Pre-seed & seed VC, US

Techstars

Venture capital firm · Boulder · Founded 2006

Quick read

Techstars is a global pre-seed and seed accelerator founded in 2006 and headquartered in Boulder, CO. It runs cohort-based programs across dozens of cities worldwide, taking equity stakes in early-stage startups in exchange for mentorship, capital, and network access. The firm has backed over 3,000 companies to date, with 74.5% raising follow-on capital within three years of their program.

Key facts

Founded
2006
Founders
David Cohen
Employees
3474
Sectors
generalist
Website
www.techstars.com

Investment thesis

Techstars invests in pre-seed and seed-stage startups globally through cohort-based accelerator programs, providing capital, mentorship, and network access in exchange for equity, with a goal of enabling more capital to reach more founders and delivering returns to investors.

Recent activity

  • Aug 2026investment
    Techstars Tokyo Accelerator, powered by JETRO and Mitsui Fudosan, selected 12 global startups from 100+ countries for its third annual cohort. The 13-week program kicked off August 17, 2026 in Tokyo. techstars.com
  • Jul 2026press
    Techstars announced winners of its 2026 Give First Awards. Portfolio news from the same period: Cabinet Health (2020) partnered with CVS on recyclable aluminum OTC bottles; Vita Inclinata Technologies (2019) signed a letter of intent with Tavia Acquisition Corp. to go public on Nasdaq via de-SPAC merger; Enigma Aerospace (2024) announced a collaboration with Honeywell Aerospace on mission systems integration for its Phoenix autonomous UAS; LendAPI (2024) was nominated for Top FinTech Emerging Company of the Year at Finovate 2026. techstars.com
  • May 2026investment
    University of Colorado Boulder and Techstars announced a strategic partnership to expand founder opportunities and strengthen Colorado's startup economy. techstars.com
  • Mar 2026investment
    Northwestern Medicine and Techstars announced five startups selected for the 2026 class of their Chicago-based Healthcare Accelerator, its second cohort. Focus areas include digital therapeutics, clinical compliance, and proteomics. The 12-week program runs at Northwestern Medicine's Mansueto Innovation Institute. techstars.com
  • Mar 2026press
    Nine Techstars portfolio companies named to Fast Company's World's Most Innovative 2026 list, including Zipline (2011), Veho (2019), Phoenix Tailings (2020), and Slingshot Aerospace (2017). techstars.com
  • Jun 2025leadership
    CEO David Cohen confirmed Techstars will restart its Boulder accelerator in 2026 as part of a partnership with local founders and investors, allowing the community to co-invest as in the program's early days. A search for a Boulder managing director was underway at the time of announcement. coloradosun.com
  • Jul 2026press
    Techstars blog notes a mentor connection led to portfolio company Warmly being acquired by HubSpot. techstars.com
  • Jul 2026product
    Techstars announced three Founder Catalyst programs now accepting applications for September 2026 cohorts. techstars.com
  • Jul 2026investment
    Immigify (Techstars 2025) closed a $1M+ round to expand services for immigrants in the US, per Techstars blog. techstars.com
  • Jun 2026press
    Techstars graduated its 3,000th company, per David Cohen's LinkedIn activity. linkedin.com
  • Jun 2026investment
    Rylo (Techstars 2021) raised $85M in new funding, bringing its total to over $100M, to expand AI communication tools for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. techstars.com
  • May 2026product
    Techstars partnered with Xendoo and Xero to enhance financial infrastructure for startups in its programs. tracxn.com

Notable investments

Key people

Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.

  • David Cohen · Founder & CEO
    LinkedIn
  • Shirley Romig · COO
  • Jason Seats · Former Managing Director, Network (departed 2025)
    LinkedIn

Sources

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Frequently asked

What is Techstars?+

Techstars is a global pre-seed and seed accelerator founded in 2006 and headquartered in Boulder, CO. It runs cohort-based programs across dozens of cities worldwide, taking equity stakes in early-stage startups in exchange for mentorship, capital, and network access.

Where is Techstars headquartered?+

Techstars is headquartered in Boulder, United States.

When was Techstars founded?+

Techstars was founded in 2006 by David Cohen.

What sectors does Techstars invest in?+

Techstars focuses on generalist. They primarily invest in these sectors.

Who is the CEO of Techstars?+

David Cohen is the CEO of Techstars.

How do I prepare for a meeting with Techstars?+

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Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources. Last updated August 22, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.

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