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

Mark Tortorella

Advisor

Nathanial Zola

MD

Past deals in Crowdfunding

Staxe

Seed Round in 2022
Staxe is a crowdfunding platform based in Zug, Switzerland, that focuses on transforming creative projects, including music, film, and live events, into investment opportunities. Founded in 2018, Staxe utilizes blockchain technology to structure, coordinate, and tokenize creative assets, offering them as non-fungible tokens. This innovative approach allows investors to engage with and benefit from the success of various productions, such as concerts and festivals. In response to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Staxe is enhancing its operations and leveraging decentralized finance along with asset tokenization to support creatives in realizing their projects.

PeduL

Seed Round in 2021
PeduL Inc. is a crowdfunding platform based in Newark, New Jersey, founded in 2016. The platform is designed to help students raise funds for their higher education, addressing the financial challenges many face when pursuing college degrees. By providing a dedicated space for education crowdfunding, PeduL enables students to connect with potential donors who can assist in alleviating the costs associated with higher education. This innovative approach aims to change the traditional methods of funding college expenses, offering an alternative solution for students in need of financial support.

Slingshot Ahead

Funding Round in 2021
75% of startups report their top concern to be finding talent that is highly-skilled, low-investment and easy to discover. Even when they do, they either give away too much equity or pay more than they can afford. We’re the world’s first platform to connect budding startups with vetted, industry-grade high school engineers at 0 equity and lowest costs. As a team of CMU, UCLA, Stanford alums, now at FAANG companies, we aim to change the status-quo of a heavily credential-driven work-force to that of a skill-driven one. In just 8 months, we’ve grown to 20+ countries, 1000+ student applicants, and 25+ startups.

BuckUp

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
BuckUp a short-term loan service that uses customers’ devices as collateral.

Forecastr

Seed Round in 2021
Forecastr is online software that helps founders who hate building financial models in Excel actually understand their numbers, predict runway, and get funded.

Valyuu.com

Seed Round in 2021
Circular Economy Marketplace

SoLo Funds

Series A in 2021
SoLo Funds, Inc. is a mobile money exchange and lending platform that connects lenders and borrowers, allowing users to borrow on their own terms and lenders to benefit from their contributions. Established in 2015 and based in New York City, SoLo Funds operates as an alternative financial solution, offering rapid loan options to borrowers while providing lenders with significant value. The platform has evolved from a unique lending marketplace into a comprehensive community banking solution that leverages individual capital, insurance, and banking products, supported by advanced A.I. underwriting technology.

COMMUNITYx

Pre Seed Round in 2021
The Social Network for Social Change

SympliFi

Pre Seed Round in 2021
SympliFi is to help diaspora around the world realize their financial goals in their home country.

Govrn

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Govrn is a fundraising platform designed to reshape the interaction between citizens and politicians by addressing the challenges of campaign finance. By focusing on outcome-based donations, Govrn allows individuals to contribute financially to campaigns based on specific metrics and goals. This approach ensures that donations are only utilized when predetermined objectives are met, empowering citizens to hold politicians accountable for the issues that matter to them. By providing the tools traditionally reserved for large lobbying groups and special interest organizations, Govrn facilitates a more direct and meaningful engagement in the political process, fostering a sense of connection between the electorate and their representatives.

Lightning Social Ventures

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Founded during the pandemic, Lightning helps people in financial hardship to receive super fast support and recover from shocks. The company works with charities and public sector institutions to accelerate support to people in financial hardship - providing a quick and secure platform to easily verify financial need and process grants within 3 days instead of 5+ weeks.

Crowdz

Series A in 2020
Crowdz provides invoice-financing opportunities to companies in global supply chains—a $9 trillion market that SMEs traditionally have been excluded from. The need for such financing is greater than ever before. Some 93% of all supply-chain participants are SMEs, and half of these suffer cashflow shortages as they wait for 90 to 120 days or more to be paid. Crowdz’s global invoice auction solves this problem by directing competitive, low-cost financing to SMEs while offering high returns to funders seeking better investments.

