Investor directory

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 RoundSeed RoundArtificial IntelligenceMachine LearningSeries AShow more
http://techstars.com/ventures
https://crunchbase.com/organization/techstars
https://facebook.com/techstars
https://linkedin.com/company/techstars
https://twitter.com/techstars
https://www.capitaliq.com/CIQDotNet/company.aspx?companyId=431767203
https://www.privateequityinternational.com/database/#/profile?id=14977

Ethan Austin

MD of the Techstars Western Union Accelerator

Mark Tortorella

Advisor

Nathanial Zola

MD

Past deals in Crypto

QuSecure

Funding Round in 2021
QuSecure, Inc. specializes in cybersecurity solutions tailored for enterprises and government entities, focusing on the emerging challenges posed by quantum computing. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company develops advanced security products, including automated cryptographic testing, to ensure robust protection in the quantum era. QuSecure's offerings are supported by a team of experts with extensive backgrounds in cybersecurity, quantum computing, machine learning, and blockchain technologies. In addition to product development, QuSecure provides consulting services that encompass governance and compliance, security strategy, and computing education, positioning itself as a key player in the evolving landscape of secure communication and technology.

Kriptos

Seed Round in 2021
Kriptos helps businesses locate their most critical information and prevent data leakage through software that analyzes, classifies, and labels documents automatically. Our technology includes three algorithms of AI to locate: -Confidential, Restricted, Internal Use, and Public documents. -Documents with Personal Data (GDPR, CCPA). -Documents with Credit/Debit Card number (PCI DSS).

Quidax

Seed Round in 2020
At the core Quidax is about challenging the status quo to push humanity forward. Quidax is doing this by building solutions that knock down financial barriers to exchange of value and trade. The first product is the online digital exchange that allows users easily buy and sell cryptocurrencies with their local currencies in less than 5 minutes.

Dial Crypto

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Dial Crypto is a USSD-enabled cryptocurrency wallet that works on both smartphones and feature phones. Dial Crypto aims to make Bitcoin simple, useful, and accessible. The company was founded in 2019.

Kriptos

Seed Round in 2019
Kriptos helps businesses locate their most critical information and prevent data leakage through software that analyzes, classifies, and labels documents automatically. Our technology includes three algorithms of AI to locate: -Confidential, Restricted, Internal Use, and Public documents. -Documents with Personal Data (GDPR, CCPA). -Documents with Credit/Debit Card number (PCI DSS).

Seel

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Kover, formerly known as Omnipool, is an online insurance platform founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company specializes in providing customized insurance solutions tailored for freelancers and individuals engaged in everyday activities. Kover offers a range of products, including iPhone protection insurance and income loss protection for Uber and Lyft drivers, all accessible through its blockchain-based platform. By focusing on common, everyday risks rather than infrequent catastrophes, Kover aims to create a new category of insurance that delivers peace of mind to its users.

Seel

Convertible Note in 2019
Kover, formerly known as Omnipool, is an online insurance platform founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company specializes in providing customized insurance solutions tailored for freelancers and individuals engaged in everyday activities. Kover offers a range of products, including iPhone protection insurance and income loss protection for Uber and Lyft drivers, all accessible through its blockchain-based platform. By focusing on common, everyday risks rather than infrequent catastrophes, Kover aims to create a new category of insurance that delivers peace of mind to its users.

LunarCrush

Pre Seed Round in 2019
LunarCrush Inc. is a company that develops a platform utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze cryptocurrency data and deliver market insights. Founded in 2018 and based in Costa Mesa, California, LunarCrush offers tools aimed at enhancing cryptocurrency research for investors, exchanges, and funds. The platform features real-time updates through LunarSTREAM, a web socket API, as well as a REST API that provides comprehensive data and insights. Additionally, it includes TradingView charts for standard charting solutions. LunarCrush emphasizes the integration of social data to create dashboards that facilitate informed trading decisions, allowing users to effectively buy, sell, or hold cryptocurrencies based on enhanced visibility and context.

Balance

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Security matters when it comes to managing your digital assets. Balance recognizes this growing concern and has responded by creating an institutional grade custody solution. Assets are kept secure in geographically distributed offline vaults, that are access controlled, monitored, and guarded 24/7. Management is made easy through their flagship technology - the Digital Assets Cache™ - which replaces traditional digital wallets. Their internal controls and policies mitigate against external threats, human error, and misuse through insider access, and have been designed with disaster recovery and succession planning in mind. Founded in 2017, Balance is based in Toronto, Canada.

hiveonline

Pre Seed Round in 2019
hiveonline ApS develops a financial administration solution for small businesses, customers, and investors. It develops a financial trust platform using blockchain technology, which creates security and trust allowing businesses to focus on fact-based ratings tailored to different audiences using the mobile app. The company was founded in 2016 and is based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

AlgoPay

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Algopay, Inc. develops a P2P transfer network for the unbanked. It offers digital wallet that enables the unbanked in the Middle East to safely store their money online and access it in any country. The company’s application operates like both an e-wallet and an ATM and the payments can be withdrawn at any Algo vendor location. The company was incorporated in 2018 and is based in Los Angeles, California.

