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 Gaming

Inthegame

Series A in 2022
ITG is an AI-Powered video engagement and monetization platform for VOD & Live video content. Viewer interaction is dramatically enhanced with clickable, intuitive modules, creating a unique and exciting viewing experience.

Xpand.GG

Non Equity Assistance in 2022
Xpand.GG operates a social gaming platform that provides gamers with opportunities to earn money directly from their audiences through micro-transactions. By enabling players to monetize their skills, Xpand.GG fosters connections among gamers, helping them grow their follower base. The platform focuses on creating a community where gamers can engage and interact while generating income from their gaming activities.

WePlayed

Seed Round in 2021
WePlayed is an intelligent college sports video platform that enriches and activates post-game content to help schools drive sponsorships and amplify community engagement. WePlayed works with athletes, coaches, fans, teams, clubs, leagues, conferences, colleges, rights holders, brands, and other sports sponsors. The company is poised to transform the sports experience for millions of people worldwide by allowing them to discover, personalize and share their favorite moments from one of the richest video repositories across all sports. They consolidate, catalog, and activate previously unpublished and post-live broadcast sports video content that becomes idle after the competition ends. they extract viewable moments from games using machine learning-assisted crowdsourcing and advanced recognition technology. They continually enrich the content with sports contextual and player metadata to drive precision search, better recommendation engine performance, and increased viewing.

PlaBook

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
PlaBook is created to meet the needs of the next generation for reading, learning, and entertainment.

Glow Up Games

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Glow Up Games Inc operates as a games and creative technology company. The company creates original and Internet protocol based luxury games. The company was founded in 2019 and is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Foundry Six

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Foundry Six builds augmented reality multiplayer games that friends can play through group video chat.

Game Theory

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Game Theory is a sports and tech startup that facilitates video-gaming like sporting experiences. Game Theory manages sports facilities that provide coaching programs to athletes and also offers free rental of badminton and squash equipment, operates chlorine tested swimming pools, enabling users to play, learn, and get coached at affordable rates. Game Theory was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Bangalore, India.

GamY

Seed Round in 2019
GamY is a company focused on developing an artificial intelligence-driven battery management system aimed at enhancing the longevity of battery-operated devices. Utilizing a digital twin management platform, GamY monitors and optimizes battery performance across a variety of applications, including e-bikes, electric vehicles, home appliances, e-scooters, drones, electric boats, airplanes, and energy storage systems. By improving battery efficiency, GamY helps users maximize the lifespan and performance of their products.

LIV

Seed Round in 2019
LIV Inc, formerly known as LIV Net Inc, is a technology company based in Prague, Czech Republic, specializing in virtual reality software for gaming. Established in 2013, LIV focuses on enabling VR live streamers to engage with their audiences in real-time, transforming viewers from passive spectators into active participants. Since its inception, the company has redefined the landscape of live-streamed gaming content, allowing creators to enhance their interactive experiences. Since launching in 2018, LIV's innovative approach has garnered over 1.5 billion views, showcasing its significant impact on the virtual reality and gaming communities.

Midgame

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Midgame is a technology company building voice experiences and analytics for gamers and esports teams. Minfgame is a voice-enabled gaming assistant in early access for Stardew Valley

Uncanny

Pre Seed Round in 2019
They are creating the gym equipment for eSports athletes. There are 100s of millions of dollars of prize money and celebrity level careers at stake in the industry, and they are on a mission to provide to the average amateur or competitive eSports gamer the tools they need to complete at that level.

WePlayed

Pre Seed Round in 2019
WePlayed is an intelligent college sports video platform that enriches and activates post-game content to help schools drive sponsorships and amplify community engagement. WePlayed works with athletes, coaches, fans, teams, clubs, leagues, conferences, colleges, rights holders, brands, and other sports sponsors. The company is poised to transform the sports experience for millions of people worldwide by allowing them to discover, personalize and share their favorite moments from one of the richest video repositories across all sports. They consolidate, catalog, and activate previously unpublished and post-live broadcast sports video content that becomes idle after the competition ends. they extract viewable moments from games using machine learning-assisted crowdsourcing and advanced recognition technology. They continually enrich the content with sports contextual and player metadata to drive precision search, better recommendation engine performance, and increased viewing.

