The Accelerator

We understand that game development operates on a very different schedule than most projects so we designed the Joystick Labs Accelerator with that in mind. We want to be flexible with our program to give teams with the most potential the best opportunity to attend the program according to their own time commitments. We accept application submissions on a rolling basis with deadlines for review at the end of each month.

Teams selected to participate in the Joystick Labs accelerator program will be invited to our incubator located in the beautiful American Tobacco Campus in Durham, North Carolina for a 12-week accelerator program. ATC is fast becoming the entrepreneurial hub of North Carolina.

You will be provided with mentors and advisors who have already created successful game companies, connections that will help your product find commercial success, and financial, accounting, and legal services that will get you started.

We offer the best combination of seed-stage funding and advisory support to build your game studio and transform your ideas into a successful game.


We provide up to $20,000 in seed funding

Starting a game company is hard. We’re here to help. We provide one of the largest amount of seed-stage funding of any incubator out there but our support doesn’t stop there. We’ll help organize your housing and provide resources to getting you set up in Durham. We will walk you through all of the legal costs for starting a game company from incorporating your studio to protecting your intellectual property. We also regularly bring in speakers from around the gaming industry to give you more advice on how to market properly, how to network, and how to get published. At Joystick Labs, your success is our success so we’ll do everything we can to make sure you have the resources you need to maximize your game’s potential.

We also offer more than $20,000 in additional resources

At Joystick Labs, we offer more than $20,000 in funding; we provide tons of resources, networking opportunities, and advice specifically tailored to building your video game studio. In fact, when you think about the financial, accounting, legal, advisory, and game development resources we offer, we double the value of funding. Think about it like the best deal ever.

  • Free office space in the hub of entrepreneurship and app development
  • Operational support from experienced mentors and advisers from the gaming industry
  • Educational sessions led by industry experts, university professors, technology visionaries, investors and experienced entrepreneurs
  • Free legal services from Robinson Bradshaw and Hutchison Law Group, including the initial formation and funding of your company
  • Free accounting and financial advice from Rankin McKenzie
  • The opportunity to network with influential figures in both the gaming and investment communities
  • Free banking services from Square1 Bank
  • The opportunity to work side by side with other program participants in a collaborative, creative cauldron
  • Free Unity Pro licenses
  • Free access to NVIDIA Tegra devkits
  • High-speed internet access with unlimited bandwith
  • Free marketing and PR services
  • Free Durham Bulls tickets and free lunches (hey, we have fun, too!)