Category: Techstars

Techstars Anywhere

Nicole GlarosLeave a comment
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!

 

Free Event Series: Today! – Keys to VCs with Mark Solon

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After twenty years of investing in startups, Mark Solon has worked with hundreds if not thousands of venture capitalists.  He knows how what they’re looking for, how to work with them, and what will set you apart in a crowded field of entrepreneurs.  Mark has the tactical advice that founders need when they start the challenging process of raising money.

RSVP for Mark’s talk and check out our free event series we call 8 Weeks of Awesome.  Each week we have a speaker or an event designed to help entrepreneurs tackle the hardest problems they face.  It’s a taste of the kind of mentorship and guidance companies get as Techstars participants.  Applications for Techstars Boulder are open for until March 15th,  that’s less than two weeks!  

We hope to see you and your Techstars application soon!  Whether you can join us or not, you can apply HERE.

Free Event Series: Feb. 17th – Startup Culture with Dr. Natalie Baumgartner

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Why do people love working for companies like Zappos and Google?  Great company culture.  But as an entrepreneur building a company from the ground up, how do you design a great place to work?  How do you hire the right people?  Dr. Natalie Baumgartner has spent her career studying company culture and she has practical advice to help you shape yours.  

RSVP for Natalie’s talk, and check out our free event series we call 8 Weeks of Awesome.  Each week we have a speaker or an event designed to help entrepreneurs tackle the hardest problems they face.  It’s a taste of the kind of mentorship and guidance companies get as Techstars participants.  Applications for Techstars Boulder are open for until March 15th, but it’s better to apply early!  

We hope to see you and your Techstars application soon!  Whether you can join us or not, you can apply HERE.

Free Event Series: Feb. 10th – Techstars Open House!

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We’re excited to enter year 9 at Techstars in Boulder where it all began back in 2007.  We’re opening our doors to our alumni, our mentors, and the rest of our Techstars family and of course all the entrepreneurs who are interested in applying to Techstars Boulder 2015!   

RSVP for the Open House, and check out our free event series we call 8 Weeks of Awesome.  Each week we have a speaker or an event designed to help entrepreneurs tackle the hardest problems they face.  It’s a taste of the kind of mentorship and guidance companies get as Techstars participants.  Applications for Techstars Boulder are open until March 15th, but it’s better to apply early!  

We hope to see you and your Techstars application soon!  Whether you can join us or not, you can apply HERE.

Free Event Series: Feb 2nd – Finding Funding with David Cohen

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David Cohen is at the heart of funding technology startups.  Since 2007 when he founded Techstars, he’s coached hundreds of early stage companies on finding funding, and he just helped raise a $150M fund to keep investing for years to come.  There are some practical, easy-to-implement techniques to help you, the entrepreneur, close your round, and David is here to share them Tuesday, 2/2 @4:30pm.

RSVP for David’s talk, and check out our free event series we call 8 Weeks of Awesome.  Each week we have a speaker or an event designed to help entrepreneurs tackle the hardest problems they face.  It’s a taste of the kind of mentorship and guidance companies get as Techstars participants.  Applications for Techstars Boulder are open until March 15th, but it’s better to apply early!  

We hope to see you and your Techstars application soon!  Whether you can join us or not, you can apply HERE.

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: Jan 27th – How (NOT?) to Screw Up Your Company with Jason Mendelson

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As a venture capitalist with Foundry Group and a Techstars mentor,  Jason Mendelson has seen lots of companies screw up.  He wants to help you avoid making the same mistakes that can kill your company!   He’s giving one of our favorite Techstars talks on Tuesday January 27th, highly valuable for entrepreneurs looking to sidestep those quagmires you might not see coming.

 

This is the second event in a series of talks we’re calling 8 Weeks of Awesome, full of advice and ideas for tackling the hardest problems entrepreneurs face (building a team, selling a product, finding funding, and more.)  We’ll also be on hand to answer questions about applying to Techstars.  Applications for Techstars Boulder close on March 15th (but it’s helpful to apply early!)

 RSVP here!

 

About Jason: he has over 15 years of experience in the venture capital and technology industries in a multitude of investing, operational and engineering roles. Prior to co-founding Foundry Group, Jason was a Managing Director and General Counsel for Mobius Venture Capital, where he also acted as its chief administrative partner overseeing all operations of the firm.