Techstars

Applications for Techstars Fall 2026 programs are open! Over the course of three months, we surround each startup with: 💰 A $220K investment 🤝 World-class mentors 🌐 A global network of corporate partners, investors, and alumni 🚀 Funding and fundraising support 🗯️ Curated workshops and resources 💡 Opportunities to learn, iterate, and grow with your cohort ✨ Access to perks valued at more than $4M It’s a proven model that’s helped build thousands of successful companies across the globe. Apply by June 10th! ↓ tsta.rs/NOLj50Yo9X6

Saba Mohebpour, founder of Techstars-backed ecommerce enablement platform Spocket (Techstars 2018), has launched ILA Capital, a $50M self-funded acquisition fund focused on software and internet businesses. The fund is the latest expansion of Saba's group, Innovation Labs, a software holding company he founded in 2021. Innovation Labs now operates 14 software products across Shopify, Amazon, Wix, and Squarespace, serving hundreds of thousands of merchants globally. Read more: tsta.rs/Uy9c50Z2UsA @sabamoheb

Blink (Techstars 2014), an employee experience platform built for frontline workers, has raised $17M. Founded by Sean Nolan, Blink was inspired by his personal challenges with remote work and a desire to bridge the gap between leadership and frontline staff. Blink's AI-powered platform, Blink IQ, gives frontline employees tools to manage their work while giving management real-time insights on productivity, sentiment, and retention. Last year, the company added over 700,000 users in the hospitality sector and saw 300% year-over-year growth in tool usage. The funding comes from Enlightened Hospitality Investments, and includes a new global partnership with Shake Shack. This capital will go toward product and engineering expansion. Congratulations to Sean and the entire Blink team! tsta.rs/zpYS50Z2soz

Early stage investing isn't just about returns. Brad Feld, Co-Founder of Techstars and Partner at Foundry, shares why backing founders at the earliest stages creates value whether the company wins or not.

AI is a moving target, changing week by week and reshaping how companies build, invest, and serve customers in real time. On June 2nd at NY @Techweek_, we're bringing together leaders shaping that change from every angle, including venture, infrastructure, and customer experience. 📆 June 2 at 3:30pm - 7:00pm ET 🔗 tsta.rs/2uWj50Z2PXR Be in the room with those who may become co-founders, customers, or checks. The rest is up to you. @Zendesk @digitalocean

Brands could see the loyalty. Gen Z was creating digital content inspired by their favourite brands every day. They just couldn't turn it into revenue. That's why Michelle Reeves built Xillions. Xillions (Techstars 2025) is redefining how brands turn consumer creativity into actionable data, using generative AI to give fans and internal teams a co-creation tool that is on-brand, IP-protected, and connected across every vertical from marketing to the factory floor. Michelle shares her journey as a three-time founder, the shift from solving an engagement problem to building a data engine, and how replacing the guessing game with a knowing game can transform the way brands design and sell on the blog. tsta.rs/HKVI50Z1j1T

Meet the Techstars Healthcare Accelerator powered by Permanente Medicine Mid-Atlantic States. 🩺 This program backs founders reimagining how care is delivered, accessed, and experienced across diverse populations. The future of healthcare starts here. tsta.rs/cHCC50Z2lao

@Kikachukwu9 Head to apply.techstars.com

@Jide_Kel @Techstars How do I apply?

If you're a founder looking for US funding without the relocation conversation, this one is for you. You can't say I didn't try. @Techstars just put $220,000 on the table for founders who never have to leave Lagos, Nairobi, or Accra.

