Carbon13 launches new European Venture Accelerator, its most ambitious programme yet.
The moment
Europe in 2026 is at an inflection point.
We face some of our strongest headwinds, yet we’ve also never been more sure of our focus and our strengths.
We’ve also learned how to build startups that scale. In 2025, there was a 60% increase in the number of founders from 2023. A uniquely European model of startup generation is evolving.
So this is a year of opportunity. And how do we take advantage of it?
Those talented founders need to come together. Cross European collaboration. Link the UK seed investor scene with Europe’s talent, and Europe’s talent with the opportunities to develop and commercially scale.
And all these people need to be united by *ambition*.
Ambition means pace. Pace means out competing the competition. It means market penetration and capture. It means smart systems-thinking strategy. It means novel tech that can leap humanity forward. It means working on problems that matter. It means being in the room where it matters.
At Carbon13 we’ve taken the lessons from 20 startup programmes, 1500 entrepreneurs, and 100 invested ventures, to produce our best accelerator for startups yet. Our most ambitious.
√ Pace
√ Strategy
√ Talent
√ Competition
√ Novel tech
√ Problems that matter
√ The room where it matters
Here’s how it works.
Phase 1 – Investability sprint
Phase 2 – 12 month Growth Phase marathon
Phase 1
This is a 7 week intensive sprint to presenting the best possible investment case to Carbon13. It’s a hard workout for the ambitious startup. You’ll finish this phase with a top class data room, sophisticated pitch, and a rigorous carbon case to maximise your impact on the challenges to Earth’s Life Support Systems.
Why the sprint? Ambition is about performing at pace.
Why the carbon case? Because ambition is about solving the problems that actually matter. It’s about looking at the fundamental problems the climate emergency is causing, and understanding where a scalable venture can solve them and re-build a sector for the inevitable Net Zero future and resilient economy.
Each week you’ll deepdive into different areas of your startup, addressing the challenges and milestones bespoke to your unique solution.
This will include work on your value proposition, go-to-market, commercialisation strategy, technical roadmap, technoeconomic analysis, and team health and performance.
“For me, the Venture Accelerator comes into its own when a startup has more questions than answers. Yes you’ve got some initial traction and a TRL 6 product, but which customer segment to focus on? Which feature to build? Who to target for investment? Which business model is right? This programme is about giving the team the confidence to choose the right path, double down, and move to scale as soon as possible.”
The how you’ll work with us is important as the what.
This isn’t a class-based programme. Instead you’ll work one on one with embedded Entrepreneurs In Residence, all successful founders themselves.
And alongside this, we’ll leverage our networks (one of Europe’s leading climate ecosystems) so that you’re not just working with one advisor, but potentially hundreds.
Why? Because ambition means being in the room with the best people, at the right time.
All this support means that each startup that begins the Venture Accelerator will give Carbon13 1% options in the startup, to recognise our value as strategic advisors.
So for each startup that joins, they now get Carbon13 as shareholders in their corner, we’ll be fighting to make the startup the best version of itself, and be on the founders’ side as they build.
At the end of Phase 1, you will pitch for our investment.
We’re offering €150 000-250 000 for 4-7% equity, further to those 1% options for Phase 1. From that capital, Carbon13 will then take a fee of €55 000 for Phase 2.
Why these terms? So you can be strategic with your fundraise to achieve the ambitious €1-3 million raise in twelve months. These terms have been designed to give an investable cap table to capital intensive startups while giving them enough starter fuel to springboard to the larger raise.
And then the invested startups will move to Phase 2: The Growth Phase, aka, the hard running begins.
(Startups which do not receive our investment still remain in the Carbon13 world, and we’ll give lighter touch support.)
Phase 2
This Growth Phase is a major step forward in our programme design. Where previously we gave a three month support window, we’re now working with you for twelve whole months.
Why? Because startups building novel tech need flexible support not a cookie cutter schedule. Twelve months means we can work with you one on one when you need it.
We’ve set you the target of raising 1-3 million euros, and this Growth Phase is how we’ll support you to achieve it.
Why? Because the fundraising strategy of a pre-seed startup needs to be perfect in order to out compete in a tough fundraising environment.
And cross European collaboration? We’re plugging these founders into 12 months of domain experts, resources, tools, events, mixers, demo days, to level themselves up as founders, swap learnings, and equip them with the skills to scale their startup.
Sound right for your startup? You can apply right here >>>
Got questions?
Read through the Venture Accelerator programme first and then book a short call with Sara Jones