TechStars Network Wants One Startup Application To Rule Them All

Applying to startup programs these days is a little like applying to colleges. There are so many of them, it is hard to decide which ones to try to get into. TechStars wants to streamline that process, at least for founders applying to any of the 20 or so accelerators in the TechStars Network. The TechStars Network was recently launched as part of the White House’s Startup America initiative to spur entrepreneurship.

TechStars wants to create a unified startup application for all the seed accelerators in the TechStars Network. This would be an online application which would allow entrepreneurs to apply to multiple startup programs within the network. Presumably the different accelerators would compete for the best candidates just as colleges compete for the best students. And startups that don’t fit into one program may find a home in another with less friction.

The development of the universal application is being by a Kauffman Foundation grant of $200,000, and it will be made available to other startup programs not part of the TechStars Network. That means other startup programs such as Y Combinator or the Founder Institute could end up using it if they want.