Techstars

techstars.com

Techstars invests in pre-seed and early-stage startups across 50+ vertical networks globally, providing $220,000 in capital through a 3-month mentorship-driven accelerator program. They support founders across every tech-related vertical and industry sector, from fintech and healthtech to climate tech and aerospace, with a focus on companies that can scale into 'world-changing businesses.'

Check Size

$20K - $220K

Stages

Pre Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth

Focus Areas

Ai Ml, Enterprise Saas, Vertical Saas

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Investment Thesis

Techstars is fundamentally a mentorship-driven accelerator that believes in helping founders succeed through a combination of capital investment, expert mentorship, and access to a powerful global network. The firm operates on the principle that ‘people and ideas are equally distributed, opportunity and resources are not,’ driving their commitment to increasing access to entrepreneurship worldwide. They align their interests closely with founders by taking common stock rather than preferred stock, ensuring returns happen when portfolio companies succeed rather than extracting value through investor priority.

What Sets Them Apart

Mentorship-driven model: 1,500+ mentors from top companies (Google, Nike, Amazon, Stripe, HubSpot) freely share wisdom and create lasting relationships
Lifetime network: 'Techstars for Life' - founders become mentors, mentors become investors, creating an enduring ecosystem
Global scale: 150+ countries, 50+ vertical networks, with both geographic and thematic diversification
Founder-aligned incentives: Takes 5% common stock rather than preferred, sitting on the same side of the table as founders
Proven track record: $130.6B portfolio market cap, 22 unicorns, 10,800+ founders supported, $31B lifetime capital raised by portfolio companies
Pre-seed focus: Described as 'world's most active pre-seed investor' by Crunchbase (2023)
Community building: Not just an accelerator but builds entire startup ecosystems through Startup Weekend, Startup Week, and local partnerships