What does it take to change the world? Sometimes, it starts with a single email. On February 18, 2006, Techstars Founder & CEO David Cohen sent a message to Co-Founder David Brown with a simple but ambitious idea: to build something that would help founders succeed. Nearly two decades later, that idea has grown into the original mentorship-driven accelerator, having supported more than 11,000 founders around the world. This year, Techstars turns 20. It's a milestone worth pausing to celebrate, not just as a measure of longevity, but as a testament to what happens when a community rallies around a shared belief: that the best investment you can make is in people. From a scrappy first accelerator class in Boulder, Colorado, to global programs spanning almost every continent, Techstars has always been about more than capital. It's been about mentorship, connection, and a genuine commitment to Give First. That philosophy, baked into Techstars' DNA from day one, is what has made the network so enduring and so meaningful to the founders who've come through it. ⭐ Read how we got here: tsta.rs/Gaac50Z1iIt

Overwatch AI (Techstars 2025), a platform helping pilots, cabin crew, and operations managers on the frontlines of aviation quickly find critical information and make fast, efficient operational decisions, has closed a $1.5M pre-seed funding round. ✈️ Founded by former airline pilot Leo Kotil and technology entrepreneur Nikita Kaeshko, Overwatch AI brings disparate sources together into one user-friendly platform. Pilots, crew, and ground staff use natural language to support operational decision-making across technical issues, airport and airline requirements, and weather assessments. Every answer is grounded in official documentation or data and fully sourced, so aviation teams can act with confidence. The platform is already in live use across multiple airlines, handling more than 30,000 flights per month, saving each team member 150 hours a year and airlines up to $4M annually on average. Teams using Overwatch AI see a 4.6x increase in compliant decision-making and a 6.6% increase in overall crew productivity. The new funding will be used to scale the team, expand the platform's operational capabilities, and roll the system out to more airlines in the coming months. Congratulations to the whole Overwatch AI team on this milestone! tsta.rs/Brs250Z2qhw

@GlasswingVC @HSBC @goodwinlaw See you there!

Planning your #BOSTechWeek schedule? AI is everywhere, but inside the enterprise, the question is shifting to what actually sticks. Join us next week for Defensible AI with @HSBC, @goodwinlaw, and @Techstars. May 27th | Boston RSVP: partiful.com/e/DIrd1qZz5zkJ…

A 15-year-old with a laptop can copy your software. They can't copy your data, your industry access, or your regulatory edge. David Cohen on what defensibility actually looks like now at Web Summit Vancouver. 🎙️

@pradip_romay Please head to help.techstars.com and submit a ticket so the team can look at your situation!

@Techstars We applied in March under a different direction and have since pivoted to a new vertical. What's the best way to handle this, update the original application or resubmit?

When you join Techstars, you aren't just getting $220K, mentorship, and a global network; you're gaining fundraising expertise and connections that lead to seven-figure momentum. Apply to our fall accelerator programs and join the founders who consistently raise, grow, and scale. tsta.rs/KkoB50YZN8i

Applications to Techstars Fall 2026 accelerators close June 10th. apply.techstars.com

If you're a founder building right now, introduce yourself. 👇

@jamesoliverjr 💚

Excited to be collaborating with Techstars to provide free mental therapy for founders.

@AWSstartups Such an incredible bootcamp in Tokyo!

Creating impact is one thing. Scaling it is another. At AWS Impact Bootcamp Tokyo, underrepresented founders came together to exchange ideas and meet with mentors and investors. With @Techstars, we helped turn ambition into action.

Coworked (Techstars 2024), a Boston, Massachusetts-based developer of an agentic AI project management platform for enterprises, raised $1.8M. Founded by Shawn Harris, Ravi Linganuri, and Dr. Sulak Soysa, the platform operates as a remote coworker within existing systems like email, Slack, and Jira, building organizational context to manage timelines, risks, and status reports without requiring a new user interface. The funding will support expanded engineering and deployment teams, deeper enterprise integrations, and go-to-market growth. Congrats to the Coworked team! tsta.rs/uBKr50Z0efX

@AWSstartups So much innovation in one room!

@Techstars Get inspired: go.aws/3RJHS0L

@PrateekGsharma We are excited to review your application!

@Techstars yeah i have applied, hoping to get an interview!

Founders, this is your sign to go for it. 💡 Danna Calzada and Melina Cruz Villafaña took their shot. Now they’re building Chain (Techstars 2026), a tool that helps small business owners and solopreneurs get paid, make payments, and transfer money without leaving WhatsApp.