San Antonio — Andre Sandoval was born with a rare genetic condition. It was five months before his physician delivered a definitive diagnosis: he had a derivative of symphalangism, a stiffness of the hand caused when some of the finger joints are fused together. For Sandoval, a recent graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio, … Continue reading “Cloud Therapy Uses Watson to Help Doctors, Pharma With Diagnoses”
Tag: TechStars
Social Service Database Aunt Bertha Gets $5M From Techstars Ventures
Austin — Aunt Bertha, an Austin, TX, company with a searchable database of social services providers, has raised a $5 million round of Series B funding led by Techstars Ventures as it builds an index of health and human services programs available in cities across the U.S. The company’s website lets users search for any … Continue reading “Social Service Database Aunt Bertha Gets $5M From Techstars Ventures”
Strategies to Attract More Women and Minorities to Startup Accelerators
Startup incubators and accelerators represent an important avenue of advancement in the tech industry for women and underrepresented minorities. And while several high-profile accelerators are taking specific steps to recruit companies led by diverse founders, progress is slow in coming. That was evident on the stage at the end of Techstars Seattle’s latest Demo Day … Continue reading “Strategies to Attract More Women and Minorities to Startup Accelerators”
Dallas’s Tech Wildcatters Pivots, Puts Startups Through “Gauntlet”
Dallas—How can you disrupt the accelerator? That’s the question Tech Wildcatters asked themselves following pitch day last year. “Instead of putting everybody in a one-size-fits-all program, instead of giving a trophy on day one, we decided to make it more ‘go at your own pace,’” says Gabriella Draney Zielke, the accelerator’s co-founder. So instead of … Continue reading “Dallas’s Tech Wildcatters Pivots, Puts Startups Through “Gauntlet””
Magic Pens, Goliath Defiers, & More at Techstars Boston Demo Day
[Updated 6/6/16, 11:29 a.m. See below.] Beneath the carefully rehearsed pitches, corny one-liners, and overall pomp and circumstance at Techstars Boston’s 10th demo day Wednesday night, it’s clear that the startup accelerator’s local outpost continues to build solid (if not always flashy) businesses. It’s been seven years since Techstars launched in Boston, its first hub … Continue reading “Magic Pens, Goliath Defiers, & More at Techstars Boston Demo Day”
Lufthansa Cargo Backs RocketSpace’s New Logistics Accelerator
RocketSpace, the big San Francisco co-working space that’s evolving into a matchmaker between corporations and innovative startups, said today it has signed up air freight giant Lufthansa Cargo as a partner in its first industry accelerator program. RocketSpace will choose about six startups to participate in its Logistics Tech Accelerator, where they’ll work on new … Continue reading “Lufthansa Cargo Backs RocketSpace’s New Logistics Accelerator”
Money Transfer Service Remitly Raises $38.5M to Expand to New Markets
Already serving three of the largest destination countries for money sent home by foreign workers in the U.S., Seattle-based Remitly has raised $38.5 million from investors to expand further and claim a greater share of the estimated $601 billion in annual global remittances. Remitly says it is helping immigrant workers living in the U.S. send … Continue reading “Money Transfer Service Remitly Raises $38.5M to Expand to New Markets”
Soul-searching in Houston on Energy Innovation as Surge Closes
Houston — Since Surge Ventures closed its cleantech/energy venture accelerator last week, the question lingering has been, If a Surge can’t succeed in Houston—the energy capital of the world—then where? Houston’s prowess in energy turned out to be Surge’s Achilles heel: a lack of buy-in from incumbent oil and gas companies and electric utilities, says Surge founder Kirk Coburn. … Continue reading “Soul-searching in Houston on Energy Innovation as Surge Closes”
Techstars Gets Industrial With Launch of IoT Accelerator in New York