Bitback

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Bitback, a Techstars portfolio company (20') and former IDEO CoLab resident (19'), is the cashback rewards platform connecting young people and retailers across Africa. We are on a mission to put money back into the pockets of young people around the globe. Users earn cash back for each and every purchase they make from their favourite retailers through the Bitback app. Merchants and service providers are able to reach and retain young consumers through special offers and rewards. Bitback’s vision is to create new income streams for young people and to fuel their entrepreneurial spirits.

Equipment Connect

Pre Seed Round in 2020
A three sided, tech-enabled marketplace composed of equipment users, vendors and funders. The platform provides companies with multiple finance offers and arranging finance is fully digital from first contact to final contract. Our web app also assists companies in sourcing and managing equipment through a central dashboard. #FinTech #marketplace #Lending #asset finance #leasing #equipment finance #equipment management Backed by Innovate UK, industry angel investors and leading suppliers. Strong team of experienced professionals.

Forecastr

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Forecastr is online software that helps founders who hate building financial models in Excel actually understand their numbers, predict runway, and get funded.

Jolly

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Jolly is a global open professional network the Trust Economy, where freelance professionals and businesses network, build their reputations and work together freely. The network helps freelancers make more money in less time by going direct with their clients instead of working through middlemen like temp staffing firms. It also helps you drastically reduce the time you spend on staffing, while also reducing the stress and cost of hiring workers.

North Loop

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Borderless banking for global citizens

FanPowered

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Fan Powered is a digital platform for fan-powered sports & entertainment. The platform allows fans to curate and fund the sporting competitions that they really want to see.

FanWide

Venture Round in 2019
December 2017 - FanWide has received written commitments for funding that exceeds this $2,000,000 Series A round. they are continuing to accept investments at the current $8,000,000 valuation for a short time. Please visit our investor's portal at http://fanwi.de/InvestFanWide for the most updated information about FanWide. FanWide is a free website (http://www.FanWide.com) and app (iOS and Android) that connects sports fans from every team in any city. FanWide promotes in-person game watch parties and develops local fan communities for every pro, college, and international team at sports bars nationwide. These venues bid against each other to host the event using FanWide's patent-pending event auction system, and the hosts guarantee that the team's games will be featured with sound! Fan clubs and alumni associations can use FanWide's services to expand their network, organize events, communicate with local fans, collect and report attendance data, enter contests, receive donations, and activate food or drink discounts from the event host or team sponsors. Sports teams and leagues can use FanWide's Sports Data Platform to analyze fan engagement, and all of FanWide’s services can be integrated within the team’s own website or app. Incentivized by promotions and discounts, fans from around the country can check in at events and report watch party attendance. This is used to improve accuracy for Out-Of-Home TV ratings, so broadcast and advertising partners will see a measurable increase in viewership among the younger audience that is unsubscribing from cable. FanWide also offers partners new targeted advertising channels through its digital platform and on-site activation at in-person events nationwide which function like an "extended stadium". Since launching in 2016, Seattle-based FanWide has promoted over 350,000 events at 9,000 hosts for 10,000 fan clubs! Millions of out-of-market fans can use the free FanWide website or app to find the closest viewing party for their favorite team, wherever they are living or traveling. Long-term FanWide wants to provide the world's leading platform to automatically match hosts with fans of any interest group, including TV shows, gaming, politics, board games, trivia, and more.

Crowdz

Seed Round in 2019
Crowdz provides invoice-financing opportunities to companies in global supply chains—a $9 trillion market that SMEs traditionally have been excluded from. The need for such financing is greater than ever before. Some 93% of all supply-chain participants are SMEs, and half of these suffer cashflow shortages as they wait for 90 to 120 days or more to be paid. Crowdz’s global invoice auction solves this problem by directing competitive, low-cost financing to SMEs while offering high returns to funders seeking better investments.

Farmcrowdy

Seed Round in 2019
Farmcrowdy is an agric-tech platform that gives Nigerians the opportunity to participate in Agriculture by selecting the kind of farms they want to sponsor. They use the sponsor’s funds to secure the land, engage the farmer, plant the seeds, insure the farmers and farm produce, complete the full farming cycle, sell the harvest and then pay the farm sponsor a return on their sponsorship. While this farm process is ongoing, the farm sponsors are able to keep track of the full-cycle by getting updates in text, pictures and videos.

