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.

Focus

Pre Seed Round Seed Round Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Series A Show more

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https://www.capitaliq.com/CIQDotNet/company.aspx?companyId=431767203

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Ethan Austin

MD of the Techstars Western Union Accelerator

Mark Tortorella

Advisor

Nathanial Zola

MD

Past deals in Beverages

Vervet

Pre Seed Round in 2020

Vervet is a manufacturing company that specializes in retail, sales, and distribution of beer and cocktails.

Labby

Pre Seed Round in 2020

Labby Inc. is a technology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, founded in 2017. It specializes in developing a smartphone-based wireless optical spectrometer for testing milk composition, primarily serving farmers and dairy processors. The company's AI-driven cloud platform translates raw optical data into actionable insights for individual animals and entire herds, facilitating rapid mastitis detection and timely intervention. In addition to its primary focus on dairy, Labby's technology has applications in the beer and wine production industry, offering tools for counterfeit detection, quality control, and serving as a virtual brewmate for homebrewers. The platform also aids in monitoring spoilage along the supply chain, detecting adulterants and contamination, and tracking harvest cycles while providing meteorological data mapping for farm-level analytics.

Qi Aerista

Pre Seed Round in 2019

Qi Aerista is a tea maker system designed to facilitate tea brewing company.

Wisk

Seed Round in 2018

Wisk Solutions Inc. is a Toronto-based company that specializes in developing and selling software designed to manage alcoholic operations. Founded in 2014, Wisk's software facilitates inventory management, consumption analysis, product pricing, and the optimization of purchase orders. Its clients include a variety of establishments such as hotels, clubs, restaurants, and bars. The software aims to enhance operational efficiency by reducing the time required for inventory counting and data compilation, thereby providing users with a more accurate and precise inventory solution.

BlendBow

Seed Round in 2017

BlendBow is a company based in Paris, France, specializing in the design and manufacture of innovative cocktail machines aimed at bar owners. Established in 2015, BlendBow has dedicated 24 months to research and development, resulting in the filing of three patents for its unique technology. The cocktail machines are designed to simplify the cocktail preparation process by cutting lemons, crushing ice, blending mixtures, and measuring ingredients like mint and rum. These machines also feature a range of customizable cocktail recipes that are pre-configured to enhance efficiency and quality in cocktail service. BlendBow's products are available in France, Belgium, and Switzerland, addressing key challenges in the hospitality industry related to cocktail quality and preparation time.

Somm'it

Seed Round in 2017

Restaurant profits are low. Somm’It thinks beverages are the main driver for profit within restaurants, but are not leveraged enough because of management complexity, lack of tools, skills, and expertise. Somm’It is the automated sommelier for every restaurant. Restaurants can also optimize the management of beverages through data intelligence, easy stock management, dynamic purchasing, and reliable, in real-time management of the wine lists.

Local Crate

Convertible Note in 2017

Local Crate is a food and beverage delivery service company.

Bybe

Convertible Note in 2017

Bybe, Inc. is a technology company based in Columbus, Ohio, that develops a mobile platform designed for retailers to manage alcohol promotions. Founded in 2017, Bybe's platform facilitates the management of offers for beer, wine, and spirits, catering to both leading adult beverage brands and retailers. The company’s vertically integrated technology streamlines the process of offer creation, distribution, validation, remittance, and customer support, while also providing data visualization tools. Bybe specializes in ensuring compliance with state-specific regulations for alcohol promotions and focuses on enhancing retail integration and user experience. The platform aims to simplify digital alcohol promotions, enabling brands and retailers to connect effectively with consumers through engaging digital programs.

Drinkeasy

Seed Round in 2016

Drinkeasy is your pocket sommelier. Built for SMS, Drinkeasy’s experts are your personal shopping assistant for buying premium and craft spirits from distilleries around the world. Most not available in your local liquor store. Part A.I, part human, Drinkeasy is one of the first companies to focus on building a personalized conversational shopping experience.

Brewbot

Seed Round in 2014

Brewbot, Inc. is a company that specializes in designing and manufacturing stainless-steel-and-wood beer brewing machines and systems. Founded in 2013 and based in San Carlos, California, Brewbot also offers a mobile application that enables users to brew beer and track the brewing process. The company's products and services cater to a diverse clientele, including restaurants, bars, breweries, and companies in the United Kingdom and the United States. In addition to its brewing systems, Brewbot provides a recipe platform that allows users to download or create various beer recipes, enhancing the brewing experience for both amateur and professional brewers. With a multidisciplinary team based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Brewbot combines expertise from various fields, reflecting its commitment to innovation in the brewing industry.

Bevi

Seed Round in 2014

Bevi aims to eliminate waste from the production, shipping, and disposing of bottled beverages. We envision a future where a smarter platform (powered by the municipal water supply) transforms how beverages are delivered. It is an ambitious goal, but we are on it!