Trying a different strategy to nurture startups in the Internet of Things niche, Techstars announced on Monday the formation of another accelerator that will be based in New York. Ten spots are up for grabs for startups in the new program, which is another effort by Boulder, CO-based Techstars to foster companies working on ideas that connect … Continue reading “Techstars Gets Industrial With Launch of IoT Accelerator in New York”
Latest MA-NY Deals: GreatHorn, Tinkergarten, Greentown Labs, NYC ACRE
Massachusetts and New York are bitter sports rivals, but when it comes to business, the exchanges often end in handshakes, not heckling. Here are some of the latest examples of partnerships happening along the Northeast corridor: —GreatHorn, a Belmont, MA-based provider of security software for cloud communications (think Google apps and Microsoft Office 365), snagged … Continue reading “Latest MA-NY Deals: GreatHorn, Tinkergarten, Greentown Labs, NYC ACRE”
Propel Buys ThriveHive as Digital Marketing Firms Consolidate
HubSpot, Marketo, and Eloqua—now part of Oracle—represent a previous generation of marketing-tech companies. Now there’s a new crop, and it’s starting to make some noise around Boston. Propel Marketing, based in Quincy, MA, says today it has acquired ThriveHive, a 25-person startup in Cambridge, MA, for $11.8 million in cash. Both companies focus on digital … Continue reading “Propel Buys ThriveHive as Digital Marketing Firms Consolidate”
Accelerator 9Mile Labs Evolves Model for Investing in Startups
[Updated 3/10/16 2:12 pm. See below.] In the three years since it opened, Seattle business-to-business accelerator 9Mile Labs has tweaked just about every aspect of its model for mentoring, supporting, and funding companies. Co-founder Sanjay Puri and his partners are seeking the right formula amid a boom in the business of gooming startups for fast growth … Continue reading “Accelerator 9Mile Labs Evolves Model for Investing in Startups”
Andela and Codementor Collaborate to Help Train Coders in Africa
New York-based Andela and Codementor, an alumnus of Techstars and Y Combinator, announced Tuesday they have formed a partnership to train aspiring coders in Africa. Andela, which finds software developer prospects across Africa, will train and help place the entry-level coders at jobs with U.S. companies. Once placed, Codementor, a Mountain View, CA-based marketplace for … Continue reading “Andela and Codementor Collaborate to Help Train Coders in Africa”
Social Media Week Recap: Startups to Watch & No End to Entrepreneurship
Even if hard times are ahead, founders will continue to crank out ideas and chase funding. That was the sentiment of Tim Devane, principal with New York- and Boston-based seed fund NextView Ventures. He spoke late last week during the Startups to Watch session of the Social Media Week conference in New York, where ten … Continue reading “Social Media Week Recap: Startups to Watch & No End to Entrepreneurship”
Techstars Boston’s Latest Class Signals Accelerator’s Diversity Push
Six months after Techstars announced a plan to boost the diversity of its accelerator programs around the world, the Boston group seems to be making some progress on that front. Techstars Boston announced the companies in its latest session today. Of the 14 startups, two are led by women and another four firms have at … Continue reading “Techstars Boston’s Latest Class Signals Accelerator’s Diversity Push”
San Antonio’s Girdley Finds Spark in Startup Seed Investments
San Antonio—Michael Girdley is an investor in early stage technology companies who, most recently, was the CEO of his family’s San Antonio fireworks business, Alamo Fireworks. There must be some kind of joke there, right? “Explosive returns?” Girdley suggests. Puns aside, Girdley is one of the founding members of the Geekdom Fund, a venture capital … Continue reading “San Antonio’s Girdley Finds Spark in Startup Seed Investments”
Startups Vying for Bexar County Money in San Antonio Tech Contest
San Antonio—A week after Techstars Cloud showcased the 11 companies that were selected for its accelerator program in San Antonio, another group of five startups were picked to participate in a separate Alamo City competition inspired by Techstars. Called Tech Fuel, the competition asked each early-stage company to pitch a panel of judges on its … Continue reading “Startups Vying for Bexar County Money in San Antonio Tech Contest”
