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 Developer Platform

8base

Series A in 2022
8base, Inc. is a cloud-based platform that enables developers to build and run enterprise-class web and mobile applications using GraphQL. Founded in 2017 and based in Coral Gables, Florida, the company offers a suite of tools, including an app builder, serverless backend, and a data management system. Its platform allows front-end developers to create applications in their preferred frameworks while leveraging a robust back-end-as-a-service hosted on AWS. By utilizing no-code technology and a serverless architecture, 8base aims to streamline software development and accelerate the deployment of new applications, ultimately enhancing business impact. The use of blockchain technology further supports the creation of a network effect among developers, fostering collaboration and innovation in software development.

Codiga

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Code Inspector is a platform that helps software developers and managers produce better code. The platform analyzes code, highlights issues and helps software developers to reduce technical debt. It also automates code reviews and automatically fixes bugs.

Edify

Funding Round in 2021
Edify is the frictionless way to onboard software engineers. Keep the tools you already use and let us do the rest!

Codiga

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Code Inspector is a platform that helps software developers and managers produce better code. The platform analyzes code, highlights issues and helps software developers to reduce technical debt. It also automates code reviews and automatically fixes bugs.

Edify

Venture Round in 2020
Edify is the frictionless way to onboard software engineers. Keep the tools you already use and let us do the rest!

Urban SDK

Seed Round in 2020
Urban SDK, Inc. specializes in developing software that enhances mobility systems for smart cities. Founded in 2018 and based in Atlantic Beach, Florida, the company offers a software as a service platform that integrates real-time location analytics with predictive capabilities. This platform assists public agencies and policymakers in making informed decisions by providing tools for data visualization, performance tracking, and analysis of mobility patterns. Urban SDK's technology helps reduce traffic congestion, improve accessibility, and predict safety incidents using machine learning. The platform also features a data marketplace that automates performance dashboards, enabling transportation authorities to visualize and interpret significant data on traffic, parking, and pedestrian movement, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and safety outcomes.

Civic Champs

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Civic Champs, Inc. is a software developer that provides an application designed to assist nonprofit organizations in managing volunteer activities and tracking essential data for grant applications. The app utilizes geofencing technology to monitor volunteer check-ins and check-outs, streamlining the process of hour tracking and engagement. In addition to time management, the platform facilitates small donations, event scheduling, and mentorship tracking, while offering real-time data access and feedback mechanisms. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, with an additional office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Civic Champs aims to reduce the administrative burden on nonprofits by automating volunteer management tasks. The application is available for download on both the App Store and Google Play.

Urban SDK

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Urban SDK, Inc. specializes in developing software that enhances mobility systems for smart cities. Founded in 2018 and based in Atlantic Beach, Florida, the company offers a software as a service platform that integrates real-time location analytics with predictive capabilities. This platform assists public agencies and policymakers in making informed decisions by providing tools for data visualization, performance tracking, and analysis of mobility patterns. Urban SDK's technology helps reduce traffic congestion, improve accessibility, and predict safety incidents using machine learning. The platform also features a data marketplace that automates performance dashboards, enabling transportation authorities to visualize and interpret significant data on traffic, parking, and pedestrian movement, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and safety outcomes.

8base

Pre Seed Round in 2019
8base, Inc. is a cloud-based platform that enables developers to build and run enterprise-class web and mobile applications using GraphQL. Founded in 2017 and based in Coral Gables, Florida, the company offers a suite of tools, including an app builder, serverless backend, and a data management system. Its platform allows front-end developers to create applications in their preferred frameworks while leveraging a robust back-end-as-a-service hosted on AWS. By utilizing no-code technology and a serverless architecture, 8base aims to streamline software development and accelerate the deployment of new applications, ultimately enhancing business impact. The use of blockchain technology further supports the creation of a network effect among developers, fostering collaboration and innovation in software development.

