Techstars

05/29/2026

"Startups are not small versions of large corporations." — Steve Blank

In this episode of Your Startup Community, Chris Heivly shares why founders need mentors who have faced the same challenges they have.

🎧 Listen here: http://tsta.rs/jOC250Z4tVL

05/28/2026

Meet the Techstars Future of Food Accelerator powered by Ecolab. 🌱

This program backs founders innovating how we feed a growing population safely and sustainably.

http://tsta.rs/a80450Z2TTw

05/25/2026

You’re building something meaningful. Let’s make sure the rest of the world sees that, too.

Apply to Techstars fall 2026.

http://tsta.rs/itQH50Z2UEO

05/24/2026

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.

05/22/2026

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 in her conversation with Emilie Vallauri on the blog.

http://tsta.rs/2Wma50Z1j2L
http://tsta.rs/2Wma50Z1j2L

Xillions (Techstars 2025) is redefining the relationship between brands and consumers through the power of generative AI.

05/21/2026

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.

http://tsta.rs/KK4I50Z2lat

05/21/2026

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:

Marking 20 years of Techstars and the mentorship-driven mission that has helped 11K+ founders succeed around the world.

05/20/2026

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. 🎙️

05/19/2026

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.

http://tsta.rs/VSXT50YZN8f

05/16/2026

First time founders don't fail from lack of effort. They fail from lack of the right network.

In this episode of Your Startup Community, Chris Heivly breaks down why the most underrated value of a great accelerator isn't the check or the curriculum. It's the curated, ready-to-use network that compresses years of learning into weeks.

🎧 Listen here: http://tsta.rs/ehwM50YZ1OY

05/15/2026

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.