Techstars Boulder Announces 2016 Accelerator Class
Techstars has announced the newest group of 11 companies that will be participating in its 2016 Techstars Boulder accelerator program this year. The companies, which range from a Bitcoin company to the maker of a digital wall garden, will present at a demo day on May 18. Techstars provides a company with $20,000 in funding, … Continue reading “Techstars Boulder Announces 2016 Accelerator Class”
The Companies: San Antonio’s Techstars Cloud 2016 Demo Day Pitches
[Corrected 2/15/16, 2:15 p.m. See below.] San Antonio — One company lets you send encrypted, secure e-mails. Another finds the meaning in your mounds of unfiltered data. Saw a photo online of a dress that you loved but can’t find? At the Techstars Cloud Demo Day in San Antonio, there was a company that proposed … Continue reading “The Companies: San Antonio’s Techstars Cloud 2016 Demo Day Pitches”
Latest Techstars Cloud Startup Class Presents Today in San Antonio
San Antonio — For 11 early stage businesses in San Antonio, TX, three months of planning, trepidation, and retooling business plans is coming to a head. The participants of the Techstars Cloud accelerator program are holding their Demo Day today in the Alamo City. Techstars is the Boulder, CO-based mentorship accelerator that offers versions of … Continue reading “Latest Techstars Cloud Startup Class Presents Today in San Antonio”
Teaching Innovation: Rice Professor Reviews Accelerator Programs
Houston — Entrepreneurship is considered the fuel that drives economic growth. But what are the best ways to help entrepreneurs be more successful—and what are best practices for startup accelerator programs? Those are questions, among others, that Rice University professor Yael Hochberg wants to try to narrow down. She is investigating which parts of the educational … Continue reading “Teaching Innovation: Rice Professor Reviews Accelerator Programs”
Atlas5D Snags $3M For Sensor Devices That Balance Data & Privacy
For all the hype and investments in wearable devices, they have yet to deliver widespread, meaningful impact on healthcare, outside of narrow applications like measuring blood pressure and the number of steps a person walks in a day. Count Zeb Kimmel among the skeptics, at least when it comes to solving harder problems for patients … Continue reading “Atlas5D Snags $3M For Sensor Devices That Balance Data & Privacy”
Techstars Expands Programs for Early-Stage Michigan Entrepreneurs
Techstars has been doing a bit of revamping in the last year—it acquired and merged networks with UP Global, the nonprofit organization behind Startup Weekend; it launched a retail startup accelerator in partnership with Target in Minneapolis and a mobility startup accelerator in Detroit; pulled the plug on a robotics accelerator in San Diego; and … Continue reading “Techstars Expands Programs for Early-Stage Michigan Entrepreneurs”
New Head of Techstars in Austin Prepares for First Class
Amos Schwartzfarb is only a few weeks away from the start of another Techstars program in Austin, TX, but this one is a bit different for him. A co-founder and executive of multiple companies, including Austin’s BlackLocus and Joust Inc., Schwartzfarb has been a mentor at Techstars since it started in Austin in 2013. When … Continue reading “New Head of Techstars in Austin Prepares for First Class”
Boston Tech Watch: DraftKings, HubSpot, New Balance, Zagster, & More
This week, we’re tracking the latest news from the daily fantasy sports industry, what’s happening inside HubSpot, new money for several local startups, and a pair of wearable devices from Massachusetts companies. (It’s not all GE.) Read on for details. —Boston-based DraftKings and New York-based FanDuel will be allowed to continue operating in New York … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: DraftKings, HubSpot, New Balance, Zagster, & More”
Catching Up with Captureproof, Hitlist, Glowforge, & Others at Eureka Park