Diana AI

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Developer of an AI-based platform designed to provide voice-enabled access to enterprise data. The company's conversational business intelligence and analytics tool allow interacting with the data using natural language via voice or text, helping non-technical users to get insights from the data without the use of coding or SQL.

Embrace

Seed Round in 2019
Embrace is the only performance monitoring and debugging platform built for mobile apps. Whether an unsolved crash, a bug in the checkout flow, an error log without resolution, or a startup that takes too long, developers need to find every issue and not take days. With Embrace, mobile teams instantly look up any user, see every user’s sessions on command, and understand what happened seconds and minutes before any error of any type.

Trixta

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Trixta provides a visual low-code platform for business thinkers & skilled developers to co-create software. Working from a shared understanding, they can jointly iterate the system

Dcoder

Pre Seed Round in 2019
At Dcoder(Techstars'19) we are making coding more accessible to the next generation of coders by building developer tools(IDEs) for mobile and tablets. So now you can code from the device in your pocket in 35+ programming languages.

Pandium

Seed Round in 2018
Pandium is a modern integration platform that allows SaaS providers to easily develop, deploy and support a growing integration offering. Pandium's lean, developer-friendly hosted platform enables engineers to program in any common language and eliminates the need to worry about nuances in authentication protocols or managing infrastructure, reducing development time by up to 80%. With turnkey features such as white-labeled embeddable UI components, Pandium allows software companies to provide integrations to their customers at record speed and with limitless scale.

Pandium

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Pandium is a modern integration platform that allows SaaS providers to easily develop, deploy and support a growing integration offering. Pandium's lean, developer-friendly hosted platform enables engineers to program in any common language and eliminates the need to worry about nuances in authentication protocols or managing infrastructure, reducing development time by up to 80%. With turnkey features such as white-labeled embeddable UI components, Pandium allows software companies to provide integrations to their customers at record speed and with limitless scale.

InFront Compliance, Inc.

Pre Seed Round in 2018
SaaS platform that helps companies close vendor deals faster without sacrificing compliance.

Educative

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Educative, Inc. is an online platform that offers self-directed, interactive, and adaptive technical skills training primarily for software developers and computer science students. Founded in 2015 and based in Bothell, Washington, the platform enables users to create, publish, and sell their own interactive courses. Educative's courses are designed to be personalized and adapt to the learner's skill level, featuring pre-configured environments in the cloud that respond to the challenges being addressed. This approach allows for a tailored learning experience that enhances the technical capabilities of its users.

Educative

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Educative, Inc. is an online platform that offers self-directed, interactive, and adaptive technical skills training primarily for software developers and computer science students. Founded in 2015 and based in Bothell, Washington, the platform enables users to create, publish, and sell their own interactive courses. Educative's courses are designed to be personalized and adapt to the learner's skill level, featuring pre-configured environments in the cloud that respond to the challenges being addressed. This approach allows for a tailored learning experience that enhances the technical capabilities of its users.

LaunchBoard

Seed Round in 2018
Launchboard IO designs and develops project management platform for validating new business ideas and governing innovation portfolio with real time data and insights. The company’s products include portfolio management platform which offers accounting dashboard, real time project insights, and cross pollination between projects and project management portfolio for lean project management and experimentation. The company was founded in 2016 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

TypeLead

Seed Round in 2017
TypeLead, Inc. develops Eta, a programming language for enterprise applications. The company provides Eta production suite, which includes Eta, an industry grade java virtual machine (JVM) programming language; productive tools including an integrated development environment (IDE), visual profiling, and debugging tools; an enterprise suite of libraries to handle web, big data, cloud computing, Internet of things (IoT), and artificial intelligence; integrations with java enterprise frameworks; and integrations with hadoop ecosystem. It also provides online Eta training. The company was founded in 2016 and is based in Bengaluru, India.