Nira

Seed Round in 2019
Promote financial inclusion by creating simple, transparent products that empower individuals to live a life of choice and freedom.

Union

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Union is a community management platform that connects startup founders, mentors, investors, and corporate innovators around the world. The platform streamlines operations and connects startup hubs like incubators, accelerators and coworking spaces from all over the world. It works with corporations, universities, government agencies, and other organizations to engage startups and solve challenges with precise focus and global results. Union provides corporate innovation teams with a turnkey virtual incubator platform for recruiting, engaging, and assessing startups while building a network of mentors and experts from across their organization that can participate in the innovation process. Union was founded in 2017 and is based in Washington, DC, USA.

SoLo Funds

Pre Seed Round in 2018
SoLo Funds, Inc. is a mobile money exchange and lending platform that connects lenders and borrowers, allowing users to borrow on their own terms and lenders to benefit from their contributions. Established in 2015 and based in New York City, SoLo Funds operates as an alternative financial solution, offering rapid loan options to borrowers while providing lenders with significant value. The platform has evolved from a unique lending marketplace into a comprehensive community banking solution that leverages individual capital, insurance, and banking products, supported by advanced A.I. underwriting technology.

Farmcrowdy

Seed Round in 2017
Farmcrowdy is an agric-tech platform that gives Nigerians the opportunity to participate in Agriculture by selecting the kind of farms they want to sponsor. They use the sponsor’s funds to secure the land, engage the farmer, plant the seeds, insure the farmers and farm produce, complete the full farming cycle, sell the harvest and then pay the farm sponsor a return on their sponsorship. While this farm process is ongoing, the farm sponsors are able to keep track of the full-cycle by getting updates in text, pictures and videos.

bild

Pre Seed Round in 2017
Bild is an investment platform that facilitates access to smart infrastructure and clean energy projects, primarily utilizing blockchain technology. It addresses the significant barriers to entry that individual investors face when seeking to invest in these asset classes, which have traditionally been dominated by large institutional investors. By connecting project sponsors with a broader pool of flexible capital, Bild enables smaller and medium-sized projects to secure necessary funding, thereby enhancing their project execution capabilities. The platform aims to promote transparency in investments aligned with personal values, while also addressing the urgent need for innovative solutions to combat climate change and stimulate economic growth. Through its peer-to-peer model, Bild positions itself as a key player in the future of clean energy and infrastructure financing.

Netcapital

Pre Seed Round in 2017
Netcapital enables investors to invest in entrepreneurs seeking to raise capital using technology. The company makes private transactions transparent and easy by creating a secure place to transact and providing clear information so investors can make their own investment decisions. It helps entrepreneurs and investors to work together to build value by opening the lines of communication and keeping investors updated and allow them to collaborate with entrepreneurs and accelerate innovation. Their Secondary Transfer Platform makes it easy for investors to create bids and asks on offers that have already closed, allowing entrepreneurs to sell shares they already purchased on Netcapital and buy shares in companies that are no longer raising money. Jason Frishman formed the company in Boston, Massachusetts in 2014.

Farmcrowdy

Pre Seed Round in 2017
Farmcrowdy is an agric-tech platform that gives Nigerians the opportunity to participate in Agriculture by selecting the kind of farms they want to sponsor. They use the sponsor’s funds to secure the land, engage the farmer, plant the seeds, insure the farmers and farm produce, complete the full farming cycle, sell the harvest and then pay the farm sponsor a return on their sponsorship. While this farm process is ongoing, the farm sponsors are able to keep track of the full-cycle by getting updates in text, pictures and videos.

GroupRaise

Seed Round in 2017
Groupraise.com, Inc. is an online community that provides a way to organize restaurant fundraisers to support non-profit causes, including health, clean water, education, hunger, and social entrepreneurship. The company acts as a local community networking for restaurants to build relationships with community groups through fundraisers. Its community enables to list restaurants; start a campaign by posting dates, times, and the donation offered for local groups to host events; and groups request fundraisers through its online system. The company was founded in 2011 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Global EIR

Seed Round in 2017
Global EIR is nonprofit network of entrepreneurs, investors, & universities dedicated to solving founders' immigration problems.

Chroma Inc.

