Techstars

Techstars Central LLC, founded in 2006 and based in Boulder, Colorado, operates as a startup accelerator and venture capital firm focused on supporting early-stage technology-oriented companies. It specializes in a mentorship-driven accelerator program, selecting ten startups each summer to participate in a three-month incubation period, offering funding of $120,000 in exchange for equity. Techstars invests primarily in sectors such as fintech, artificial intelligence, blockchain, augmented reality, and IoT, while avoiding investments in medical devices, healthcare technology, and local service-oriented businesses. In addition to its primary accelerator, Techstars has various specialized programs, including those focused on music, retail, mobility, and social impact, with global reach extending to regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The firm prefers taking minority stakes, typically between six and ten percent, without seeking board representation or investor rights. Techstars has built a robust network of entrepreneurs, mentors, and corporate partners to foster innovation and growth within its portfolio, which includes over 1,000 companies with a significant collective market capitalization.

Ethan Austin

MD of the Techstars Western Union Accelerator

Max Kelly

Managing Director of Techstars London

Lesa Mitchell

Managing Director

Vijay Tirathrai

Managing Director

Mark Tortorella

Advisor

Nathanial Zola

MD

Past deals in Kansas

Afloat

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
Mobile app connecting communities to each other and local businesses they love

myAnIML

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
myAnIML provides disease prediction and tracking solution to not only save revenue but reduces recalls and saves lives of a cow.

MoodSpark

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
We develop, market and sell digital reminiscence technology.

PlaBook

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
PlaBook is created to meet the needs of the next generation for reading, learning, and entertainment.

Pepper

Convertible Note in 2020
Pepper offers an IoT operating system and service delivery platform that empowers enterprises to deploy sophisticated IoT solutions. The introduction of billions of new connected devices (and other "things") requires a new user-experience paradigm—one that enables both consumers and enterprises the ability to effectively manage, control, and engage with their increasingly connected worlds. Pepper solves the problems associated with this increased complexity through the combination of its user operating system and service delivery platform.

Healthy Hip Hop

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Healthy Hip Hop is an EdTech platform powered by the arts and social interaction. We produce innovative programming using technology and the hip hop culture as a learning tool to help improve academic outcomes. Our online platform allows educators to live stream music and video content directly to their smart board for curriculum support. The Healthy Hip Hop mobile application empowers students to create custom video content, similar to TikTok, yet in a safer environment for children.

Bellwethr

Seed Round in 2019
Bellwethr uses artificial intelligence to increase retention and revenue throughout the customer journey. Bellwethr started around the idea that machine learning and AI should be available to anyone, no matter their technical background. The business was founded in 2017 by Matt Moody, with the sole intention of making artificial intelligence simple enough for anyone to utilize it.

Zohr

Seed Round in 2018
Zohr, Inc. is engaged in the retailing and services of tires. The services include tire replacement, tire rotation, tire pressure monitoring system, flat tire repair, and fleet services. The company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. The company has other locations in Bonner Springs, Fairway, Mission hills, Piper, and Shawnee, Kansas and Belton, Gladstone, Riverside, Liberty and Raytown, Missouri.

Daupler

Pre Seed Round in 2018
First response software for utilities and public works. Reduce work load while collecting accurate data and insight into response operations. Coordinate and document response efforts to watermain breaks, sewer stoppages, street obstructions, and other service outages. We work with organizations of all sizes – from small water districts, to large municipalities. Our tools take the pain out of response processes, provide the operational insight needed, and easily integrate with existing customer service and work order management systems.

Bellwethr

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Bellwethr uses artificial intelligence to increase retention and revenue throughout the customer journey. Bellwethr started around the idea that machine learning and AI should be available to anyone, no matter their technical background. The business was founded in 2017 by Matt Moody, with the sole intention of making artificial intelligence simple enough for anyone to utilize it.

Grit Virtual

Seed Round in 2018
Grit Virtual is a first-in-class schedule generator for construction. Grit provides the most reliable and responsive workflows for construction planning available. Crew leaders can independently estimate durations, crew size, and cross-trade dependencies. This unlocks an industry-first level of granularity. They take the input data and automatically generate the most effective workflows, too complex for any human planner. Through their scheduling dashboards, they give construction professionals insight to make more informed decisions than ever before.

Keybot

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Keybot, INC designs and manufactures a rental access robot, which integrates hardware and software to automate access for rental properties. The company’s product enables self-showings, renter, and maintenance access to its users. The company serves rental owners and property managers. Keybot, INC was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in St. Peters, Missouri and has additional locations in Kansas City, Missouri and London, United Kingdom. The company also has a production office in Taipei City, Taiwan.

Vector Legal Method

Seed Round in 2017
Vector Legal Method is a software-as-a-service litigation management platform, designed for lawyers by lawyers. Vector is the first collaborative platform that gives in-house attorneys centralized control of all their litigation cases. Through our proprietary technology, corporate legal departments gain: visibility into outside counsel activity, instant access to case information, increased control over the litigation process, and valuable time to refocus on strategic projects, all while significantly reducing billable costs.

