in Singapore, Accelerating Asia and Peak XV Surge. They differ most on price. As of 31 October 2026, Iterative says it charges no programme fee, Antler's Singapore residency states no fee, and Accelerating Asia states a US$35k programme fee plus 3% equity. Peak XV Surge publishes a cheque range but no fee or equity terms.

This is a comparison, not a ranking. 500 Global was on our list, but its own site shows no Southeast Asia programme, so it appears below only as a caution. Every figure here comes from the programmes' official pages, checked on 31 October 2026. Confirm each one on the official page before you apply, because terms and cohort dates change.

How we chose these programmes

We used three tests. First, published terms: does the official site state the cheque, equity and fees? Second, regional intake: does the programme take founders in or selling into Southeast Asia? Third, active 2026 cohorts: is there a current or upcoming batch on the page?

Not every programme passes all three. Where a page does not publish something, we write "not published" rather than guess. A missing number is not a bad sign on its own, but it does mean you must ask before you commit.

Iterative: rolling intake, no fee, Southeast Asia focus

Iterative runs two 12 week batches a year. Its FAQ gives Winter as February to May and Summer as July to September. Its apply page says it is accepting applications for the Winter 2027 batch, February to May 2027, with rolling admissions and no fixed deadline listed.

The standard deal, per the FAQ, is US$150,000 to US$500,000 through a post-money SAFE for roughly 10 to 15% of the company. The full amount is paid at admission. Iterative states there are no programme fees, clawbacks or milestones. The top of the range is typically for companies with at least US$1M in annual recurring revenue and fast weekly growth, or major enterprise contracts.

It suits founders whose company is based in Southeast Asia or sells mostly there. Any stage is accepted, including an idea, and so are solo founders. Founders must work on the startup full time. You do not need to be incorporated to apply, but you must be to receive funds, and a Singapore entity is strongly recommended. Orientation is in person and the rest is remote.

The application asks about the problem, your evidence for it, market size, what makes you different, traction metrics and what you have learned from users. You should also disclose any existing agreements or disputes. Iterative says it judges Market, Evidence and Founder. After review, expect a 30 minute interview with a Venture Partner or the investment team, then a final interview with a General Partner. Decisions usually take about two weeks.

Antler: a six week residency in Singapore

Antler's Singapore page describes a six week, full-time, in-person residency. Antler also lists Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam in its location menu, but the Singapore page publishes no programme details for them, and its cohort dates page lists no Southeast Asian dates.

The published investment is US$150,000 in total. That is US$100,000 for 10% equity after the residency, plus US$50,000 through an uncapped SAFE with a most favoured nation clause. Antler also states up to US$250,000 of matching capital at 50% of the next institutional round. The page says there is no fee, but founders pay their own travel and living costs. It also mentions a further equity amount fixed at the next financing round and does not state its size.

The page says the next residency started on 5 October 2026 and that applications are rolling, so a new applicant is looking at a later cohort. It suits teams already committed to an idea who can be in Singapore full time. Antler says it backs founders rather than sectors.

The apply page collects your name, email, stage, and region and city. The Singapore page adds an AI guided conversation of about 30 minutes and a PDF pitch deck under 20MB. It asks you to explain the problem, the ideal customer, what you have tested, what you learned and what you will test next. Shortlisted teams get a 15 minute call, then a virtual meeting with partners.

Accelerating Asia: the only fee on this list

Accelerating Asia describes itself as an early stage accelerator venture fund for pre-Series A tech startups across Southeast and South Asia, with no vertical focus. Its programme runs 100 days. For Cohort 14, the page gives selection interviews from August 2026, a start in October 2026, a retreat in November 2026 and Demo Day in January 2027, all subject to change.

The page states investment of up to US$250k through SAFE notes: US$100k upfront once conditions precedent are signed, and up to US$150k follow-on for top startups. It also states a programme fee of US$35k plus 3% equity, deducted at the time of investment rather than paid in cash upfront. Valuation cap and other SAFE details are not published on that page.