A few years ago, it might have been outrageous to think of CES as an essential event to meet startups from across country. Given the explosive growth of this part of the annual technology conference, it makes one wonder if Eureka Park is now big enough to be its own show. Last week some 500 … Continue reading “Catching Up with Captureproof, Hitlist, Glowforge, & Others at Eureka Park”
A Potential Downturn Is On My Mind
Downturns are an exciting time for entrepreneurs and investors alike. Quality entrepreneurs who focus on the fundamentals of real growth will have less competition from startups fueled by venture capital dollars, me-too products and ego. Likewise, many of the “tourist” investors retreat, providing increased opportunities for longstanding investors, many of whom have been priced out … Continue reading “A Potential Downturn Is On My Mind”
Techstars NYC Sees Baptiste’s Return, Rise of Chipps, Visit by Wilson
When the latest class of Techstars NYC took the stage last week, the startups were not the only ones looking ahead—the city had its eye on the future as well. Among the 14 teams that graduated from the fall session (see slideshow), familiar faces Sara Chipps and Jason Baptiste turned up with their latest forays … Continue reading “Techstars NYC Sees Baptiste’s Return, Rise of Chipps, Visit by Wilson”
Seattle Roundup: Mazlo, Textio, Pixvana, Janrain, Innervate, Matcherino
‘Twas the week before Christmas, And throughout the Northwest, Tech companies scored funding, For VR, e-sports, and being your best Read on for details of new rounds for Mazlo, Textio, Pixvana, Janrain, Innervate, and Matcherino. —Mazlo is trying to help people improve themselves through brief, focused practice sessions on things like public speaking, meditation, nutrition, and … Continue reading “Seattle Roundup: Mazlo, Textio, Pixvana, Janrain, Innervate, Matcherino”
Arts, Crafts, and Techstars Turn Up at New York Tech Meetup
In a city known for its love of the arts, software and hardware are being transformed into a digital canvas for creative folks. Tuesday night’s New York Tech Meetup (NYTM) felt a bit like a tour through a studio populated with musicians and artisans who use technology as their chosen medium. The monthly gathering for … Continue reading “Arts, Crafts, and Techstars Turn Up at New York Tech Meetup”
One Month Tries Boot Camp Approach to Teach Founders How to Launch
An online school for entrepreneurs is starting a competition that seems to fall somewhere between a hackathon and full throttle accelerator. New York-based One Month already offers lessons in coding and app development, along with business courses on product management. This sounds akin to, say, Khan Academy or General Assembly, but with a special emphasis … Continue reading “One Month Tries Boot Camp Approach to Teach Founders How to Launch”
Boston Tech Watch: Jibo, LovePop, Harvest Power, Cleantech Open
This week, we’re tracking several Boston-area startup funding announcements, although some investors are being tight-lipped about the size of their bets. We’ve also got cleantech companies making waves at a national competition. Read on for details. —Waltham, MA-based Harvest Power raised another $20 million in a funding round led by previous investors True North Venture … Continue reading “Boston Tech Watch: Jibo, LovePop, Harvest Power, Cleantech Open”
Marijuana Marketplace Tradiv Finds a Home in Boulder
As marijuana becomes increasingly mainstream, the online marketplace is becoming the potrepreneur’s next frontier. Enter Colorado’s online marijuana wholesaler, Tradiv.com. Within a year of operating, the company has received $1 million from investors to launch its website and hire new employees, increasing its full-time staff to nine people. “We’re like Amazon for marijuana wholesalers,” said … Continue reading “Marijuana Marketplace Tradiv Finds a Home in Boulder”
Placester’s Big Year Keeps Rolling With $27M More From NEA, Romulus
If Placester makes good on its vision of becoming a market leader with staying power, 2015 will be viewed as the year that the real estate software company turned the corner. Among the milestones this year: Placester snagged $15 million in a Series B funding round, grew from 43 employees to 105, and signed major … Continue reading “Placester’s Big Year Keeps Rolling With $27M More From NEA, Romulus”
