Category: Techstars

Techstars Boulder & welcoming Shay

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I’m sitting in Avanti, adjacent to the Boulder Theater, hiding in a back corner because I can’t seem to get a quiet, undisturbed spot to write this post. Downtown Boulder is filled with Techstars people here for Foundercon: alumni, executives, staff, mentors, and previous managing directors. I can’t walk 5 feet without seeing someone I haven’t seen in years. On Monday, over 30 ex-Managing Directors, unofficially called Techstars Mafia but officially called the Techstars MD Emeritus, gathered to share tips and help each other grow our funds (most of us run funds now, with a few operators and 2 bankers). It feels like déjà vu. With David Cohen back as CEO, hopeful, cautious optimism is the shared sentiment, with a sprinkling of other complex emotions for this org that we all loved. Love. 

At the center of the optimism for me is the relaunch of the Techstars program in Boulder I’m thrilled to share that we’ve found that leader: Shay Har-Noy is joining as Managing Partner of Techstars Boulder.

Shay (pronounced shy, but he’s definitely not shy) has raised capital, built teams from scratch, scaled products to millions of users, and experienced both the highs and lows of startup life. As Managing Partner of Techstars Boulder, he’s focused on helping founders navigate those same challenges — from finding product–market fit to building resilient teams to scaling without losing their edge. He brings both deep operating experience and strong ties across the startup ecosystem, here in Colorado and globally.

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Exciting News for the Colorado Startup Ecosystem

Nicole Glaros9 Comments

Back in March, I wrote about the departure of Techstars Boulder, and on the back of the Foundry announcement, it became clear that we, as the Colorado startup community, needed to evolve and step up. For those of us who have been around a while, we remember what it was like in the early days – we knew how magical it was. People, whether representing themselves or representing different entities, got together to help the founders succeed. From mentors to law firms to CU to individuals to investors, we all participated.  We were small then and could fit into one room (hello Wolf Law!), everyone knew everyone else, and we often hung out socially and had a ton of fun together. But we all had one thing in common, we wanted to help startups succeed and believed that a rising tide raises all ships. 

But today isn’t like it was back then. Colorado is different. We are different. Those of us OGs are older now, there are awesome new people here, the startup ecosystem is bigger, and it needs to change and evolve. We, as a startup community, need to keep what made it magical but evolve to accommodate different times, markets, and talents.

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A reinvention of Techstars

Nicole Glaros2 Comments

For the past 48 hours, I’ve been fielding texts, calls, emails, and mentions, non-stop, due to the post from Techstars about Techstars 2.0, the closing of the Boulder accelerator program and others in key cities, and the shifting of the HQ to NYC from Boulder.

Techstars has been slowly changing and adapting over the years, and yes of course some of that makes me sad. Many of the best moments of my career and life were in the magical early years there. Techstars has been such a gift, not just to me, but to all the early communities.  

We all bonded not just over the mission of the company, but over its values.  We lived, ate, and breathed the values of the company – and what made Techstars so remarkable was we believed we could not only create shareholder value, but instill VALUES alongside it.  Everyone close to the company, alumni and employees alike, they still carry those values and work to uphold them personally. And it’s why I believe the reaction to the news has been so strong!

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Techstars Anywhere

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Because Techstars helps entrepreneurs succeed, we’re committed to our own innovation efforts (just like companies in our portfolio).  So in January I took a new role as Chief Innovation Officer at Techstars – and I’m excited to share with you the first project we’re launching out of the Innovation team.  Techstars has a long-held belief that startups should be able to build their companies anywhere they choose to live – but a limitation of our accelerator programs is that you have to temporarily relocate to the program.  We lose out on helping many great startups who simply cannot relocate for 3 months.
This week, alongside Ryan Kuder & Karina Costa, we launched a BETA effort called Techstars Anywhere, which brings the program to the startup, instead of the other way around.  It’s a virtualized version of our existing program, and with 4 companies located in 4 different locations – we’re testing how well we can bring the network to the companies, rather than the companies to the network.
We’re excited to learn how to best support entrepreneurs, no matter what city or country they live in.  Read more about the program on the Techstars blog here!