Zego

Seed Round in 2017
Zego Inc. is a technology company based in Kansas City, Missouri, that specializes in creating a smart amenity platform designed for apartment communities. Founded in 2017 and previously known as CasaiQ Inc., Zego develops an application that integrates smart home devices, enabling residents to connect seamlessly with property management, maintenance services, and a marketplace for local offerings. The platform enhances resident engagement and facilitates the sale of additional services within apartment complexes. As of May 2019, Zego operates as a subsidiary of PayLease LLC, further expanding its capabilities in the property management sector.

Grit Virtual

Pre Seed Round in 2017
Grit Virtual is a first-in-class schedule generator for construction. Grit provides the most reliable and responsive workflows for construction planning available. Crew leaders can independently estimate durations, crew size, and cross-trade dependencies. This unlocks an industry-first level of granularity. They take the input data and automatically generate the most effective workflows, too complex for any human planner. Through their scheduling dashboards, they give construction professionals insight to make more informed decisions than ever before.

Mycroft

Seed Round in 2016
Mycroft AI, Inc. develops an open-source voice assistant platform that integrates artificial intelligence and natural language processing to allow users to control various electronic devices through voice commands. The Mycroft software operates as an extensible platform, enabling customization and adaptation for a wide range of devices, including refrigerators, computers, speakers, wearables, cars, and televisions. Founded in 2016, the company is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, with additional offices in Palo Alto, California, and Lawrence, Kansas. Mycroft's approach emphasizes an open-source and open-hardware philosophy, allowing users to modify and enhance their voice assistant experience according to their needs.

Super Dispatch

Seed Round in 2016
Super Dispatch, Inc. specializes in car hauler automation software designed for carriers, brokers, and shippers in the auto transportation industry. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas, the company offers an end-to-end platform that includes tools such as Super Loadboard for booking loads and finding vetted carriers, Carrier TMS for managing loads, drivers, and billing, and Shipper TMS for automating and digitizing daily operations. This comprehensive solution enables trucking companies to eliminate paper forms and streamline their processes through mobile applications and a web platform, enhancing efficiency and visibility in logistics management.

backstitch

Seed Round in 2016
backstitch Inc. operates a platform for personalized employee communications. The company’s platform enables users to create for business communicators; provides team members with push notifications, internal content, industry news, and more; and allows users to realize trends and behaviors, identify department allies, and measure the ROI of communications and engagement. It also builds an application that integrates curated media monitoring platform. The company was founded in 2012 and is based in Kansas City, Missouri.

Rex Animal Health

Seed Round in 2015
Rex is on a mission to bring animal health to the 21st century by making veterinary medicine and husbandry data driven. They believe that data has the power to transform the animal health industry as it has transformed the fields of finance, weather, and human health. By bringing together data from various sources and time periods, the insights they produce can reshape: 1) the way pharmaceutical companies discovers new gene targets and develops drugs, 2) the way veterinarians manage chronic diseases in animals, and 3) the way the community understands and perceives animal health.

Oxie

Seed Round in 2015
Oxie Innovations Inc. specializes in the development of smart neck-worn air purifiers designed to improve air quality for users on the go. Incorporated in 2015 and headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, the company offers a sleek and discreet product that fits comfortably under a shirt collar. Oxie's wearable technology purifies air by filtering out pollutants, allergens, and germs, making it suitable for various environments, such as airplanes and urban areas. The device is equipped with sensors that track air quality in real-time and deliver personal metrics to an interactive mobile application. This feature not only enhances user awareness but also contributes to the crowdsourcing of air quality data, providing valuable insights into environmental health.

Sickweather

Seed Round in 2014
Sickweather Inc. is a company that specializes in illness forecasting and mapping through its innovative mobile application. Founded in 2011 and based in Windsor Mill, Maryland, Sickweather utilizes patented social listening technology to scan social networks for indicators of illness. This allows the platform to detect real-time illness trends at a hyper-local level across more than 120 countries. Users receive alerts via email about potential sickness in their vicinity, and the application also provides a 15-week forecast and a threat level index known as the SickScore, effectively acting as a Doppler radar for illness.

ollo wearables

Seed Round in 2014
Ollo Wearables Inc. develops and provides a single-button, push-to-talk smart phone with no display for senior citizens and children. The company offers a cloud phone which includes GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sensors and is waterproof and shock-resistant. It also provides voice control and sensors that detect falls and inactivity and can alert emergency contacts. The company was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.

FitBark

Pre Seed Round in 2014
FitBark Inc. specializes in pet technology, offering a dog activity and sleep monitor that tracks a dog's physical activity and rest levels. This device provides valuable insights into a dog's health and behavior, enabling users to share information with veterinarians. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, FitBark sells its products through its online store and various retailers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The company serves customers in over 125 countries, helping dog owners manage their pets' activity, sleep quality, calorie expenditure, and overall health. Additionally, FitBark's platform is utilized by more than 45 veterinary schools and research institutions, supporting the validation of new drugs, foods, procedures, and medical treatments.

FitBark

Debt Financing in 2014
FitBark Inc. specializes in pet technology, offering a dog activity and sleep monitor that tracks a dog's physical activity and rest levels. This device provides valuable insights into a dog's health and behavior, enabling users to share information with veterinarians. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, FitBark sells its products through its online store and various retailers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The company serves customers in over 125 countries, helping dog owners manage their pets' activity, sleep quality, calorie expenditure, and overall health. Additionally, FitBark's platform is utilized by more than 45 veterinary schools and research institutions, supporting the validation of new drugs, foods, procedures, and medical treatments.