Seed Round in 2016
Chroma Inc. develops Chroma.fund, a crowdfunding platform which issues digital certificates for stocks on the blockchain network. The company's platform provides a marketplace for local investments and helps businesses, loan funds, charitable foundations, and investors. Chroma Inc. was founded in 2013 and is based in Portland, Oregon.

Social Lender

Seed Round in 2016
Social Lender is a lending solution based on social reputation on mobile, online and social media platforms.

Bstow

Seed Round in 2016
Bstow builds the most powerful and easily implemented tools for mobile fundraising. Whether you are collecting one-time, recurring, or round-up donations from events, online campaigns, p2p campaigns, emails, or SMS campaigns, Bstow’s unmatched functionality makes fundraising fun again.

Seed&Spark

Seed Round in 2016
Seed&Spark is an entertainment platform for conscious consumers. Synthesizing subscription streaming with the next evolution of crowdfunding, Seed&Spark delivers truly diverse content for audiences and sustainability for artists. Seed&Spark is built to address the business problems in entertainment that cause the social problem of lack of diversity and representation. Their subscribers not only get to watch an award-winning slate of movies and shows they can't find anywhere else, they also get to vote to fund a new project each month. All the movies and shows on Seed&Spark are actively increasing representation in front of and behind the camera.

GroupRaise

Seed Round in 2015
Groupraise.com, Inc. is an online community that provides a way to organize restaurant fundraisers to support non-profit causes, including health, clean water, education, hunger, and social entrepreneurship. The company acts as a local community networking for restaurants to build relationships with community groups through fundraisers. Its community enables to list restaurants; start a campaign by posting dates, times, and the donation offered for local groups to host events; and groups request fundraisers through its online system. The company was founded in 2011 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Crowdz

Angel Round in 2015
Crowdz provides invoice-financing opportunities to companies in global supply chains—a $9 trillion market that SMEs traditionally have been excluded from. The need for such financing is greater than ever before. Some 93% of all supply-chain participants are SMEs, and half of these suffer cashflow shortages as they wait for 90 to 120 days or more to be paid. Crowdz’s global invoice auction solves this problem by directing competitive, low-cost financing to SMEs while offering high returns to funders seeking better investments.

Swarm

Seed Round in 2014
Swarm is a crowdfunding protocol built on bitcoin technology, enabling the backer of the project to experience the upside of the project. It is a collaboratively owned membership network dedicated to facilitating abundance. Swarm was launched in 2014 by [Jef Cavens](https://www.crunchbase.com/person/jef-cavens), and [Joel Dietz](https://www.crunchbase.com/person/joel-dietz). It is based in Palo Alto, C.A

Affectly

Pre Seed Round in 2014
Affectly develops an automated donor engagement platform for data-driven online fundraising. It allows users to maximize their fundraising campaigns; identify their engaged followers and connect their influence to drive awareness and new supporters to their organizations; target new donors; and track and calculate the impact of a supporter to their cause by combining giving history, influence, network, propensity to share, and more. The company is based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Crowdestates

Seed Round in 2014
Crowdestates focuses on assisting property developers and owners to connect with investors and obtain funding for their projects. Crowdestates offers an online platform that enables investors to find and invest in property deals. Crowdestates obtains an exit fee from the investors and a platform fee from the burrowers. Crowdestates was founded by Benedict Arora and Gus Zogolovitch in 2014. It is based in London.

Codestarter

Seed Round in 2014
Codestarter is a San Francisco-based organization that focuses on providing crowdfunded laptops to children, particularly from low-income backgrounds, to facilitate learning in coding and programming. By utilizing a crowdfunding platform, Codestarter collects donations to distribute laptops equipped with Linux and various programming languages. This initiative aims to enhance accessibility to coding education, empowering children with essential skills for their future. Through its efforts, Codestarter seeks to bridge the technology gap and promote equal opportunities in digital literacy for young learners.

WorkMob

Seed Round in 2014
WorkMob structures freelance projects for a successful outcome.

