Varies by program — Rolling. · Varies by program — Rolling.
Techstars, founded in 2006 in Boulder, Colorado by David Cohen, David Brown, Brad Feld, and Jared Polis, is one of the largest and most established startup accelerator networks in the world. Rather than a single centralized program, Techstars operates a distributed network of independently-branded, city- or vertical-specific accelerators, each 3 months long, mentorship-driven, and often backed by a corporate, university, or government partner. Current flagship accelerator programs include:
• Amsterdam, Netherlands (Finance, with ABN AMRO)
• Anywhere (remote-first, North American time zones)
• Baltimore, Maryland (AI Health, with Johns Hopkins University)
• Birmingham, Alabama (Critical Infrastructure)
• Boston, Massachusetts
• Boulder, Colorado (the original Techstars program)
• Chicago, Illinois (two programs: Healthcare with Northwestern Medicine, and a general accelerator)
• Columbus, Ohio (with The Ohio State University)
• London, UK
• Los Angeles, California (two programs: Space & Defense, and a general accelerator with USC)
• Minneapolis, Minnesota (Critical Infrastructure, with Ecolab)
• New York City (Finance)
• Tokyo, Japan (with JETRO, METI, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government)
• Washington, D.C. (Healthcare)
Techstars also runs Founder Catalyst, a 10-week, part-time, no-equity pre-accelerator delivered in the US, Spain, and virtually for partner universities, companies, and cities, plus Startup Weekend and Startup Week community events reaching 150+ countries. Techstars invests $220,000 total per company — $200,000 via an uncapped MFN SAFE (or $100,000 for Asia-Pacific programs) plus $20,000 via a Post-Money Convertible Equity Agreement — for a minimum 5% common stock plus the SAFE’s future conversion value, with no cash fee to join. Since 2007, Techstars has accelerated more than 10,900 founders, producing 29 unicorns; portfolio companies have raised more than $55 billion in follow-on funding and carry a combined market cap exceeding $330 billion.
Frequency
Rolling
Duration
10 weeks to 3 months.
Investment
$220,000 total — $200,000 SAFE plus $20,000 convertible equity.
Equity
Minimum 5% common stock — plus SAFE’s future conversion value.
Program fees
None
Where
Japan, Netherlands, UK, USA, Virtual
Sectors
Defence, FinTech, HealthTech, Sector Agnostic, Space
Stages
Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A
Eligibility
• Open to various industries depending on the specific program/vertical applied to
• Founders who deeply understand customer pain, can execute quickly, and are building in a market large enough for $1B+ annual potential
• Companies that have already raised $1M–$5M before the program are still eligible — the uncapped MFN SAFE aligns with prior investments
Selection process
• Interview process
• Selection based on team execution ability, customer understanding, and market size potential
• Acceptance and onboarding into the 3-month cohort
Benefits
• Access to perks valued at more than $4M from partners
• World-class mentor network — 1,100+ active accelerator mentors
• Global network of corporate partners, investors, and alumni
• Funding and fundraising support, including lifetime support after the program
• Curated workshops, masterclasses, and 1:1 mentor sessions
• Demo Day to present to investors, partners, family, and friends
Notable alumni
Network
1,100+ active accelerator mentors per cohort cycle; global network of corporate, university, and government partners across verticals, including ABN AMRO and Northwestern Medicine; Techstars Venture Fund for optional follow-on investment.
Portfolio
10,900+ founders accelerated and 29 unicorns since 2007, across 150+ countries reached network-wide; average first raise post-program exceeds $1M.
Funds raised
More than $55 billion raised collectively by Techstars portfolio companies, with a cumulative market cap exceeding $330 billion; 74% of accelerator companies raise capital within 3 years of completing the program. Founder Catalyst pre-accelerator graduates have separately raised more than $31.5 million.
🕐 Sep 2026
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