Startupbootcamp Joins Fintech Surge in New York with New Accelerator
Another player has joined the rush to nurture fintech startups in New York. On Wednesday, Startupbootcamp, a network of accelerators, introduced its Startupbootcamp FinTech Accelerator in New York with the backing of Thomson Reuters, MasterCard, Santander, and Rabobank. Startupbootcamp, founded in 2010 and based in London with operations around the world, also runs fintech accelerators in London and … Continue reading “Startupbootcamp Joins Fintech Surge in New York with New Accelerator”
Tap Lab Taps Into Virtual Reality, Real Distribution for New Game
Attention, video game aficionados: the Boston-area gaming cluster has life. It’s been a pretty quiet year, but now companies are working on new games that make use of mobile devices and virtual reality—as well as new approaches for acquiring users. We’re seeing virtual-reality approaches from veteran studios like Harmonix, but also from smaller outfits like … Continue reading “Tap Lab Taps Into Virtual Reality, Real Distribution for New Game”
The Network Is the VC: CommonAngels Is Now Converge Venture Partners
Silicon Valley legend John Gage is said to have coined the phrase, “The network is the computer.” He was talking about combining connected systems into one computing resource, and the line would become Sun Microsystems’ slogan. Fast forward 30 years and the idea still holds true—think cloud computing, the Internet, and social media. What’s more, … Continue reading “The Network Is the VC: CommonAngels Is Now Converge Venture Partners”
Qualcomm Ends Techstars Robotics Accelerator, Looks for Alternatives
[Updated 11/2/15 1:20 pm. See last three paragraphs below.] Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) has ended its partnership with Techstars, less than two months after graduating the inaugural class of 10 startups from the Qualcomm Robotics Accelerator, powered by Techstars. The San Diego wireless giant had indicated the program would continue for three years. The decision to … Continue reading “Qualcomm Ends Techstars Robotics Accelerator, Looks for Alternatives”
Techstars Seattle Startups Do Demo Day Twice
In the midst of its annual celebration of all-things startup, Seattle tech investors and supporters heard from 11 well-polished new companies—some already gaining significant momentum—graduating from the Techstars program on Tuesday. The startups in the 2015 Techstars Seattle class are tackling everything from candy to cloud security. Managing director Chris DeVore calls it one of … Continue reading “Techstars Seattle Startups Do Demo Day Twice”
Washington Tech Industry Weighs Approaches to Improving Diversity
Seattle and its booming tech industry are grappling with how to ensure that the prosperity being created here can be shared by minority groups that have been under-represented in the field. A new report—or “playbook”—from the Washington Technology Industry Association indicates widespread concern about the tech industry’s poor showing on diversity, and the racial and economic … Continue reading “Washington Tech Industry Weighs Approaches to Improving Diversity”
Y Combinator, AngelList, Techstars Shake Up VC World With Big Funds
[Updated 10/19/15, 2:26 pm, with comments from Y Combinator.] Y Combinator, the 10-year-old pioneer of the now-ubiquitous startup seed accelerator model, is evolving to invest in later-stage companies that have graduated its program. The question is what happens when early-stage accelerators enter the space normally occupied by traditional venture capital firms. Clearly, it opens up … Continue reading “Y Combinator, AngelList, Techstars Shake Up VC World With Big Funds”
Barclays Accelerator Graduates First NY Class, But Is Fintech Frothy?
Waves of startups keep rolling into the fintech scene, and on Tuesday, 11 companies (see slideshow) graduated from the Barclays Accelerator in New York, diving into this rapidly filling sea. The 13-week program is run by a partnership between British bank Barclays and startup accelerator Techstars. They have already conducted a version of the accelerator … Continue reading “Barclays Accelerator Graduates First NY Class, But Is Fintech Frothy?”
