TechStars, the top-shelf startup accelerator program, is kicking off its newest Boston class with a group that covers a wide array of sectors and includes several teams from outside the U.S.
It’s the sixth time TechStars has run its three-month “bootcamp” for entrepreneurship in Boston, which is one of the program’s core cities. TechStars began in Boulder, CO, and has also expanded to New York and Seattle, along with a cloud-computing focused version in San Antonio.
TechStars hasn’t stopped there: It recently added a London branch of the franchise, and has been licensing its entrepreneurship education and product development model with big companies, including Microsoft and Nike.
The Boston contingent is led by Katie Rae and Reed Sturtevant, who previously worked with Microsoft Startup Labs (and run the Project 11 early stage investment fund).
In a blog post announcing the new TechStars class, Rae touted the diversity of industries being targeted by the group of 14 new companies, along with their roots, which stretch to Washington, DC, Ukraine, France, and Austria.
Here’s a list of the companies, links to their websites, and short descriptions. As with all accelerator programs, the teams’ approaches might change during the TechStars program—so they could look a little different coming out the other side:
CheckiO—A game-based program that helps people learn computer coding skills.
Codeship—A hosted online platform for testing and developing Web applications.
Constrvct—A “crowd-sourced fashion label” where users can create their own clothing designs.
coUrbanize—A website for neighborhood residents to track, learn about, and comment on real estate development projects.
Fancred—A social application for sports fans.
Freight Farms—A system for growing food in a shipping container.
Jebbit—Online advertising system that gives young consumers small cash rewards for answering questions about brands.
LinkCycle—Software that helps manufacturers track energy and material costs to find efficiency and savings.
Neurala—Self-described as “neural software that allows robots to be trained instead of programmed.”
Outline—From the makers of Politify, now developing economics-centered software for helping improve government planning.
PillPack—Delivers prescriptions in customized packages that tell patients when to take their medication.
qunb—A data visualization site that lets users upload their own data projects and compare them with others.
Rallyt—Online software for helping communities organize around social activities.
Synack—The most secretive of the group, says it’s “redefining vulnerability discovery.”
