StartupYard

What StartupYard does

StartupYard is a Prague-based, privately-held seed accelerator founded in 2011, operating as Central Europe's longest-running program for early-stage deep-tech startups. It runs a fully remote, three-month mentorship-driven acceleration program (the StartupYard Remote Lab) for pre-seed and seed founders primarily from Central and Eastern Europe, with a stated acceptance rate under 3%. The core deliverable is a €70k total investment (€25k cash plus €45k in-kind program value) structured as a 24-month convertible note in exchange for approximately 5% equity, with up to €100k of follow-on capital available through a partnership with DEPO Ventures. The program is supported by ~100 veteran tech founder mentors, GAN membership perks worth €1M+, and warm introductions to a network of European VCs and angels including backers Credo Ventures and Rockaway Capital Partners.

The company's underlying technology is not a SaaS product but a proprietary acceleration methodology — a tailored curriculum, mentor-matching engine, and investor-introduction process refined across 15 batches and 130+ portfolio companies spanning 26 countries. Complementary digital offerings include an n8n/Gumloop Automation Templates vault (300+ ready-to-deploy workflows) and a Mega-Prompts Library of 20 ChatGPT-powered AI assistants for founders, used as onboarding and value-add tools rather than monetized products. The portfolio itself is a significant AI/technology signal — alumni include Rossum (intelligent document processing), Carebot (AI medical imaging), Datrics (no-code ML), Wopee.io (autonomous AI testing agents), Ydoca (generative sales proposals), Personeo.ai (voice AI roleplay), and CaseLens (multimodal legal evidence AI), collectively having raised over €105m.

The business model is an accelerator-economics structure rather than a fee-for-service model. Revenue (undisclosed) comes from equity stakes in portfolio companies via convertible notes, follow-on deployment through DEPO Ventures, and investor batch tickets with a €60k minimum. The customer base is bifurcated between (a) startup founders applying to the program (highly diversified, ~10–12 per batch) and (b) a stable set of VC backers, corporate partners (Mastercard), and individual angels. Go-to-market is application-based with strong reliance on alumni referrals, content marketing (blog, X/Twitter), and GAN ecosystem visibility rather than outbound sales.

Name

StartupYard

Legal name

StartupYard

Website

http://startupyard.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

StartupYard is a Prague-based seed accelerator founded in 2011, running a fully remote three-month program for deep-tech startups from Central and Eastern Europe. It invests €70k via convertible note for ~5% equity, backed by 100+ mentors and VCs including Credo Ventures and Rockaway Capital.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Acceleration / Business Incubation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Seed acceleration program
• Deep tech startups
• Startup mentorship
• Pre-seed investment
• Founder incubation

Headquarters

HQ city

Praha

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Equity Investment Returns: StartupYard invests in portfolio companies via convertible notes and takes equity in return. The program provides €70k total value (€45k in-kind program access + €25k cash) in exchange for approximately 5% equity. Additional follow-on investments of up to €100k available for top performers through DEPO Ventures partnership.
2. Follow-on Investment Fund: DEPO Ventures partnership provides follow-on funding of up to €100k for high-potential startups that perform well during and after the program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

StartupYard operates a three-month fully remote, mentorship-driven acceleration program for early-to-seed-stage deep-tech startups. Selected startups receive €25k in cash plus €45k in in-kind program value (€70k total convertible note) in exchange for approximately 5% equity, with up to €100k in follow-on funding available through a DEPO Ventures partnership. Participants also gain access to 100+ mentors, €1M+ in perks through the GAN partner network, and curated introductions to business angels and VCs.

Product overview

StartupYard operates as Central Europe's leading pre-seed and seed accelerator since 2011, offering a three-month fully remote mentorship-driven acceleration program for deep-tech startups. The core offering (StartupYard Remote Lab) combines €25k initial investment, up to €100k follow-on funding, n8n Automation Templates (300+ ready-to-deploy workflows), Mega-Prompts Library (20 ChatGPT-powered AI assistants), investor introductions, and legal support. The portfolio includes AI products from alumni: Teamsharq (browser-based training environments with full OS access), CaseLens (AI document processing for legal disputes), Wopee.io (autonomous AI testing agents), Ydoca (AI sales proposal generation), and Personeo.ai (AI roleplay for communication training).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• StartupYard Remote Lab / Acceleration Program
• StartupYard Batch 15
• AI Assistants Mega-Prompts Library
• Follow-on Investment Fund (DEPO Ventures partnership)
• Investor Batch Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 130+ startups accelerated since 2011
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability9 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• MastercardflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with DEPO Ventures & Mastercard for FinTech acceleration program. Provides corporate backing and potential customer introductions for fintech startups.
• Global Accelerator Network (GAN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartupYard is a member of GAN, providing access to €1M+ in perks and benefits through partner program. Includes discounts on cloud hosting, legal support, marketing tools.
• Y CombinatorflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrestigious accelerator that has accepted StartupYard alumni including Datrics. Provides pathway and credibility for portfolio companies.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Seedcamp: Europe's leading early-stage seed fund and accelerator, founded in 2007. Closely comparable as a European-focused pre-seed/seed investor combining program structure with funding, often competing for the same CEE and broader European founders.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network operating 50+ programs across multiple verticals and geographies. Directly comparable as a multi-cohort, mentor-driven accelerator with equity-for-services model and structured Demo Days.
• Founders Factory: London-based accelerator and venture builder partnering with corporates (e.g., Aviva, Lloyds Banking Group) across fintech, healthtech, and AI. Comparable accelerator-corporate partnership model to StartupYard's Mastercard/DEPO FinTech track.
• Antler: Global pre-seed accelerator with strong European presence (London, Stockholm, Berlin, Amsterdam). Comparable as a residency-style program that builds companies from idea stage with cohort-based mentorship and follow-on capital.
• Y Combinator: The world's most prominent pre-seed/seed accelerator. Directly comparable business model — invests small amounts of capital for equity in exchange for mentorship, investor introductions, and Demo Day access. Has accepted StartupYard alumni (e.g., Datrics), making it a both-peer and downstream funnel.
• Seedstars: Swiss-based emerging markets accelerator with presence in 90+ countries. Comparable as a regional/global hybrid focusing on founders in underserved ecosystems — directly overlapping with StartupYard's CEE mission.
• 500 Global (formerly 500 Startups): Global venture firm and accelerator network operating 40+ programs across emerging markets and Europe. Comparable as a high-throughput, mentor-driven accelerator with equity stakes and strong follow-on funding infrastructure.
• MassChallenge: Global non-equity and equity accelerator operating in multiple countries. Comparable as a high-volume, cohort-driven acceleration program targeting early-stage founders, though with a typically larger and more global cohort footprint than StartupYard.

Broad incumbents

• Wayra (Telefónica): Telefónica's corporate innovation arm operating 10+ hubs globally. Comparable as a corporate-backed accelerator program with equity investment, but operates as part of a larger telecom conglomerate rather than an independent operator.
• Plug and Play Tech Center: Silicon Valley-headquartered accelerator with operations across fintech, insurtech, healthtech and brand loyalty verticals. Comparable vertical-specialized accelerator with corporate partnership model, but with much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/startupyard
• Facebookfacebook.com/startupyard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/startupyard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments119 records

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

Frequently asked questions about StartupYard