Techstars has announced the 13 startups that made the cut for selection to this year’s Boulder program.
The startups begin work today and have three months to work on their products, meet with mentors, and refine their pitches to investors.
Nicole Glaros, who is back in charge after helping to manage Techstars New York for a year, said in an e-mail that her sense is this year’s teams are a bit older and more experienced than in the past. One of the teams, All4Staff, was founded by a Techstars mentor.
But there likely always will be a place for budding entrepreneurs right out of college. Like the founders of Varsity, which was started by University of Colorado-Boulder students and shared first place at this year’s New Venture Challenge, the school’s pitch competition. Varsity makes a mobile app that helps college students find clubs, classes, and events.
Glaros said it’s the first time Techstars has selected a company that got its start at the NVC.
Among the trends Glaros saw in this year’s applications were a number of WhatsApp-inspired mobile communications apps, lots of software-as-a-service products for e-commerce sites, and an increase in the number of hardware and “Internet of Things” startups. There also were “a ton” of pitches from startups trying to be “Uber for plumbers, electricians, home cleaning, gardening, etc” and (probably inevitably) a number of startups building technology for the marijuana industry.
The accelerator is scheduled to end this year on Oct. 10. That’s a little later than usual—the Boulder program typically runs from May to August.
Here are the new companies, with brief descriptions and links to their websites. If they’ve been covered in the media or posted videos online, there are links to that too.
—All4Staff. All4Staff if developing software to help manage human resources paperwork. The startup was founded by David Secunda, a Techstars mentor, serial entrpreneur, and founder and president of Avid4 Adventure, a Boulder-based company that runs outdoor adventure camps.
—Bawte. Bawte is a mobile app that manages your products and their warranties, instruction manuals, and customer support. The company was featured earlier this year in TechCrunch. Its name is pronounced “bought.”
—ExpenseBot. Software that manages and automates expense reports, which the startup says saves employees time and helps businesses track and control spending.
—FinalCard. A “21st Century” fraud-resistant credit card that pairs a physical card with a digital card platform that works across the web and with mobile apps. Last month the team won the DukeGEN Startup Showcase. Here’s a link to co-founder and chief operating officer Andrew Dietrich’s pitch.
—Kapta. Business management software that adapts agile software development principles and uses them to help managers track their company’s performance.
—Lassy Project. Mobile app that helps parents track the whereabouts of their children and inform the community and police when a child is missing. The Lassy Project was part of the Techstars Risingstars mentorship program for entrepreneurs that come from demographic groups that are underrepresented in tech startups.
—Loop. An all-in-one home security sensor.
—QuotaDeck. Software that connects businesses with freelance salespeople, which allows businesses to create sales teams and generate leads without the overhead of adding employees.
—Shareable Social. Creates and posts social media content for small and midsize businesses.
—Sportsy. Mobile apps for iOS and Android that help kids learn and practice skills in a variety of sports.
—Varsity. A mobile app that helps college students find activities, clubs, and classes. The Boulder-based startup was the co-champion of this year’s University of Colorado-Boulder New Venture Challenge.
—Wellhire. Provides online tests to evaluate the skills of potential employees and identify the most promising candidates.
—Wunder. Helps investors find small commercial solar energy projects that need financing. Investors buy equity in projects in exchange for a share of revenue and tax credits and incentives.
