9 hot startup accelerators

Local Food Lab

Krysia Zajonc started Local Food Lab in 2012 as a "mini MBA" in food business. Founders of food companies learn how to put together a marketing plan, draft legal and financial agreements and fine-tune pitches. The six-week accelerator operates out of San Francisco but just launched a three-month virtual program. It doesn't take an equity stake but charges a flat fee between $300 to $3,000.

Before joining Local Food Lab, Jennifer Klafin worked as a software manager in Boulder, Colo. Her startup CorpCROP helps employers implement organic gardening as part of a corporate wellness program. Local Food Lab gave her the confidence to pitch her first customers. "I really captured their attention, and I owe it to Local Food Lab," Klafin says.

Other graduates

• Valley Girl Foodstuffs: Teaches at-risk teens culinary cooking skills and farming.
• Hungry Globetrotter: Recipe subscription service that sends customers ingredients and recipes from a different region each month.