Techstars’ Cohen on Promoting Diversity and Preparing for a Downturn
Techstars has made its views on diversity in the tech sector no secret. The Boulder, CO-based accelerator operator made commitments to the White House earlier this year, alongside various other prominent national organizations, to improve diversity in the industry by doubling the number of women or underrepresented minorities in its startup programs. Even more recently, … Continue reading “Techstars’ Cohen on Promoting Diversity and Preparing for a Downturn”
Boston Tech Roundup: Skyworks, EzCater, OnCorps, Aquto, & More
It was a busy week of fundraising and mergers and acquisitions in Boston tech. Here are some of the latest deals: —Skyworks Solutions (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SWKS]]), the Woburn, MA-based chipmaker whose customers include Apple, said it will acquire Sunnyvale, CA-based semiconductor company PMC-Sierra (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PMCS]]) for $2 billion in cash. —EzCater, the Boston-based online marketplace for … Continue reading “Boston Tech Roundup: Skyworks, EzCater, OnCorps, Aquto, & More”
IRobot, Bissell, & the Robot Vacuum Wars Come to Pepcom Gadget Show
Competition can be seen as an intense form of flattery—and in the world of consumer electronics, clones and copycats of popular products are almost inevitable. There was plenty to see at this week’s Pepcom Holiday Spectacular in New York, from Marvel’s Avengers fighting villains to a smartwatch with old-school style (see slideshow above). IRobot brought … Continue reading “IRobot, Bissell, & the Robot Vacuum Wars Come to Pepcom Gadget Show”
Narvii Nabs $6.5M for Amino Apps Connecting Doctor Who, Anime Fans
[Updated 11:55 a.m. with CEO comments.] Narvii, the Techstars Boston alumni startup that runs Amino, a group of mobile app communities for people interested in everything from Harry Potter to makeup, has raised $6.5 million from investors, according to a new SEC filing. Boston-based Narvii has raised at least $8.3 million from investors since its 2011 founding, … Continue reading “Narvii Nabs $6.5M for Amino Apps Connecting Doctor Who, Anime Fans”
Kirk Coburn Talks About Accelerator’s Halt at Houston’s Surge Ventures
[Editor’s Note: Xconomy reported Thursday that Houston’s Surge Ventures would not host a fifth consecutive accelerator class. ] Surge founder Kirk Coburn surprised many in the audience at a recent Rice University conference by saying the four-year-old accelerator program would be put on hold. But in an interview Friday, Coburn says the decision makes sense … Continue reading “Kirk Coburn Talks About Accelerator’s Halt at Houston’s Surge Ventures”
Don’t Get Lost, Use Mapkin: Navigation App Taps Boston-Driver Wisdom
[Updated, 9/17/15. See below] Back-to-school traffic driving you crazy? Uber and taxi drivers going in circles? There’s a new mobile app that might help solve those problems (in the street, not the State House). It’s called Mapkin, and it’s basically trying to be a smarter, more personal GPS navigator. It also fits with the tech … Continue reading “Don’t Get Lost, Use Mapkin: Navigation App Taps Boston-Driver Wisdom”
Ten Startups at Qualcomm Robotics Accelerator Make Their Big Debut
Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) staged a pretty good sendoff in San Diego yesterday for the 10 startups that began the company’s robotics accelerator program 16 weeks ago. Techstars manages the startup-mentoring program in San Diego under a corporate partnership with Qualcomm. The wireless technology giant held its inaugural “Demo Day” for the Qualcomm Robotics Accelerator in … Continue reading “Ten Startups at Qualcomm Robotics Accelerator Make Their Big Debut”
MassChallenge Touts Gender Diversity Stats As Wider Dialogue Builds
Lalita Booth is the CEO of a six-person startup, Navitome, which includes two women and four men. But such is the state of the tech industry that sometimes when she walks into a room for a business meeting, she said, people on the other side of the table look at her male colleagues and ask … Continue reading “MassChallenge Touts Gender Diversity Stats As Wider Dialogue Builds”