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 Metals and Mining

Cancrie

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Cancrie produces sustainable advanced material for energy storage devices. It transforms waste into quality advanced battery material that increases the efficiency of energy storage devices through a simple drop-in solution.

EnviCore

Seed Round in 2021
EnviCore is a growing R&D company offering innovative and sustainable wastewater treatment solutions. EnviCore's developed technologies have the potential to introduce a step-change in the holistic approach of the mining tailings treatment. Providing a low cost and environmentally friendly alternative, coupled with the superior performance and efficiency, which can change the adverse narrative associated with mining waste and its environmental impact and help mining operators achieve new resource developments more responsibly.

Phoenix Tailings

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Phoenix Tailings Inc. is a Massachusetts-based company that focuses on the recycling and re-mining of mining tailings and hazardous by-products, such as Bauxite Residue, to produce essential metal products. Founded in 2019, the company aims to extract strategic materials critical to various industries, including aerospace, defense, automotive, biotechnology, and electronics. By treating mining and refining waste as new ore, Phoenix Tailings provides an innovative solution to eliminate hazardous environmental waste while creating primary metals sustainably and economically. This approach not only addresses the demand for metals in multiple sectors but also promotes environmentally friendly practices by offering carbon-free alternatives.

Mito Material Solutions

Seed Round in 2019
MITO Material Solutions, Inc. is a specialty chemical company based in Indianapolis, Indiana, with an additional office in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Founded in 2016, the company focuses on developing and manufacturing graphene-based hybrid polymer modifiers and additives that significantly enhance material performance across various industries. One of its key products, the MITO T-Series, is a nano-additive that, when mixed with epoxies or resins, can increase the toughness of composite parts by 100% while reducing the likelihood of mechanical failure by 80%. This versatility allows industries to either enhance product toughness or decrease the quantity of materials used. The T-Series is particularly beneficial for the recreational vehicle and boating sectors, where it toughens fiberglass structures, as well as for the aerospace industry, where it enables manufacturers to reduce part weight without compromising toughness, resulting in substantial cost savings. MITO Material Solutions aims to improve the durability and performance of materials in applications such as ester resins, epoxies, and thermoplastics.

Liquid Diamonds

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Liquid Diamonds is a B2B online trading exchange for diamonds; think Nasdaq for diamonds. Wholesale traders want a global exchange for diamonds. Brokerage houses would also like to offer diamonds as an alternative asset-class to investors, with diamond ETFs, futures and options. But, all of this has been impossible until now. Existing exchanges only work when the items being traded are identical/fungible, e.g. shares of stock or ounces of gold. Diamonds are neither identical nor fungible, and cannot reasonably be traded as though they are. Our patented Universal Continuous Double Auction technology enables the benefits of a commodity exchange, without forcing a diamond to be interchangeable with any other i.e. we bring price discovery and liquidity to diamonds. We have a live and ready platform, we have paying customers and we have generated millions of dollars in transaction volume from the wholesale market - diamond manufacturers in Mumbai and Antwerp selling to diamond traders in NY. Liquid Diamonds is backed by Techstars and its founding team is comprised of UVA, UC Irvine and IIT Kanpur grads with deep connections within the diamond industry.

Aqulytics

Seed Round in 2018
We are committed to the protection and sustainability of water, and support the monitoring of wastewater and industrial discharges drilling down on physical, chemical, biological and organoleptic parameters. Our participatory monitoring features are ideal for brokering partnerships between the industry, government and communities in support of improving access and quality of freshwater sources.

MetalMaker 3D

Pre Seed Round in 2018
MetalMaker 3D is developing an alternative solution for metal additive manufacturing.

Transmute

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Transmute Industries, Inc. develops and offers a digital identity management platform. The company primarily engages in building and developing online platform for customs and border protection of data with transparency, automation and security in processing the import of raw materials such as steel, timber and diamonds raw good in United States. The company offers decentralized identifiers, verifiable credential, and block chain technology. Transmute Industries, Inc. was founded in 2017 and is based in Austin, Texas.

TerraManta

Seed Round in 2017
Our first product: TerraManta for Crude Oil. By combining analysis of fundamental factors and geo political drivers, TerraManta provides customers with more accurate insights about longer term volatility of crude oil prices. TerraManta for Crude Oil analyzes news and data using machine learning technology to identify individual components which influence the price of commodities (beginning with crude oil): changes in global demand and supply forecasts (including country specific updates), conflicts, production rates (including seasonal adjustments), exploration activities, distribution, inventories, statements by oil industry executives and government officials, and financial market updates (including currency fluctuations)

Matter.io

Pre Seed Round in 2014
Matter.io specializes in the small-batch production of metal parts through advanced 3D printing and rapid molding techniques. The company offers a diverse selection of base and precious metals, including yellow and white brass, bronze, and sterling silver, which can be polished and plated in various finishes. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with an additional location in New York, Matter.io primarily serves independent designers and businesses. The company aims to streamline the manufacturing process for product designers, facilitating efficient production and logistics comparable to the ease with which developers deploy servers.

Matter.io

Seed Round in 2014
Matter.io specializes in the small-batch production of metal parts through advanced 3D printing and rapid molding techniques. The company offers a diverse selection of base and precious metals, including yellow and white brass, bronze, and sterling silver, which can be polished and plated in various finishes. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with an additional location in New York, Matter.io primarily serves independent designers and businesses. The company aims to streamline the manufacturing process for product designers, facilitating efficient production and logistics comparable to the ease with which developers deploy servers.