Veracity Protocol

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Veracity Protocol s.r.o. specializes in developing software solutions for the non-invasive protection of physical items, aiming to combat counterfeiting, fraud, and manipulation. Its primary product, Veracity Protocol AI, provides unique identification codes for individual and batches of items, ensuring their authenticity and condition. The software facilitates authenticity assurance, automated quality assurance, tamper detection, and the creation of immutable digital twins. Veracity Protocol's services cater to various industries, including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, fashion, security papers, and hardware. Founded in 2018 and based in New York, the company employs advanced technology to capture and store material characteristics of physical items in a secure digital ledger, enabling clients to conduct automated visual inspections and ensure quality control.

Gilded

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Gilded Inc is a New Orleans-based company founded in 2018 that specializes in digital asset accounting and payment solutions for businesses. It offers a platform that simplifies the accounting process for companies utilizing cryptocurrency, enabling them to efficiently manage transactions. Gilded aggregates crypto transactions from various sources, such as wallets, exchanges, and payment processors, and seamlessly integrates this data into traditional accounting systems like QuickBooks, Xero, Netsuite, and Intacct. Additionally, Gilded provides invoicing and accounting software tailored for businesses and accounting firms, thereby supporting the growing number of enterprises engaged with digital assets.

Fiat Labs

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Fiat Labs is currently operating in stealth mode.

Kriptos

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Kriptos helps businesses locate their most critical information and prevent data leakage through software that analyzes, classifies, and labels documents automatically. Our technology includes three algorithms of AI to locate: -Confidential, Restricted, Internal Use, and Public documents. -Documents with Personal Data (GDPR, CCPA). -Documents with Credit/Debit Card number (PCI DSS).

Groundhog

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Groundhog is the suite of tools to power the crypto subscription economy.

Turing Advisory Group

Seed Round in 2017
Turing Group is a token sale advisory firm facilitating capital raising in fair and efficient markets. Turing is a venture-backed firm in the blockchain space. They are based in New York but work together with individuals from across the world. Their focus is building and deploying blockchain-based applications with an emphasis on protocol design. They have been involved in blockchain technology for several years and have led research and development at some of the best institutions in the space (CoinDesk, Smith & Crown, Ethereum). They are currently pioneering a new protocol and hiring a product manager. You’ll be learning from some of the top minds in the industry if selected for the role. Their goal is to make blockchain technology accessible and relevant to the everyday consumer.

Vaultoro

Seed Round in 2017
Vaultoro is a financial technology company based in London that specializes in the trading of physical gold and digital assets, including bitcoin and Ethereum. Founded in 2014 by Joshua and Philip Scigala, the platform enables users to buy and sell allocated gold securely and efficiently, making the gold market accessible to a broader audience. By leveraging blockchain technology, Vaultoro offers a modern solution for storing and investing wealth, allowing users to manage their assets with low transaction costs and rapid transfers. The company's innovative approach reflects a shift in the financial landscape, driven by the increasing adoption of cryptocurrencies and new banking solutions.

IronCore Labs

Seed Round in 2017
IronCore Labs, Inc. designs and develops encryption software. The software offers integration, control, privacy, and compliance. The company was incorporated in 2015 and is based in Boulder, Colorado.

AtCipher

Pre Seed Round in 2015
AtCipher helps company to protect data in the cloud using patent-pending key management technology that is zero knowledge, infinitely scalable, and keyless.

Glidera

Seed Round in 2015
Glidera makes digital currency wallets better by providing applications the ability to offer bitcoin buy and sell services. Dozens of great wallets and applications now exist with millions of users, yet nearly all do not offer an easy way to obtain bitcoin. Using Glidera’s flexible API, developers can integrate this functionality while Glidera handles the compliance, banking, liquidity, and fraud challenges. Different than all other conversion services, Glidera never holds customer funds and is specifically built to work with user-controlled wallets.

Post-Quantum

Seed Round in 2015
Post-Quantum was founded to counter the emergent threat of quantum cryptanalysis. The company has since branched out into Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) and blockchain-enabled enterprise SaaS.

Swarm Fund

Pre Seed Round in 2014
Swarm Fund operates a decentralized crowdfunding platform that enables entrepreneurs to raise capital through cryptocurrency. Founded in 2014 and based in Palo Alto, California, the company focuses on democratizing access to private equity and alternative investment opportunities. By utilizing blockchain technology, Swarm Fund allows smaller investors to participate in high-return investment classes that were traditionally reserved for larger institutional investors. The platform achieves this by pooling smaller investments into larger blocks, making it possible to invest in asset-backed funds via cryptocurrency tokens. Swarm's innovative approach includes the tokenization of real-world assets through the SRC20 protocol, which facilitates the management, governance, and trading of these investments. Overall, Swarm Fund aims to create a more inclusive financial landscape for investors of all sizes.

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

Swarm Fund

Seed Round in 2014
Swarm Fund operates a decentralized crowdfunding platform that enables entrepreneurs to raise capital through cryptocurrency. Founded in 2014 and based in Palo Alto, California, the company focuses on democratizing access to private equity and alternative investment opportunities. By utilizing blockchain technology, Swarm Fund allows smaller investors to participate in high-return investment classes that were traditionally reserved for larger institutional investors. The platform achieves this by pooling smaller investments into larger blocks, making it possible to invest in asset-backed funds via cryptocurrency tokens. Swarm's innovative approach includes the tokenization of real-world assets through the SRC20 protocol, which facilitates the management, governance, and trading of these investments. Overall, Swarm Fund aims to create a more inclusive financial landscape for investors of all sizes.