TechStars, the seed-stage investment fund and startup mentoring program, announced today it has selected tech executive and startup personality Katie Rae as the new managing director for its Boston installment. She’ll take over for former managing director Shawn Broderick, who announced earlier this month that he would be leaving his role to focus more closely on his gaming startup, play140, and a professorship position at Boston University.
Rae, who has most recently been working on a new startup accelerator and micro-investment fund called Project 11 Ventures with Reed Sturtevant, will help TechStars find new digs in the Boston area (it’s currently housed in Central Square), and add to its roster of startup mentors and early stage investors.
She has been active in the startup and investment scenes in Boston, having served as a judge and mentor for business plan competition MassChallenge and an organizer of the Boston Open Angel Forum. Rae’s resume also includes executive positions at Eons.com and Microsoft Startup Labs, as well as a guest lecturer slot at MIT.
As things pick up with TechStars, she’ll be backing away a bit from Project 11, which has invested in Boston-based analytics startup Locately and financial services software startup peerTransfer. Rae’s blog post on her new position notes that Sturtevant will be taking on more of the Project 11 responsibilities in the spring months when TechStars Boston is in session. Applications for the 2011 program are now open.