Embrace

Seed Round in 2017
Embrace is the only performance monitoring and debugging platform built for mobile apps. Whether an unsolved crash, a bug in the checkout flow, an error log without resolution, or a startup that takes too long, developers need to find every issue and not take days. With Embrace, mobile teams instantly look up any user, see every user’s sessions on command, and understand what happened seconds and minutes before any error of any type.

Superpowered Inc.

Seed Round in 2017
Superpowered Inc. develops an interactive audio development platform for desktop, mobile, IoT and embedded devices for Android, IoS, Macos, Tvos, Linuxm and Windows. The company’s platform offers modular components to develop across multiple operating systems. It offers features, such as advanced audio player, decoders, FX, audio I/O, streaming and encryption, music analysis, and spatialization and 3D audio. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. As of May 13, 2020, Superpowered Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Distributed Creation Inc.

Rodin

Convertible Note in 2017
Rodin offers an online environment where users can develop in JavaScript and use their extensive library to deploy apps instantly. The company supports publishing to all the major VR platforms, with which users can create native VR applications for GearVR, Oculus, Vive, Daydream, Cardboard, iOS, Android, and They bVR all from the same code.

Superpowered Inc.

Seed Round in 2017
Superpowered Inc. develops an interactive audio development platform for desktop, mobile, IoT and embedded devices for Android, IoS, Macos, Tvos, Linuxm and Windows. The company’s platform offers modular components to develop across multiple operating systems. It offers features, such as advanced audio player, decoders, FX, audio I/O, streaming and encryption, music analysis, and spatialization and 3D audio. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. As of May 13, 2020, Superpowered Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Distributed Creation Inc.

Brightwork

Seed Round in 2016
BrightWork is a backend as a service that enables Developers to build fast robust applications using the skills they already have. BrightWork is a microservices platform that gives Developers all of the tools needed to get a complex and robust application working in minutes. The platform comes pre-configured with everything they need like object storage, user authentication, a database, and email out of the box. This speeds up the build time and enables them to focus on their frontend. They also facilitate the switching of APIs within the dashboard so Developers don't have to recode or redeploy their application. This is helpful for failover and redundancy.

Embrace

Pre Seed Round in 2016
Embrace is the only performance monitoring and debugging platform built for mobile apps. Whether an unsolved crash, a bug in the checkout flow, an error log without resolution, or a startup that takes too long, developers need to find every issue and not take days. With Embrace, mobile teams instantly look up any user, see every user’s sessions on command, and understand what happened seconds and minutes before any error of any type.

MechDome

Pre Seed Round in 2016
Develop a single Android app using the tools and APIs you already know. MechDome automatically converts the Android app into iOS and OS X apps without engineering work. No need for proprietary IDEs or to learn private APIs. Your iOS and OS X apps are ready the moment your Android app is done. It's not emulation or virtualization. Your app runs natively and behaves the way users expect. Write Activities, Views, Services, Content Providers. Display Toasts, access the network. Incredibly fast, fluid experience. Apps can run at full 60 fps. Android apps benefit from the iOS/OSX provided system security. Like other iOS apps they are automatically configured into a sandbox at install time. OS X sandbox is also configurable. Android apps are fully integrated into iOS and OSX. Android notifications show in the Notification Center, input fields bring up the iOS keyboard, URL Intents go to Safari, the contacts and calendar Content Providers access the iOS/OSX databases, etc.MechDome generates iOS IPAs and OSX app bundles you can distribute like other apps for those platforms. Support all iOS devices using Android techniques for multiple form factors.

Init.ai (acquired by Apple)

Seed Round in 2016
Init.ai enables companies to easily create AI and natural language conversational apps through our developer platform. We offer a comprehensive solution that handles messaging, machine learning, and business logic, including integration with third-party APIs.

Sunlight

Pre Seed Round in 2015
Sunlight Technologies Limited develops software as a service (SaaS) based platform to help businesses run individualized professional development programs. It offers an employee learning and development platform to let companies offer professional development. The platform lets businesses allocate each team member with a learning and development budget to spend on professional development each year and provides related functionality, such as the approval of requests from employees. Sunlight Technologies Limited was founded in 2016 and is based in London, United Kingdom.

