Accelerator

IndieBio

San Francisco, CA, United States

IndieBio was SOSV's biotech accelerator, founded in San Francisco in 2015. At the start of 2026 SOSV retired the IndieBio name and the two sites now run as SOSV SF and SOSV NY, with a broader deep tech remit spanning biology, therapeutics, healthcare, AI and compute, energy, materials and frontier tech. The offer is up to $550,000 of pre-seed funding on a SAFE plus a residency of up to six months with full access to labs, equipment, staff and co-working space, 1:1 investor introductions, demo days and SOSV's investor network. Applications run through a single SOSV form on which founders pick New York, San Francisco or both, and are reviewed on a rolling basis.

The offer:
$550k per company
Location:
San Francisco, CA, United States
Duration:
26 weeks
SOSV's biotech and deep-tech accelerator providing wet-lab space and seed capital to science-first founders.

What you need to qualify

  • SOSV backs highly technical founders. No nationality or country restriction is published; the programme notes that its founders have come from 40 countries.
  • Applicants choose SOSV New York, SOSV San Francisco or both on the application form.
  • Accepted topics listed on the form are Energy and Industrial Resilience, AI and Compute, Physical AI and Embodied AI, Sustainability and Decarbonization, Therapeutics, Healthcare and Diagnostics, FemTech, AgTech, FoodTech, Wellness and Nutrition, Advanced Research Tools, and Frontier Tech.
  • Full-time residency is not required, but founders must attend at least two week-long bootcamps, a few months apart.
  • A link to a pitch deck is required on the form. A video pitch of up to five minutes is optional.

Eligibility

Eligible stages
All stages
Countries
Global, subject to the provider’s eligibility and approval

How to apply

  1. 1

    Pick a location

    Decide whether you are applying to SOSV New York, SOSV San Francisco or both. There is one shared SOSV form and it asks you to choose.

  2. 2

    Prepare a deck and, if you want, a video

    The form asks for a link to your deck. It also accepts an optional video pitch of no more than five minutes.

  3. 3

    Submit the online application

    Complete the form at sosv.com/apply/sosv/. It covers founder details, company description in 140 characters, team location, founder availability to attend the programme, the basis of your technological solution, IP, target customer, go-to-market, revenue model and prior investment.

  4. 4

    Interview with the team

    SOSV states that if it is interested the team conducts one or more interviews. Applications are read on a rolling basis rather than against a deadline.

  5. 5

    Receive a cohort offer

    If SOSV concludes the idea is revolutionary and game changing, it extends an offer to join the next cohort.

Frequently asked

Yes, under a different name. SOSV updated the IndieBio name at the start of 2026 and the two sites now operate as SOSV SF and SOSV NY, because the teams' work had expanded beyond biotechnology into wider deep tech. SOSV SF is described on the SOSV site as the birthplace of IndieBio. IndieBio's 310 graduates between 2015 and 2025 raised $3.6 billion.

Up to $550,000 in pre-seed funding on a SAFE, plus residency with full access to labs, equipment, staff and co-working space, 1:1 investor introductions, demo days, media support and access to SOSV's network of more than 7,000 investors.

Through the single SOSV application form at sosv.com/apply/sosv/, choosing New York, San Francisco or both. The old indiebio.co apply link now redirects to that form.

No. SOSV states on both location pages that it reviews applications on a rolling basis.

Residency runs up to six months. Full-time residency is not required, but founders must attend at least two week-long bootcamps, a few months apart.
BiotechDeep techClimateMaterials

Related programs

We have not been able to confirm a deadline for this one. Check the official page before you start.

Do I qualify?

2 things decide this one. Check yourself against them before you spend time on the form.

Stage
Pre-seed, Seed
Where it runs
United States. In person, so you need to be able to take part there
What you give up
No equity stated
Deadline
Not confirmed. Check the official page

That is the rulebook. What we cannot show you here is whether your startup clears it, how this ranks against the other programs you qualify for, and what to fix if you do not.

Check what I qualify for

Five questions, about a minute, no account needed.

Last verified against the official page. Report an error

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