How to move the needle on diversity…

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As a female in tech, entrepreneurship, and investing, I’m often asked how we move the needle on diversity.  We have all seen the data around why diversity is important (stronger companies, bigger bottom lines – not to mention that it’s just the right damn thing to do).

I got to where I am because I come from a long line of strong, fighting women who taught me that I’m in control of my life.  Not because I’m a woman, but because I AM.  I got to this point because my father is an entrepreneur, and he also taught me that I’m in control of my life and financial independence through entrepreneurship.  I didn’t grow up believing I was powerful because I was a woman, I grew up believing I was powerful because I make my own decisions and can change the things in my life I don’t like.  Gender wasn’t at the center of the conversation – rather independent thinking was.

But I’m often asked how to move the needle, specifically for women, and the truth is, I don’t know.  Sure I have my hypotheses, but at the end of the day, I believe what works for one won’t necessarily work for another.  And that’s why I’m so excited about the Techstars Foundation.

The Techstars Foundation seeks to support organizations, that want to move the needle on diversity (not just gender, but ethnicity, and even age).  We’re not focused on companies run by under-represented individuals, rather companies whose mission is to help those underserved populations gain advantages, pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps.  We’re not taking a one-size fits all approach, we’ll support many efforts and many approaches to solving this problem. Because what works for one might not work for another, and supporting many organizations is a great way to seed change across all populations.

If you’re passionate about the diversity topic – consider donating to the Techstars Foundation.  No dollar amount is too small.

If you’re an organization who has a mission or a program around supporting underserved populations in entrepreneurship – apply for a grant from the Techstars Foundation.

Meet the Techstars Boulder Class of 2015

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This is a bitter sweet post for me.  The 2014 Techstars class was my last.  After 8 programs it was time to tackle new challenges at Techstars.  But I left the program in the great and capable hands of Zach Nies & Natty Zola, two people I’ve known for a long time that were made for this role.

Well yesterday, they announced the class of 2015!  If feels weird not to be at the helm of it anymore, but at the same time, it’s freeing.  Now I get to work with the startups and not have all the associated distractions of running a program.  Anyway, please join me in welcoming the class of 2015.

Screen Shot 2015-06-15 at 11.37.04 AM adHawk: A mobile app that provides a bird’s eye view of all your digital marketing data in one place.
Screen Shot 2015-06-15 at 11.37.21 AM Blazing DB: An SQL database at supercomputer speeds that’s incredibly easy to use.
Screen Shot 2015-06-15 at 11.37.31 AM Borrowing Magnolia: Bringing the sharing economy to the wedding industry by enabling brides to rent and resell their used wedding dresses.
Screen Shot 2015-06-15 at 11.37.38 AM Edify: Empower every kid in the world to make their own music.
Screen Shot 2015-06-15 at 11.37.56 AM Flytedesk: A platform for buying and selling uncollected media, starting with college newspapers.
Screen Shot 2015-06-15 at 11.38.01 AM HobbyDB:  The definitive database for collectors and hobbyists to manage and monetize their collections.
Screen Shot 2015-06-15 at 11.38.07 AM MadKudu: Data science that helps sales and support teams fight customer churn.
Screen Shot 2015-06-15 at 11.38.14 AM Revolar: The world’s smartest personal safety wearable device keeps you safe anytime, anywhere.
Screen Shot 2015-06-15 at 11.38.21 AM Stryd: The world’s first running power meter that helps runners improve their performance.
Screen Shot 2015-06-15 at 11.38.26 AM TRELORA: A commission-free real estate company, replacing percentage-based commissions with one flat fee.

Techstars and UP Global (aka Startup Weekend) UNITE!

Nicole Glaros1 Comment

Today, Techstars announced that we have acquired UP Global, which includes Startup Weekend, Startup Week, Startup Digest, and Startup Next.  But acquired isn’t really the right word.  It’s more like merge.  Or join forces. Or unite.  Or, REUNITE.  Like twins, separated at birth.

Techstars and Startup Weekend share early beginnings.  The idea was borne of Andrew Hyde, right in the Techstars offices with David Cohen.  The first Techstars class participated in the event, along with 70 other amazing Boulder individuals.  Since then, Startup Weekend has blossomed into other programs (like Startup Week and Startup Next).  With thousands of events in over 600 cities in 120 countries and 6 continents, UP Global has brought entrepreneurial access to the ground level.