Codeanywhere

Convertible Note in 2014
Codeanywhere is a collaboration platform for developers. It enables its users to share their files, folders, or entire development environments to collaborate with each other in real time. Codeanywhere was launched on May 22, 2013 in Palo Alto, California.

Codeanywhere

Seed Round in 2014
Codeanywhere is a collaboration platform for developers. It enables its users to share their files, folders, or entire development environments to collaborate with each other in real time. Codeanywhere was launched on May 22, 2013 in Palo Alto, California.

Headtalk

Seed Round in 2014
Headtalk‘s platform enables a new kind of nonverbal communication with wearable devices.

Stand In

Seed Round in 2014
Stand In redefines how apps are designed. With our software, designers can craft amazing user experiences for the wide range of devices that we interact with every day.

LearnPlatform

Seed Round in 2014
LearnPlatform, Inc. is an edtech management company that offers a platform for educators to manage and analyze the impact of their technology and teaching practices. Founded in 2014 and based in Raleigh, North Carolina, the company serves a diverse clientele, including schools, districts, higher education institutions, and educators. The platform provides tools for impact analysis, rapid edtech evaluation, and professional development, enabling over 150,000 educators to streamline their processes and improve learning outcomes. LearnPlatform also fosters a collaborative community for teachers, allowing them to share resources and insights about technology products and practices. By delivering comprehensive analytics and support, LearnPlatform aims to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of educational organizations.

Headtalk

Seed Round in 2014
Headtalk‘s platform enables a new kind of nonverbal communication with wearable devices.

PlayCanvas

Seed Round in 2013
PlayCanvas Ltd operates a cloud-hosted game development platform that emphasizes real-time collaboration among developers. Founded in 2011 and based in London, the company provides a suite of tools that enables users to build, share, and play video games. Its game engine is utilized across various sectors, including gaming, virtual reality, advertising, architectural visualization, and gambling. The platform features a visual editing tool that allows users to create scenes and applications efficiently, manage project assets, and enhance interactivity, all while facilitating team communication and collaboration. Since March 2018, PlayCanvas has functioned as a subsidiary of Snap Inc.

Codeship

Seed Round in 2013
Codeship Inc. is a provider of hosted continuous integration solutions that specialize in automating the build, testing, and deployment of Docker-based applications. Founded in 2011 and based in Boston, Massachusetts, with an additional office in Vienna, Austria, the company aims to streamline development cycles for software companies, thereby reducing the risk of bugs and fostering innovation. By managing the testing and release processes, Codeship allows developers to focus on creating better products more quickly. In January 2013, the company changed its name from Railsonfire Limited and, as of February 2018, operates as a subsidiary of CloudBees, Inc.

Ionic

Seed Round in 2013
Ionic is an open-source UI toolkit and developer platform that makes it easy to build, test, and deploy high-performance apps for any platform or device using a single codebase. With Ionic, users can target multiple platforms like iOS, Android, Desktop (w/ Electron), and the web as a Progressive Web App, all with one codebase and open web standards. Ionic was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin.

XtGem

Pre Seed Round in 2012
XtGem provides an all-in-one solution for anyone looking to build a mobile site - from personal blogs to businesses wanting to grow and represent their brand in the mobile market. In addition to intuitive WYSIWYG-based tools, customers gain access to powerful developer features, including full source code editing support, cloud hosting and custom domain support.

MobileDevHQ

Seed Round in 2012
MobileDevHQ is an enterprise organic app marketing platform that offers mobile marketers with app store optimization (ASO) solutions. The platform enables app marketers to analyze and optimize the app store presence of an app, track an app’s relevant search ranking queries in an app store, discover top chart rankings, analyze keywords, and receive daily email updates. It helps them increase organic downloads in iStore and Google Play. MobileDevHQ was launched in February 2012 and its operations are based in Washington, United States.

