Techstars

Techstars
Company type	Private
Industry	Venture capital, Startup accelerator
Founded	January 1, 2006; 20 years ago in Boulder, Colorado, United States
Founder	David Cohen, Brad Feld, David Brown, Jared Polis
Headquarters	New York City, United States
Area served	Worldwide (Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, Oceania)
Key people	Maëlle Gavet (former CEO), David Cohen (CEO as of May 2024)
Products	Accelerator programs, venture capital funding, startup mentorship
Website	www.techstars.com

Techstars is an international startup accelerator and venture capital organization established in 2006, with its main office located in New York City. The company offers funding, guidance, and resources to entrepreneurs in the early stages of their ventures.

By January 2024, Techstars had supported approximately 4,100 startups, collectively valued at over $116 billion. Its accelerator programs span across regions including the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Among its distinguished alumni are Uber, ClassPass, PillPack, Twilio, Remitly, DigitalOcean, Trust & Will, SketchFab, SendGrid, and GrabCAD.

History

Techstars was created in Boulder, Colorado in 2006 by David Cohen, Brad Feld, David Brown, and Jared Polis. Initially, the company invested between $6,000 and $18,000 per startup during a three-month accelerator cycle. The inaugural 2007 cohort consisted of ten startups, two of which were acquired within that year. By 2012, multiple participants had achieved successful exits or generated multimillion-dollar revenues. The firm expanded its presence to cities such as Boston, Seattle, New York City, San Antonio (cloud-focused program), and Austin.

In 2011, Techstars introduced the Global Accelerator Network (GAN), linking 22 accelerator programs worldwide. GAN functions independently and was launched alongside President Obama's Startup America Partnership. Additionally, Techstars provided backing for Patriot Boot Camp aimed at veteran entrepreneurs.

The company broadened its international footprint with a Paris-based program in collaboration with Partech Ventures (2017), partnered with the U.S. Air Force’s AFwerX accelerator (2017), and initiated a smart cities project in Amsterdam alongside corporate partner Arcadis (2019). Techstars became the first U.S. accelerator to establish an office in the UAE in 2017 and entered African markets by 2022.

In 2022, Techstars joined forces with J.P. Morgan to raise $80 million targeting investments in over 400 startups by 2024, emphasizing support for underrepresented founders.

Between late 2023 and early 2024, Techstars suspended its Austin program and shifted its headquarters from Boulder to New York City—where CEO Maëlle Gavet was based—while also closing accelerators in Boulder and Seattle. This strategic realignment aimed to focus on metropolitan areas with more robust venture capital ecosystems but drew criticism from former employees and the startup community for diminishing local engagement.

In May 2024, Gavet stepped down as CEO; David Cohen resumed leadership of the organization.

Programs

Techstars accepts roughly 1-2% of applicants, typically selecting around twelve startups per batch. Admission is determined by the program’s Managing Director together with a screening panel drawn from the Techstars network.

Accepted companies receive $220,000 in funding in exchange for a 6% equity stake and gain access to Techstars’ vast network along with benefits valued at more than $5 million—including $100,000 in AWS credits. The three-month accelerator is divided into phases focusing on mentorship, scaling growth, and investment readiness.

Distinguished Alumni Enterprises

External links