Since then, Techstars has also grown.  Over 600 companies have gone through 18 programs across 13 cities.  They have collectively raised over $1.5B in capital, and are valued at over $50B in market cap.  Techstars Ventures has $300M in capital under management.  Our secret weapon; our network of mentors, alumni, investors, and corporate partners, continues to grow and strengthen by the day.

By joining forces, Techstars and UP Global can accelerate the pace of innovation by strengthening the path for entrepreneurs, providing better support for entrepreneurial communities, and helping to grow the worldwide entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The UP Global programs will continue to run as community events (and will keep their name)- we aren’t touching something that isn’t broken!  And Techstars programs will continue to run as they have.  Just a lot more collaboration between programs.

Join me in welcoming the UP Global team to the Techstars family!

 

Techstars raises $150M Venture Fund

Nicole Glaros4 Comments

Earlier today Techstars announced that we closed a $150M venture fund.  It serves primarily as a co-investor for the Techstars portfolio, our alumni, and our mentors’ startups.  It’s a new resource for the Techstars ecosystem, injecting additional capital to great companies.

This announcement is exciting for me personally because I’ve been named a Partner in that fund.  I’ve been with Techstars since 2009 and have run 8 programs with over 90 companies in my portfolio.  From Boulder to NYC to Cloud in Texas, it’s been a great journey with amazing entrepreneurs who have educated and inspired me every step. Techstars has been a labor of love and I feel grateful daily for the faith and belief that Techstars continues to place in me.  People like David Cohen, Jason Mendelson, Brad Feld, Seth Levine, Ryan McIntyre, Mark Solon have taken chances on me, supported me, and believed in me every step.  For that I am eternally grateful to be given this opportunity, and all those leading up to this.

Now I can take all that I’ve learned to the next level.  I get to work more closely with entrepreneurs, deploy more capital resources to them, and do it alongside some of my favorite people: Mark Solon, David Cohen, Ari Newman, and Jason Seats.  I’m thrilled to be able to put that same love, support, and belief into great entrepreneurs.

Wish me luck as I embark on this new journey!

 

Free Event Series at Techstars: 8 weeks of awesome events for Techstars Boulder

Nicole Glaros3 Comments

Applications for Techstars in Boulder are open, and to celebrate, we’re hosting a cadre of events that are valuable and full of tactics for your startup. We love helping entrepreneurs, so it’s free and open to the public. Last year, we called it 7 Weeks of Awesome, and we got such a positive response, we decided to do it again, but more awesome! This year, it’s 8 Weeks of Awesome, every Tuesday for 8 weeks @ Techstars in Boulder. Please RSVP below.

Here is the 8 Weeks of Awesome Schedule:

Tuesday 1/20 @ 4:30 – The Art of Selling with Howard Diamond

Tuesday 1/27 @ 4:30 – 20 Ways to Screw Up Your Company with Jason Mendelson 

Tuesday 2/3 @ 4:30 – Finding Funding with David Cohen

Tuesday 2/10 @ 4:30 – Techstars Open House!!!!!

Tuesday 2/17 @ 4:30 – Building Company Culture with Dr. Natalie Baumgartner

Tuesday 2/24 @ 4:30 – CoFounder Dating with Techstars and CoFounders Lab

Tuesday 3/3 @ 4:30 – The Keys to VCs with Mark Solon

Tuesday 3/10 @ 4:30 – How to Pitch, with Nicole Glaros   (also a CU New Venture Challenge workshop)

Applications for Techstars Boulder open January 5th and final deadline is March 15th!  Why should you apply early?  If you haven’t done so already, apply today for Techstars!

Techstars Boulder 2014 ALS Icebucket Challenge to Techstars Austin

Nicole Glaros2 Comments

Dear Techstars Austin Class of 2014.  Consider yourselves challenged.  That means you have 24 hours to either meet the challenge, or donate to ALS.  In fact, you should just donate anyway. Jason Seats, Brewbot, Burpy, Cloud66, Common Form, Experiment Engine, Fashion Metric, Free Textbooks , LawnStarter, NMRKT, Pivot Freight, & Smart Host!

With Love,

Techstars Boulder 2014