Creative Brain Studios

Seed Round in 2011
Based in Boulder, Colo., Creative Brain Studios is the game development engine that allows developers to create a game once and deploy it to more than a billion different smartphones, computers and other gaming devices. This easy-to-use yet highly customizable game engine offers true multi-platform support and is the only game engine on the market to provide a complete turn-key solution for game developers. Creative Brain Studios’ founders Brian Booker, Gerald Wallner and Joe Sengir have collectively more than 50 years of video game development experience with companies like LEGO, SEGA, Bally, Disney Interactive, Gazillion Entertainment and more. Creative Brain Studios is a Microsoft BizSpark One and Boulder 2011 TechStars company.

Blue Wave Media

Seed Round in 2010
Mobile Video Distribution Platform

Graphicly

Series A in 2010
The Graphicly platform offers automated self-publishing by converting, distributing and promoting image-based digital content across the most popular consumer mobile and eBook marketplaces including the Apple iOS Newsstand and iBookstore, Barnes & Noble NOOK Color, Amazon Kindle store, Facebook and many others, while streamlining the work flow, reducing production costs significantly and providing authors and publishers detailed real-time analytics. As the only platform that optimizes image-based content, Graphicly is uniquely poised to take advantage of the $23 billion publishing market, including the more than 300,000 self-published authors expected to produce a graphical work this year.

Graphicly

Seed Round in 2009
The Graphicly platform offers automated self-publishing by converting, distributing and promoting image-based digital content across the most popular consumer mobile and eBook marketplaces including the Apple iOS Newsstand and iBookstore, Barnes & Noble NOOK Color, Amazon Kindle store, Facebook and many others, while streamlining the work flow, reducing production costs significantly and providing authors and publishers detailed real-time analytics. As the only platform that optimizes image-based content, Graphicly is uniquely poised to take advantage of the $23 billion publishing market, including the more than 300,000 self-published authors expected to produce a graphical work this year.

MobileDevHQ

Seed Round in 2009
MobileDevHQ is an enterprise organic app marketing platform that offers mobile marketers with app store optimization (ASO) solutions. The platform enables app marketers to analyze and optimize the app store presence of an app, track an app’s relevant search ranking queries in an app store, discover top chart rankings, analyze keywords, and receive daily email updates. It helps them increase organic downloads in iStore and Google Play. MobileDevHQ was launched in February 2012 and its operations are based in Washington, United States.

Devver

Series A in 2008
Devver, Inc. provides Web-based tools to understand and improve codes for developers. The company’s tools enable the developers to analyze and recommend changes to codes, as well as to analyze the performance, complexity, and compatibility of their projects. It also offers cloud-based tools for Ruby hackers. The company was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Boulder, Colorado.

Devver

Seed Round in 2008
Devver, Inc. provides Web-based tools to understand and improve codes for developers. The company’s tools enable the developers to analyze and recommend changes to codes, as well as to analyze the performance, complexity, and compatibility of their projects. It also offers cloud-based tools for Ruby hackers. The company was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Boulder, Colorado.

Oblong

Series A in 2007
Oblong Industries is a design-driven software and hardware company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2006, Oblong focuses on advancing gesture-based and spatial computing technologies, which stem from research at the MIT Media Lab. The company’s flagship product, Mezzanine, is a room-scale visual collaboration system that facilitates dynamic multi-user interactions across multiple screens and devices, enabling participants to share data and collaborate effectively in real-time. Mezzanine is designed to enhance meetings and workflows by making information visible and accessible, transforming routine processes into engaging experiences. Oblong’s g-speak Spatial Operating Environment serves as the foundation for its application development, allowing organizations to create inherently collaborative solutions. The company has partnered with various Global Fortune 500 firms and government agencies, applying its technologies in sectors such as aerospace, logistics, energy management, and data visualization. Oblong's team includes experienced professionals from notable companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, underscoring its commitment to innovation in collaborative technologies.