SpectatAR

Convertible Note in 2019
Live broadcasting for eSports in AR.

Gamefuly

Convertible Note in 2019
Gamefuly, Inc. is a company that focuses on video game skill development through a peer-to-peer marketplace. Founded in 2017 and based in Newark, New Jersey, Gamefuly connects gamers who wish to learn with those who want to teach and earn. The platform allows for the import, organization, and editing of video game content, providing users with a comprehensive social media content studio. This studio not only automates content sharing on social media but also offers features such as scheduling and analytics. By facilitating esports skill development, Gamefuly enables gamers to enhance their skills while streamlining their content and marketing efforts, allowing them to dedicate more time to gaming.

Immersive Systems

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Immersive Systems is a media company that specializes in providing integration of stats, highlights, and images for e-sports fans. It provides a media platform for fan engagement in the e-sports industry and community. Immersive Systems was founded in 2017 and headquartered in Pennsylvania, United States.

Rainway

Seed Round in 2018
Rainway, Inc. is a game streaming platform that enables users to play their favorite PC games on various devices, allowing for gaming on the go. Founded in 2017, the company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Rainway utilizes low latency, device-agnostic streaming technology to support popular games such as Fortnite, Overwatch, and Call of Duty on smartphones, tablets, and macOS. The platform aims to provide a versatile solution for gamers while also offering tools for independent developers and organizations to enhance real-time streaming capabilities. Through its innovative approach, Rainway is positioned to influence the future of gaming and remote collaboration.

Hipfire Games

Seed Round in 2018
Hipfire Games (TechStars '18) is focused to open a new market in multiplayer gaming in Virtual Reality by allowing VR gamers to play with mobile gamers. The team comes from Supercell and Rovio background. Developing large scale multiplayer games for VR has been so far impossible with the limitations in available users. With Hipfire's technology platform and games VR users can now play with anyone who owns a mobile phone, including all of their friends. This opens the platform to be more social than ever before and lets developers to create larger games than ever before in VR.

FIX Health

Seed Round in 2018
FIX Health develops high quality, interactive games that promote health and daily activity in a fun. FIX is dedicated to making fitness fun, accessible and hyper-socially connected through an interactive social media platform centered around making the pursuit of fitness an enjoyable and engaging game.

Robodub

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Robodub Inc. is a Seattle-based company founded in 2014 that specializes in the development of drones and robotics, with a focus on integrating gaming experiences into their technology. By combining robotics and gaming elements, Robodub aims to create innovative solutions that enhance user interaction and entertainment. The company seeks to bring advanced gaming experiences to consumers, leveraging drone technology to redefine how people engage with both gaming and robotics.

Robodub

Debt Financing in 2018
Robodub Inc. is a Seattle-based company founded in 2014 that specializes in the development of drones and robotics, with a focus on integrating gaming experiences into their technology. By combining robotics and gaming elements, Robodub aims to create innovative solutions that enhance user interaction and entertainment. The company seeks to bring advanced gaming experiences to consumers, leveraging drone technology to redefine how people engage with both gaming and robotics.

Rainway

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Rainway, Inc. is a game streaming platform that enables users to play their favorite PC games on various devices, allowing for gaming on the go. Founded in 2017, the company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Rainway utilizes low latency, device-agnostic streaming technology to support popular games such as Fortnite, Overwatch, and Call of Duty on smartphones, tablets, and macOS. The platform aims to provide a versatile solution for gamers while also offering tools for independent developers and organizations to enhance real-time streaming capabilities. Through its innovative approach, Rainway is positioned to influence the future of gaming and remote collaboration.

LIV

Convertible Note in 2017
LIV Inc, formerly known as LIV Net Inc, is a technology company based in Prague, Czech Republic, specializing in virtual reality software for gaming. Established in 2013, LIV focuses on enabling VR live streamers to engage with their audiences in real-time, transforming viewers from passive spectators into active participants. Since its inception, the company has redefined the landscape of live-streamed gaming content, allowing creators to enhance their interactive experiences. Since launching in 2018, LIV's innovative approach has garnered over 1.5 billion views, showcasing its significant impact on the virtual reality and gaming communities.

