What (ERA) Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator does

(ERA) Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator is a New York City-based startup accelerator and early-stage venture fund that operates two four-month cohort programs per year (Winter and Summer), investing $150,000 via post-money SAFE in exchange for a 6% equity stake in each selected company. Founded in 2011 as a program of the Entrepreneurs Roundtable (established 2007), ERA has run 30 cohorts to date and backs 400+ portfolio companies across software, SaaS, FinTech, HealthTech, commerce, AI, and climate verticals, accepting applications globally while requiring non-US companies to flip to a US C Corporation if accepted.

The accelerator's operating model pairs the standard SAFE investment with a structured set of in-person services: free NYC office space, dedicated mentor matching from a 500+ person mentor network, and a Demo Day that exposes each cohort to hundreds of qualified investors, angels, super-angels and VCs. ERA supplements this with a vendor-partner benefits stack including cloud hosting credits (Google Cloud up to $250K, Microsoft Azure up to $250K, AWS $25K, IBM Cloud up to $120K), payment processing credits (Stripe $70K), data infrastructure credits (Segment $50K, Plaid $7.5K), and AI API credits (OpenAI $5K, Anthropic $1.5K), plus preferred pricing from Carta, Justworks, Deel, and Thoropass.

Commercially, ERA's revenue mechanics flow through fund returns: capital deployed via SAFEs converts into preferred shares at each company's next priced round, with monetization realized through exits and subsequent financings in the $2B+ portfolio that has produced a combined market capitalization reported above $10B. The firm itself is small (1-10 employees) and led by founders Murat Aktihanoglu and Jonathan Axelrod as managing partners, with Jeremy Harper directing investments and Karen J. Novak directing communications. ERA markets primarily through its website, blog, newsletter, and Demo Day investor events, and is externally ranked among the top startup accelerators in 2025 and 2026.

Name

(ERA) Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator

Legal name

Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator

Website

https://eranyc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

(ERA) Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator is a New York City-based startup accelerator and early-stage venture fund running two four-month cohorts per year, investing $150,000 via post-money SAFE for 6% equity in 400+ portfolio companies, supported by a 500+ mentor network and a Demo Day investor pipeline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Accelerator and Early-Stage Venture Capital

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

Keywords

• Startup accelerator program
• Early-stage venture capital
• Seed stage investment
• Startup mentorship network
• Post-money SAFE funding

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: ERA invests $150,000 via post-money SAFE in return for 6% equity in each company. Returns are realized when companies raise subsequent equity rounds or exit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ERA operates two four-month accelerator cohorts per year (Winter and Summer) for early-stage technology startups. Each selected company receives a $150,000 investment via post-money SAFE in exchange for 6% equity, free in-person office space in New York City, mentor matching from a 500+ mentor network, Demo Day access to investors, and a packaged set of cloud, SaaS, and service-provider credits from partners. Non-US companies must flip to a US C Corporation if accepted.

Product overview

ERA (Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator) is a New York City-based startup accelerator and early-stage venture fund, not a product company. Since 2011, it has invested in 400+ startups across multiple industries. ERA operates two four-month programs per year, providing $150,000 investments on post-money SAFEs in exchange for 6% equity. The accelerator offers portfolio companies access to mentorship networks (500+ mentors), free office space, and credits from major cloud providers and business service partners. ERA does not develop or sell its own distinct product, platform, or software offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ERA Accelerator Program (Winter and Summer Cohorts) Four-month in-person accelerator cohort in New York City for early-stage technology startup founders, including $150,000 investment via post-money SAFE for 6% equity, free office space, mentor matching, and Demo Day investor access. Non-US companies must flip to a US C Corporation if accepted.
• Era Demo Day Culminating investor showcase at the end of each cohort where portfolio startups present to hundreds of qualified investors, angels, super-angels, and VCs to secure follow-on funding.
• ERA Mentor Matching Service Access to a proprietary mentor matching database covering 500+ mentors including serial entrepreneurs, corporate executives, industry experts, functional experts, technologists, and investors, provided to portfolio companies during the cohort.
• ERA Portfolio Benefits Package Bundled benefits package provided at no additional cost to portfolio companies, including up to $250K in Google Cloud credits, up to $250K in Microsoft Azure credits, $25K AWS credits, up to $120K IBM Cloud credits, $70K in fee-free Stripe processing, $50K in Segment credits, $5K in OpenAI API credits, $1,500 in Anthropic API credits, $7,500 in Plaid credits, $3,600 in MongoDB Atlas credits, $2,000 in Airtable credit, and preferred pricing from Carta, Justworks, Deel, and Thoropass.

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Y Combinator: Y Combinator is the largest and most influential startup accelerator globally, running two cohorts per year and offering standardized investment in exchange for equity. It is directly comparable to ERA in model (cohort-based, standardized SAFE terms, Demo Day), though significantly larger in check size, portfolio scale, and geographic reach.
• Techstars: Techstars is a global accelerator network running cohort-based programs with mentor-driven models and standardized equity investments. It is directly comparable to ERA in operational structure, though Techstars operates worldwide with many more programs and corporate-sponsored variants.
• AngelPad: AngelPad is a NYC/SF-based seed-stage accelerator offering cohort programs, mentorship, and standardized investment. It is directly comparable to ERA as a smaller, mentor-focused NYC accelerator with a similar target founder profile.
• 500 Global (formerly 500 Startups): 500 Global is a global accelerator and early-stage VC running cohort programs and follow-on funds across multiple geographies. It is comparable to ERA in offering accelerator programs with standardized equity investment and extensive mentor networks, though at much larger global scale.
• Dreamit Ventures: Dreamit Ventures is a US-based accelerator running cohort programs focused on healthtech, urban tech, and securetech with mentor-driven models. It is directly comparable to ERA in cohort structure, equity-for-investment terms, and target startup profile.
• Antler: Antler is a global early-stage VC and accelerator running cohort programs with standardized investment across multiple continents. It is comparable to ERA in cohort-based structure and standardized SAFE terms, though Antler operates globally and focuses on founder formation at the earliest stages.
• SOSV: SOSV is a global accelerator and venture fund running vertical-specific cohort programs (HAX for hardware, IndieBio for biotech, etc.) with extensive follow-on capital. It is comparable to ERA in running cohort-based accelerator programs with standardized equity investment, though SOSV focuses on deep-tech verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Plug and Play Tech Center: Plug and Play is a large global accelerator and corporate venture platform running vertical-specific cohort programs with extensive corporate partnerships. It is comparable to ERA's cohort/credit-stack model but operates at much larger scale and is more corporate-sponsor-driven.

Regional players

• NYU Tandon Future Labs: NYU Tandon Future Labs is a NYC-based startup incubator affiliated with NYU, offering workspace, mentorship, and programming for early-stage startups. It is comparable to ERA as a NYC-based founder-support organization, though structured as a university-affiliated incubator rather than a venture-funded accelerator.

Others

• Entrepreneurs Roundtable (ER): The Entrepreneurs Roundtable is the parent community organization from which ERA emerged in 2011. It is thematically related as the founding ecosystem for ERA, hosting founder events and programming in NYC, though it does not itself invest capital.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eranyc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/embed/ud32ucY4Yyo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/entrepreneurs-roundtable-accelerator

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments491 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about (ERA) Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator