Today is Demo Day for TechStars NYC. I’ll be at the event, but here is a little preview from when I visited last week. TechStars organizers David Cohen and David Tisch showed me around the New York office. In this video, I get a peak at a smart digital sign being developed by Immersive Labs and a very cool learning app from a startup called Veri.
The digital sign is a large flat screen display with a camera on top that detects the faces of people who stop and look at the signs. It tries to determine gender, age, distance from the sign and how long each person is paying attention. Software then tries to serve up the most relevant ads based on whether it thinks more men or women are looking at it, and other factors. Yup, this is exactly the kind of thing that leads to a Minority Report type of world. → Read More
Earlier today, I dropped by the TechStars NY office to check out some of the startups in its inaugural class in New York City before they do their big Demo Day next week. The place was buzzing, and the startups I saw were all way more polished than I expected. I wasn’t the only one there to get an early peek. Rich Miner of Google Ventures and Mark Suster of GRP (and also a regular TechCrunch contributor) were there mentoring some of the startups, but also—let’s be honest—getting an early look before the throngs of other investors descend upon Demo Day next week.
While I was at TechStars, I shot the video above of founders Brad Feld, David Cohen and New York managing director David Tisch. Feld doesn’t think that valuations are out of whack, or that the supposed $4 million line is even a rational way to look at it. But there definitely is a rise in interest from follow-on investors. → Read More
Startup incubator TechStars has raised $8 million in new funding for its programs in Boston, Boulder, New York, and Seattle. The new funding comes from more than fifty venture funds and over 25 individual angel investors. This brings the incubator’s total funding to nearly $11.5 million.
TechStars, which launched in 2007, is a “startup boot camp” for tech entrepreneurs in which selected startup receive up to $18,000 in seed funding (or $6,000 per founder up to three founders in exchange for 5 percent of the company), three months of mentorship from successful entrepreneurs and investors, and the opportunity to pitch to angel investors and venture capitalists at the end of the program. → Read More
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. → Read More
Is it just me, or is everyone and their mother talking about startup accelerators these days? I seriously feel like we’re in some kind of Paul Graham era. Y Combinator-made startups like Dropbox, Xobni, Loopt, AirBnB, WePay, etc. have gotten all kinds of attention and similar programs seem to be popping up all over the place, even in London.
When I asked Graham, he didn’t seem necessarily sure if the Y Combinator model would work outside of Silicon Valley, where there is a high density of active business angels and investors. Then again, progams like Seedcamp and TechStars - which behind the likes of Foodzie and Graphic.ly – may’ve proved that the model can work elsewhere; the program now operates in Bouler, New York, Boston and Seattle – and made took its first international step last year with Startupbootcamp. → Read More
Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post written by David Cohen, founder and CEO of the TechStars startup incubator.
TechStars, the well-known seed accelerator program with operations in Boulder, Boston, Seattle and New York City has unveiled it’s inaugural Seattle class today at a Demo Day event attended by about 200 investors in Seattle. TechStars has now been operating for four years. → Read More
The New York-based startup ADstruc — an online marketplace for outdoor advertising — closed a $1.1 million series a investment led by DFJ Gotham, with participation from RRE, Founder Collective, Jeff Clavier, David Cohen, Kal Vepuri, David Tisch and Social Leverage (Howard Lindzon) today.
The 26-year-old founder and chief executive of ADstruc, John Laramie, developed his auction and listing-based platform through TechStars Colorado, but relocated and incorporated in New York this year. → Read More
When it comes to seed investing, New York City is becoming a hotbed. And now TechStars, the incubator that began in Boulder. Colorado and has spawned nearly 40 startups, is coming to New York. This will be the fourth (and supposedly last) city TechStars expands to, according to CEO David Cohen (the other two are Boston and Seattle).
TechStars is accepting applications for the New York City Class of 2011, which will start in January. TechStars provides a little bit of cash ($6,000 per founder for a three-month program) and a lot of mentorship. The list of New York City mentors includes Foursquare founders Dennis Crowley and Naveen Selvadurai, Tumblr founder David Karp, VC Fred Wilson, Hunch founder and seed investor Chris Dixon, Roger Ehrenberg of IA Ventures, StockTwits CEO Howard Lindzon, Boxee CEO Avner Ronen, BuzzFeed president Jon Steinberg, and Hot Potato founder Justin Shaffer. Jeff Clavier and Dave McClure snuck in there as well, even though they live in California. → Read More
Last night, we first unveiled AngelPad, the stealthy new startup incubator run by seven ex-Googlers. Today, we’ve managed to get quite a bit more information about it. How? One of those ex-Googlers, Thomas Korte, stopped by our office to talk a bit about the project.
Actually, it was quite convenient for Korte to come by because AngelPad’s office is right around the corner from our own office in the SoMa area of San Francisco. And though it’s not open just yet (September 10), soon, this will be the home to all of the startups accepted to be the first class of AngelPad. → Read More
Atoms and bits are coming together in interesting ways. A slew of geo apps like Foursquare, Gowalla, and Loopt let you leave digital markings in the real world whenever you check into a location. Stickybits lets you put barcodes on physical objects which invokes a message, photo, or video which can be passed around with the object. And now we are beginning to see startups figuring out ways to control real-world objects with people’s phones and computers.
Of course there is AnyBot, the $15,000 remote-controlled robot. But even that is too complicated and expensive for the masses. Yesterday, one of the 11 TechStars companies that launched called GearBox showed an early version of an iPhone app that can control a robotic ball (see video below). GearBox wants to wants to help developers build games which involve players controlling a real robotic ball with their phones. → Read More
Editor’s note: The following report comes from Don Dodge, who blogs at Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing and is a Developer Advocate for Google. TechStars is a seed accelerator program that selects about ten companies a year and provides funding of $18,000 per team, as well as support and mentorship. Dodge covered the last Boulder TechStars class in August, 2009 when six companies (including SendGrid and Next Big Sound) went on to secure venture investment of more than $10 million in total.
TechStars has now been operating for four years. According to results data that TechStars has published, six of the first twenty companies to go through the program have been acquired by larger companies, and about 70% of its companies have been funded and/or are now profitable. This week, TechStars is debuting 11 new startups from the fourth Boulder class. The teams are presenting on Thursday to about 250 VCs and angel investors for the first time. These companies are about three months old and have two or three founder employees. Below are Don’s notes on the startups that presented. → Read More
Editor’s note: The following report comes from Don Dodge, who blogs at Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing and is a Developer Advocate for Google. TechStars is a seed accelerator program that selects about ten companies and provides funding of $18,000 per team, as well as support and mentorship. Dodge covered the last Boston TechStars class in September, 2009.
TechStars has now been operating for four years. According to results data that TechStars has published, six of the first twenty companies to go through the program have been acquired by larger companies, and about 70% of its companies have been funded and/or are now profitable. This week, TechStars debuted ten new startups from the second Boston class. The teams presented on Tuesday to about 250 VCs and angel investors for the first time. These companies are about three months old and have two or three founder employees. Don was in attendance and these are his notes on the startups that presented. → Read More
Mobile app analytics provider Localytics, a graduate of the 2009 TechStars Boston class, has scored approximately $700,000 in funding to add to the $18,000 it had received from TechStars as part of the program.
The funding, which will be formally announced tomorrow, is the company’s first ‘real’ round and was led by Boston-based Launchpad Venture Group in tandem with New York Angels. → Read More
The Difference Engine is shaping up to be the kind of raw, Web 2.0 incubator the UK has lacked for some time.
Whereas Seedcamp tends to take more fully formed early stage startups on, The Difference Engine is closer to having a hacker mentality.
When you want to just go and build a product, this might be the kind of programme that appeals.
Word on the street is that the programme is sidling up to the TechStars programme in the US, but nothing is confirmed as yet. → Read More
Will digital books will ever match printed ones for sheer reading pleasure? What about comic books and graphic novels? I think it depends on what device you are reading them. One of the most visually stunning apps on the iPad, for instance, is the Marvel Comics reader. You just swipe from page to page, and when you tap on a frame it becomes larger and moves forward. The swiping gives the comics a sense of motion you don’t get on paper.
A startup called Graphic.ly is taking a similar approach and adding social elements. It recently came out of beta with an AIR app for desktops which includes a digital comic reader, store, and social activity feed. Apps for the iPad, iPhone, Android, and Windows 7 are coming soon. And eventually it will exists as native Web app as well. → Read More
Twitter app directory oneforty has raised $1.6 million, according to an SEC filing. Of that, a previously undisclosed $375,000 is in the form of convertible debt already raised in a couple of angel rounds last year (which are converting to stock). So the company was able to raise $1.25 million in new money, and the filing indicates that the total offering amount will be $2.4 million, meaning that more might be on the way before the current Series A round is complete.
Oneforty currently lists more than 2,000 Twitter apps and ranks them based on both their popularity on the site and across the Web. The company makes affiliate revenues for paid apps (mostly on the iPhone), but could eventually charge app developers for featured spots on its homepage. Rumors surfaced in October about Twitter buying the service, but that never happened. → Read More
Boulder, Colorado-based startup incubator TechStars is launching a Seattle program set to debut in the fall of 2010. Seattle-based entrepreneur and investor Andy Sack will lead the outpost. TechStars will now have separate, annual programs in Boston, Boulder and Seattle.
TechStars is a “startup boot camp” for tech entrepreneurs in which selected companies receive up to $18,000 in seed funding, three months of mentorship from successful entrepreneurs and investors, and the opportunity to pitch to angel investors and venture capitalists at the end of the program. The incubator has signed on many high-profile Seattle investors and VC funds to act as mentors including Bezos Expeditions, Buerk Dale Victor, DFJ, Founder’s Co-op, and Vulcan Capital. Other Seattle-based mentors include Ben Huh, Chris DeVore, Glenn Kellman, Adam Brotman, Alex Algard and Adam Doppelt. → Read More
TechStars startup ReTel Technologies just raised $1 million in seed funding from SoftTech VC, Hyde Park Angels, FF Angel, Maples Investments, eonBusiness and Zelkova Ventures. The funds will be used for product development and to expand ReTel’s engineering and sales teams.
ReTel’s flagship product, ConstantAudit, provides video surveillance analysis for stores and restaurants. The startup uses security camera feeds to deliver interesting metrics and data such as table cleanliness, service times, and employee activities. ReTel delivers human tested analytics using paid micro-tasks on services like Mechanical Turk to break down data from the videos. This enables the company to deliver sophisticated reports that include data points such as male vs. female ratios, instances of theft by employees, and other actions that only humans can get right. → Read More
Editor’s note: The following report comes from Don Dodge, who blogs at Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing and is a business development executive for Microsoft. TechStars is a startup accelerator program that selects about ten companies and provides funding of $18,000 per team, as well as free office space, operational support, and mentoring from top investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders. TechStars operates annually in Boulder, Colorado and Boston, Massachusetts.
TechStars has now been operating for three years. Three of the original ten companies from 2007 have already been acquired (SocialThing by AOL, Intense Debate by Automattic, and Brightkite by Limbo). In February, we covered the news that TechStars had expanded to Boston. Today, TechStars debuted nine new startups from the inaugural Boston class. The teams presented on Thursday to about 200 VCs and Angel investors for the first time. These companies are about three months old and have two or three founder employees. Don was in attendance today and these are his notes on the startups that presented at Microsoft’s New England Research and Development Center (MS-NERD) → Read More
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