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

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 E-Learning

Connected

Seed Round in 2021

StudyFree Inc. operates an online education platform. The company was incorporated in 2020 and is based in Delaware City, Delaware.

DevNation

Non Equity Assistance in 2021

DevNation trains under-skilled and under-educated Pakistanis with digital tech skills and connects them with full-time opportunities!

Eskuad

Pre Seed Round in 2021

Traditional industries have some of their processes operating in places where the internet service is unreliable, implying that it's not easy for managers and workforce to get data, so managers can make the best decisions, save time & money, and improve their KPI. Eskuad helps you to keep control of your process, even when your team operates where the internet service is unreliable, with a fast and customizable UI, specially designed for the distributed workforce, automated reports and system integrations.

PlaBook

Non Equity Assistance in 2021

PlaBook is created to meet the needs of the next generation for reading, learning, and entertainment.

Record

Pre Seed Round in 2021

Tuto is a developer of a social learning platform used to teach customers how to use products accurately. It is a tool that enables companies to create step-by-step interactive tutorials to help teach their customers and enable them to understand their users and thereby have increased engagement.

UNPACKING

Pre Seed Round in 2021

Learning management platform for social change.

Lingco LLC

Pre Seed Round in 2020

Lingco LLC is a language-learning platform founded in 2018 and headquartered in East Lansing, Michigan. The company develops tools for instructors to enhance the language learning experience through its adaptive technology. Its platform, Lingco Classroom, utilizes artificial intelligence to assess students’ existing language proficiency quickly, allowing for personalized learning experiences. By analyzing initial assessments, the platform identifies students' strengths and weaknesses in vocabulary and grammar, enabling instructors to tailor their teaching strategies accordingly. Additionally, it provides real-time insights into student performance and utilizes machine learning to recommend specific activities and content for instructors to assign, ultimately helping students achieve fluency.

Connected

Pre Seed Round in 2020

StudyFree Inc. operates an online education platform. The company was incorporated in 2020 and is based in Delaware City, Delaware.

EdSights

Seed Round in 2020

EdSights uses chatbots and Ai to help universities engage and retain their students.

Beagle Learning

Pre Seed Round in 2020

Beagle Learning LLC operates an online platform designed to enhance critical thinking skills among students and teams. Founded in 2018 and based in Paradise Valley, Arizona, the company offers a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution that helps instructors and teams effectively gather input and make informed decisions. The platform automatically summarizes and analyzes student questions, providing real-time reports that highlight both popular and unique inquiries. This system not only reduces the time spent on discussion boards but also fosters connections between students' learnings, promoting higher-order thinking and synthesis skills. Beagle Learning collaborates with higher education institutions, businesses, and government entities, including the US Department of Defense, to improve trainee retention, facilitate team buy-in, minimize conflicts, and expedite critical decision-making processes.

Beanstalk

Pre Seed Round in 2020

Beanstalk is offering live interactive kids classes from home, designed for each specific age group.The company's platform offers on-demand interactive kids classes by experienced teachers, enabling children to take learning classes anytime from anywhere.

EX-IQ

Pre Seed Round in 2019

EX-IQ, Inc. is a technology company based in Dallas, Texas, founded in 2017. It specializes in developing application software and a web-based platform that transforms documents into interactive audio files, which can be accessed through voice commands or touch. This innovative approach allows users to engage with written content through highlighting and voice notes, enhancing their learning experiences. The company’s mobile and desktop applications leverage artificial intelligence to create personalized learning environments, catering to a diverse user base that includes students, professionals, and lifelong learners. By prioritizing efficiency and productivity, EX-IQ seeks to transform how individuals interact with information and maximize their learning potential.

EdSights

Pre Seed Round in 2019

EdSights uses chatbots and Ai to help universities engage and retain their students.

Nifty Learning

Pre Seed Round in 2019

Nifty Learning supports companies to use their learning budget efficiently by resolving the pains of the administrative flow. We provide a training administration platform for companies from consolidated industries such as manufacturing, energy, financial services and healthcare.

Skillpop

Seed Round in 2018

Skillpop believes that the best learning happens in-person, and they strive to create environments where trying a new skill is social, accessible, and engaging. You shouldn’t have to spend huge amounts of time or money just to try something new or build your skills, so they make it simpler. Whether you’re learning about watercolors, marketing or anything else, SkillPop classes are designed to stretch you beyond the ordinary. Their teachers are established local experts looking to share their skills, and each class is bite-sized and focused so that you leave with the tools and knowledge to start pursuing your passion.

