What 100 Days Did to Cohort 13
74% more paying customers, more than 50% recurring revenue growth, and zero reported paid-customer churn.
By Zelia Leong
Five companies took the stage at Cohort 13 Demo Day.
They span AI software, logistics infrastructure, e-commerce, and retail loyalty. They operate across Asia and beyond. Some build software. One manufactures physical infrastructure.
Every one of them uses AI, but we do not put the label in front of everything. The technology matters when it makes a company more efficient, saves customers money, or helps them make more money. The result matters more than the label.
The same is true of the accelerator.
The point of the programme is not to help founders sound better on Demo Day. It is to make the companies better during the 100 days before it.
Five companies from 724 applications
Cohort 13 was our most selective intake.
We reviewed 724 applications and selected five companies, an acceptance rate of 0.69 percent.
That selection is only the start. Over the next 100 days, the founders completed more than 100 hours of stand-ups, masterclasses, pitch nights, mentor sessions, customer work, and investor conversations.
They were pushed to choose the metric that mattered, make decisions faster, explain the company more clearly, and confront the parts of the business that were not yet working.
Then we measured what changed.
The Cohort 13 results
Across the cohort's reported programme metrics:
Paying customers increased by 74 percent.
Average recurring revenue increased by more than 50 percent among the companies with recurring-revenue models.
No paying customer churn was reported during the programme.
Every reported pilot converted into a paying customer.
Most startups buy growth by burning more. This cohort is the opposite. Their path to growth is getting cheaper and more profitable at the same time, which is exactly what scales.
That is what makes a company more investable.
What changed inside the companies
The cohort-wide numbers only tell part of the story.
Ground entered the programme solving one problem and emerged with a new name, a sharper product, and a clearer customer. Six weeks before Demo Day, the company was still building Driftly, an operating system for consumer-goods distribution. By Demo Day, Ground was live with a new product and growing even faster than before, with customers across the US, Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Govaly entered without one exact target metric and execution plan. During the programme, the team identified the number that moved the business and focused its work around changing it, while adding new revenue streams that their customers were already asking for The growth followed exponentially.
Meza AI needed a clearer customer and investor narrative. By Demo Day, the company was explaining itself through customer outcomes, had converted every pilot into a paying customer, and was monitoring more than 2,000 B2B customer accounts for their clients
DIGIBOX had deep operating experience and a proven logistics network, but had never raised institutional capital. It used the programme to learn the fundraising process and closed an oversubscribed first round to fuel their next stage of expansion
meed joined operating in what founder Phil Ingram described as a “bubble”. The programme added external pressure from people who had watched companies succeed and fail at the same stage, compressing decisions that might otherwise have taken months.
Different companies needed different interventions. The common result was focus, speed, and evidence.
The rounds followed the operating progress
Before the in-person Demo Day in Singapore, most Cohort 13 rounds were already oversubscribed. By Demo Day, some had closed entirely and others were accepting only selected additional commitments.
That fundraising momentum did not come from pitch practice alone.
Investors saw companies with stronger customer proof, clearer positioning, better command of their metrics, and founders who had been tested through 100 days of execution.
This is the point of the accelerator for investors. Accelerating Asia goes beyond sourcingcompanies. The team works beside them, help them avoid common pitfalls, challenge their strategy, and sees what happens when assumptions on a deck meet customers in real life.
The next cohort
If you are building a company in South or Southeast Asia, Cohort 14 applications are open.
We are looking for founders with real insight into a problem, early evidence from the market, and the willingness to be challenged. You do not need a perfect company. You do need to be serious about finding the version that can scale.
Apply by 23 August to be included in priority review. Applications will remain open after that date, but later applications will be reviewed only where the selection timetable and team capacity allow.
SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION FOR COHORT 14
Apply by August 23, 2026
US$100,000. 100 days. Up to 10 startups. We back seed to pre-Series A founders solving real problems across South and Southeast Asia.
If you are an investor, the results above show the accelerator model at work. Fund II invests through that model, giving LPs exposure to companies selected early and observed closely as they grow.
Fund 2 is in final close.
Start with the fund deck. Choose your path at acceleratingasia.com/investors and we'll send access.
Ask a question first. Email team@acceleratingasia.com and we'll get back to you.
Ready to invest? Book a call here with a partner.
See the portfolio. Check out acceleratingasia.com/portfolio. Filter by country, sector, or fundraising status. Request an introduction directly to any CEO.
For investors and partners. Choose your path at acceleratingasia.com/investors. Whether you're looking to co-invest in individual startups or invest in the fund, the next step is there.
* Carta Q4 2025 VC Fund Performance. US benchmarks used as Asian fund comparables remain limited.
About Accelerating Asia Ventures
Accelerating Asia Ventures is an independent accelerator and venture capital fund investing in early-stage startups across Southeast and South Asia. Founded by operators, the organisation is committed to supporting founders with capital, credibility, and a long-term community.
For interviews, data requests, or portfolio introductions, contact: team@acceleratingasia.com
