
Sofia Marchetti
Accelerators & Programs Writer at Round Funded
Sofia covers accelerators and startup programs for Round Funded: Y Combinator, Techstars, Antler, and the regional programs founders actually get into.
Articles by Sofia Marchetti

Foundersuite Alternatives: 6 Modern Fundraising Tools (2026)
Foundersuite alternatives for 2026: an honest comparison with Round Funded, OpenVC, AngelMatch, Visible.vc, Cabal, and Flowlie for founders raising a round.

Round Funded vs AngelMatch: Which Should You Use? (2026)
An honest comparison of Round Funded and AngelMatch for founders raising in 2026: database quality, outreach, CRM, pricing, and who each tool actually fits.

Round Funded vs OpenVC: Which Should Founders Use? (2026)
An honest comparison of Round Funded and OpenVC for founder fundraising: database, outreach, submit-deck gateway, CRM, languages, and who each is best for.

YC Acceptance Rate 2026: The Real Numbers by Batch
The real YC acceptance rate for 2026 batches, broken down by application, interview, and offer stage, plus how it stacks up against Techstars and Antler.

YC Application Deadlines 2026-2027: Every Batch, Every Date
YC application deadlines for every batch in 2026 and 2027: the July 27 Fall cutoff, Early Decision, late applications, and the deadline-to-decision timeline.

Top Startup Incubators in Poland in 2026
The best startup incubators and accelerators in Poland in 2026: Google for Startups Campus Warsaw, AIP, Huge Thing, MIT Enterprise Forum CEE, and KPT in Krakow.

Friends and Family Round: A Founder Guide (2026)
How a friends and family round works, how much to raise, the terms to use, and how to protect the relationships. A plain founder guide, plus Round Funded.

Incubator vs Accelerator: Which One You Need in 2026
Incubator vs accelerator explained: how they differ on equity, funding, structure, and outcomes in 2026, and how to pick the right one for your startup stage.

How to Apply to Y Combinator in 2026: The Complete Guide
How to apply to Y Combinator in 2026: deadlines for all 4 batches, how to fill each application question, the founder video, and what YC actually reads for.

Rejected From YC? How the Other 98% Raise in 2026
YC rejects 98%+ of applicants. What a rejection actually means, when to reapply, and how rejected founders raise seed rounds directly in 2026.

YC Batches 2026: Dates, Next Deadline + 1% Acceptance Rate
When is the next YC batch? All four 2026 batch dates, the July 27 Fall deadline, the real 1 percent acceptance rate, and data from 5,900+ YC companies.

The YC Interview in 2026: Real Questions and How to Prep
The Y Combinator interview is 10 minutes on Zoom with 2-3 partners. The real questions YC asks, what they screen for, and how to prepare without over-rehearsing.

Ireland STEP 2026: Start-up Entrepreneur Programme Guide
Ireland Start-up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP) in 2026: the €50,000 funding requirement, eligibility, Stamp 4, timelines, and how to raise the funding with Round Funded.

Top Startup Accelerators in South Korea 2026
The best startup accelerators in South Korea in 2026: Primer, SparkLabs, D.CAMP, FuturePlay, plus TIPS and programs open to foreign founders. Full breakdown by focus.

Top Startup Incubators in Boston 2026
The best startup incubators in Boston and Cambridge in 2026: MIT delta v, Harvard i-Lab, The Engine, LabCentral, Greentown Labs, and how to pick by track.

Best Startup Incubators & Accelerators in Romania (2026)
Best startup incubators and accelerators in Romania 2026: Innovation Labs, Techcelerator, Spherik (Cluj/Transylvania), Rubik Hub, Bright Labs (Oradea) and more.

US International Entrepreneur Rule 2026: Founder's Guide
The International Entrepreneur Rule in 2026: the $311,071 investment threshold, 2.5-year parole, re-parole benchmarks, fees, and how to raise the qualifying round.

AI-Native Startups: 5 Themes from YC W26 Batch You Can Build Today
5 AI-native startup themes from YC''s W26 batch that founders can build in 2026. Why "AI-native" beats "AI-augmented" and where the moats are.
YC''s 2026 Hard-Tech Pivot: Defense, Space, and Semiconductors
Why YC pivoted from pure software to hard tech in 2026. Defense, space, semis, and physical AI - the new categories and where the money is going.

Antler vs Y Combinator: Which Accelerator is Right for Your Startup in 2026
Side-by-side comparison of Antler and Y Combinator in 2026: investment terms, program structure, founder profile, and which fits your stage.

a16z Application Guide 2026: How Andreessen Horowitz Picks Startups
How a16z evaluates and picks startups in 2026. Application paths, what partners look for, and the scout program for first-time founders.

YC Summer 2026 Request for Startups: All 15 Categories Explained
Complete breakdown of YC''s Summer 2026 Request for Startups - all 15 categories, why each matters, and concrete ideas in each space.

Antler $100K Deal: Complete Guide to Pre-Team Pre-Idea Funding in 2026
Everything about the Antler $100K deal in 2026: cohort structure, co-founder matching, equity terms, and how to get in without a co-founder.