Subhe

Seed Round in 2018

Subhe is an on-demand skill development platform offering a library of video training courses and tutorials taught in Indian Local Languages. They are on a mission to help Indian youth compete in English dominated Learning space. They help undergraduate students learn in-demand skills in technical and business subjects. The courses are taught by industry experts. These courses are being offered in the form of nominal monthly and annual subscriptions giving you unlimited access to all courses.

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

Preply

Seed Round in 2016

Preply Inc. operates an online tutoring marketplace that connects students with independent tutors for personalized learning experiences. Founded in 2012 and based in Brookline, Massachusetts, the platform allows users to search for tutors across various subjects and filter options based on price, duration, and tutor credentials. Tutors can create specific tutoring packages that include learning materials to enhance the educational experience. The marketplace supports preparation for standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, GMAT, GRE, and IELTS, among others, facilitating sessions via video conferencing tools like Skype. Preply serves a diverse user base by offering access to professional private tutors from over 185 countries, thereby promoting effective learning and helping students achieve their academic goals.

Sage Hero

Seed Round in 2015

Sage Hero is machine learning IT Training platform with Real-Time guidance from our next generation Virtual Trainer.

Preply

Seed Round in 2015

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.

SmartOn Learning

Seed Round in 2014

SmartOn Learning Solutions Inc., a global online education company, teaches skills to working adults and college graduates. It offers online certificate programs in the areas of e-commerce, interior design, social media marketing, and data analytics. The company is based in New York, New York.

reKode Education

Seed Round in 2014

reKode Education Inc. specializes in teaching computer coding skills to children and young adults, starting from the age of six. Founded in 2013 and based in Redmond, Washington, the company employs a research-backed methodology that integrates insights from psychology, education, and technology. Its courses are offered on-site, aiming to equip the next generation of innovators with the skills necessary to impact the world beyond just technology. Through its structured approach, reKode Education focuses on fostering creativity and problem-solving abilities among young learners.

Edvisor.io

Convertible Note in 2014

Edvisor.io increases access to global educational opportunities by seamlessly connecting schools and educational travel agencies via integrated web tools.

Edvisor.io

Seed Round in 2014

Edvisor.io increases access to global educational opportunities by seamlessly connecting schools and educational travel agencies via integrated web tools.

RobotLAB

Seed Round in 2014

RobotLAB Inc. develops an online learning platform that enables students and teachers to access the browser-based learning ecosystem from various devices. Its interface allows teachers to bring their lessons to life with virtual or physical robots. Its products is used by various sectors, such as coding, engineering, virtual reality, makerspace, technology elementary, middle school, high school, and college. The company was incorporated in 2011 and is based in San Francisco, California.

Skilljar

Seed Round in 2013

Skilljar Inc. develops and operates an online training platform that enables organizations to create, customize, and deliver online courses. It offers technology, sales, professional development, finance, and fitness training services. The company also provides enterprise and partner services, such as custom branding, course management, turnkey solution, and mobile responsive. Skilljar Inc. was formerly known as Everpath Inc. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Skilljar

Pre Seed Round in 2013

Highlighter

Seed Round in 2011

Highlighter aims to dramatically reduce the cost of textbooks while dramatically increasing student engagement on any online content. Highlighter's HTML5 reader allows professors/teachers to publish PDF and ePUB documents for free, accessible on any device, with unprecedented engagement by highlighting, annotating, commenting, sharing and saving over snippets of text.

Lore

Seed Round in 2011

Lore (formerly Coursekit) is reshaping education for the Internet age. Lore is a community of curious people, spanning every discipline, campus, country, and age. It’s a platform for learning: a new venue for education that allows you to explore.

Lore

Series A in 2011

Memrise

Seed Round in 2011

Memrise Inc. is an online learning platform that specializes in language acquisition and offers a variety of courses spanning subjects such as arts, literature, mathematics, science, natural history, geography, and trivia. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in London, the company serves a global user base, particularly in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Memrise features over 150 language courses across 25 languages, boasting more than 40 million registered users. The platform is accessible via iOS, Android, and web, providing all courses for free without advertisements. Additional features and learning modes are available through a subscription service called Memrise Pro. Since late 2016, the company has maintained profitability, reinforcing its position in the online education sector.