The Backscratchers

Pre Seed Round in 2014
The Backscratchers enables companies, freelancers and entrepreneurs within the creative industries to connect, share their resources and make their projects happen. Just as Kickstarter is transforming funding for the creative sector, they are addressing the other side of the creative equation: people and resources. The creative industries, which ranges from Games and Music through to Advertising, Design and the Performing Arts, commonly faces two problems: a lack of access to the resources people need to start their projects or businesses, and fragmented networks, isolated by discipline or location. For example, a web designer might not know the web developers they need and having a network in Los Angeles is not necessarily what you need when you are putting on a conference in London. With The Backscratchers, users can find and connect with creative professionals across disciplines and locations, working via resource exchange or payment and building their reputation within the sector. The platform bridges the gap that currently exists between professional networks and creative portfolio websites. The Backscratchers is currently in private beta, working with a core group of influencers from brands such as Secret Cinema, Rough Trade Records, Warner Brothers Television and Wired Magazine, as well as top universities like Royal College of Art, Central St. Martins, Ravensbourne and more.

GiveForward

Series A in 2013
GiveForward Inc. owns and operates a Website that provides personalized fundraising Webpages to raise money for loved ones during times of need. It offers GiveForward, a fundraising support system that provides online fundraising pages, allowing friends and family to raise money directly for a loved one when they need it the most. The company helps people raise funds online for various things, such as general medical expenses, chemotherapy, transplants, funeral expenses, and disaster-relief. It provides its online fundraising tools to individuals and non-profit organizations. The company was founded in 2008 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. As of March 29, 2017, GiveForward Inc. operates as a subsidiary of YouCaring Dot Com, LLC.

Crowdly

Seed Round in 2013
Crowdly is an advocate marketing platform empowering large consumer brands to build a base of authentic advocates, activate them, and learn from their behavior to increase word-of-mouth promotion and brand advocacy. It specializes in the fields of finance, social media, advertising, and social media marketing. The company was founded in 2011 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Chroma Inc.

Seed Round in 2013
Chroma Inc. develops Chroma.fund, a crowdfunding platform which issues digital certificates for stocks on the blockchain network. The company's platform provides a marketplace for local investments and helps businesses, loan funds, charitable foundations, and investors. Chroma Inc. was founded in 2013 and is based in Portland, Oregon.

Smallknot

Seed Round in 2012
Smallknot Inc. operates an online funding platform for businesses in New York. The company allows customers to find local small business campaigns in neighborhood looking to expand, grow, or open up shop; and invest cash in them in exchange for goods, services, discounts, special perks, and benefits. The company was founded in 2012 and is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Crowdly

Pre Seed Round in 2012
Crowdly is an advocate marketing platform empowering large consumer brands to build a base of authentic advocates, activate them, and learn from their behavior to increase word-of-mouth promotion and brand advocacy. It specializes in the fields of finance, social media, advertising, and social media marketing. The company was founded in 2011 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

GiveForward

Venture Round in 2011
GiveForward Inc. owns and operates a Website that provides personalized fundraising Webpages to raise money for loved ones during times of need. It offers GiveForward, a fundraising support system that provides online fundraising pages, allowing friends and family to raise money directly for a loved one when they need it the most. The company helps people raise funds online for various things, such as general medical expenses, chemotherapy, transplants, funeral expenses, and disaster-relief. It provides its online fundraising tools to individuals and non-profit organizations. The company was founded in 2008 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. As of March 29, 2017, GiveForward Inc. operates as a subsidiary of YouCaring Dot Com, LLC.

GiveForward

Seed Round in 2010
GiveForward Inc. owns and operates a Website that provides personalized fundraising Webpages to raise money for loved ones during times of need. It offers GiveForward, a fundraising support system that provides online fundraising pages, allowing friends and family to raise money directly for a loved one when they need it the most. The company helps people raise funds online for various things, such as general medical expenses, chemotherapy, transplants, funeral expenses, and disaster-relief. It provides its online fundraising tools to individuals and non-profit organizations. The company was founded in 2008 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. As of March 29, 2017, GiveForward Inc. operates as a subsidiary of YouCaring Dot Com, LLC.

Crowdly

Seed Round in 2010
Crowdly is an advocate marketing platform empowering large consumer brands to build a base of authentic advocates, activate them, and learn from their behavior to increase word-of-mouth promotion and brand advocacy. It specializes in the fields of finance, social media, advertising, and social media marketing. The company was founded in 2011 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.