Selection runs from a longlist and requests for more information, through two to three interview rounds, to a Virtual Selection Week that picks the top 10 startups. The application asks for your vision, your current traction and why you want to join, plus supporting documents. The page says applications are ongoing but does not publish a deadline or the next cohort date.

Peak XV Surge: large cheques, thin published terms

Surge is run by Peak XV, which lists offices in the US, India, Singapore and the UAE. Its page says it invests from US$500k up to US$5M in seed capital and targets founders building from zero to one. When we fetched it, peakxv.com/surge returned a not found error, so we used surge.peakxv.com.

Southeast Asia intake, programme length, equity and fees are not published on the Surge pages we read. Applications are rolling. The form takes about 25 minutes and needs either a deck link or a Loom product demo plus pitch video. No questions are listed, and no eligibility criteria or response time. If you are in Southeast Asia, ask Peak XV directly whether you fall inside Surge before you spend time on it.

500 Global, and Singapore's government route

500 Global's homepage shows Southeast Asia only as a filter option, with no programme attached. Its Flagship Accelerator page describes an in-person four month programme in San Francisco from 30 November 2026 to 9 April 2027, with up to US$50K upfront and a US$35,000 programme fee. It does not mention a Southeast Asia intake, so we have not counted it.

If you are based in Singapore, Enterprise Singapore's innovation and startups page points founders to the Startup SG network and Stage One. We could not read specific grant amounts or eligibility on the pages we fetched, so check Enterprise Singapore or Startup SG directly for current schemes.

How to choose

Start with location. Iterative needs a Southeast Asia base or customer base. Antler's published residency is in Singapore and in person. Accelerating Asia covers Southeast and South Asia. Surge is unclear for Southeast Asia until you ask.

Then compare cost against cash. On the published numbers, Iterative's top end is paid at admission and the page states no fee. Antler's US$100,000 costs 10% plus a SAFE for the rest. Accelerating Asia's US$100k upfront comes with a US$35k fee and 3% equity. Work out what you give up in total, including later rounds, before you compare headline cheques.

What to prepare, and where GrantSnap fits

Prepare the same core set for any of them: a plain description of the problem and who has it, evidence from real customers, traction numbers you can defend, a short deck as a PDF or link, and a view of your entity and cap table. Iterative wants a Singapore entity to fund you. Antler asks for a PDF deck. Surge accepts a deck link or a Loom demo.

GrantSnap tracks live funding calls like these, drafts application answers from your profile and fills the form in Chrome. You review every answer before you submit. Our catalog had no Southeast Asia accelerator listing on 31 October 2026.

Common questions

Which Southeast Asia accelerator charges no programme fee?

As of 31 October 2026, Iterative states no programme fees, clawbacks or milestones, and Antler's Singapore page states no fee, though founders pay their own travel and living costs. Accelerating Asia states a US$35k programme fee plus 3% equity.

Does Antler run a residency outside Singapore in Southeast Asia?

Antler's location menu lists Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, but the Singapore page gives no programme details for them. Check each country page for its terms and cohort dates.

Does 500 Global have a Southeast Asia accelerator?

Its homepage shows Southeast Asia only as a filter with no programme attached. Its Flagship Accelerator page describes a San Francisco programme and mentions no Southeast Asia intake.

Do I need a company to apply to Iterative?

Iterative's FAQ says you do not need to incorporate to apply but must incorporate to receive funding. It strongly recommends a Singapore entity.

Sources

Iterative: Apply (accessed 2026-10-31)
Iterative: Getting into Iterative (accessed 2026-10-31)
Iterative: Frequently asked questions (accessed 2026-10-31)
Antler Singapore (accessed 2026-10-31)
Antler: Apply (accessed 2026-10-31)
Accelerating Asia: Get funded (accessed 2026-10-31)
Surge by Peak XV (accessed 2026-10-31)
Surge by Peak XV: Reach out (accessed 2026-10-31)
500 Global: Flagship Accelerator (accessed 2026-10-31)
Enterprise Singapore: Innovation and startups (accessed 2026-10-31)

We checked the programmes' official pages listed in the sources on 31 October 2026; figures are as published there on that date.

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