Playfull

Convertible Note in 2017
Playfull tracks a gamer’s performance across several popular Esports games and sends them personalized, relevant rewards for meaningful achievements and wins. Playfull synthesizes gameplay data, demographic data, and redemption data to train a proprietary rewards engine to deliver the perfect reward to players at the perfect moment.

LIV

Seed Round in 2017
LIV Inc, formerly known as LIV Net Inc, is a technology company based in Prague, Czech Republic, specializing in virtual reality software for gaming. Established in 2013, LIV focuses on enabling VR live streamers to engage with their audiences in real-time, transforming viewers from passive spectators into active participants. Since its inception, the company has redefined the landscape of live-streamed gaming content, allowing creators to enhance their interactive experiences. Since launching in 2018, LIV's innovative approach has garnered over 1.5 billion views, showcasing its significant impact on the virtual reality and gaming communities.

Playfull

Pre Seed Round in 2017
Playfull tracks a gamer’s performance across several popular Esports games and sends them personalized, relevant rewards for meaningful achievements and wins. Playfull synthesizes gameplay data, demographic data, and redemption data to train a proprietary rewards engine to deliver the perfect reward to players at the perfect moment.

Electronic Gaming Federation

Seed Round in 2016
Electronic Gaming Federation, LLC operates as an electronic sports (eSports) organization that focuses on intercollegiate eSports competitions. The company runs eSports competitions; hosts tournaments; and produces related media, including live broadcasts of matches, eSports analysis, and news. It also runs college-exclusive events for teams in North America. Electronic Gaming Federation, LLC was founded in 2013 and is based in Rochester, New York.

Mixer

Seed Round in 2016
Mixer, formerly Beam, offers gaming live-streams made interactive. Mixer gives viewers a window into streamer's game worlds, allowing you to do everything from striking lightning down, to generating the level's terrain. Mixer is a next-generation live streaming platform for gamers that lets viewers participate in the gameplay itself.Instead of sitting idle, viewers get to engage with the content directly, creating quests, choosing weapons, or even acting as characters within the game world.

Reach Robotics

Seed Round in 2015
Reach Robotics is creating the next gaming platform by combining Robotics, Gaming and AR. This means video game characters in real life that appear to be alive and can engage in various game modes, unlocking lots of potentials. The robots they make are more than connected toys, they are consistently evolving entertainment platforms. Their flagship product, MekaMon, has propelled us to the forefront of consumer robotics and they continue to evolve to ensure the future is always within reach.

Red Fox Clan

Convertible Note in 2015
Red Fox Clan is community where gamers share what the love and hate about games. They use this data set to inform product and marketing decision for major gaming brands.

CheckiO

Seed Round in 2014
CheckiO is the game for coders and gamers. We build a new gaming experience where a player has an extra resource - coding. Thus we engage people into learning how to code by immersing them fully in gaming experience and erasing the boundaries between gaming and coding.

CheckiO

Seed Round in 2013
CheckiO is the game for coders and gamers. We build a new gaming experience where a player has an extra resource - coding. Thus we engage people into learning how to code by immersing them fully in gaming experience and erasing the boundaries between gaming and coding.

Bluebox Now!

Seed Round in 2011
Bluebox Now! is a casual gaming network sponsored by brands. We increase brand engagement, customer retention and redemption of brand rewards, which means higher ROI for the brands. Our behavioral targeting technology matches right games and right rewards for the appropriate demographics.

World Blender

Seed Round in 2010
World Blender's mission is bringing the fun and fantastic to your daily routine through social, location-based games. This mission begins with releasing great games and sharing the power to create these games with enthusiast gamers and the game developer community.

BuyPlayWin

Seed Round in 2008
BuyPlayWin combines online shopping with tournament games. Buy products, play games, win a refund for the product. Every shopper gets a chance to win full refunds for everything they purchase by playing fun games against other shoppers. For example, buy a $120 college text book. Compete with six other people who are also buying the book. Win the game and you get the book for free. They use the profit margin in the product to pay for the winners purchase. If a product has a 33% profit margin they need three players to break even. With 10 purchasers they make a very nice profit.

PlayQ

Seed Round in 2007
PlayQ is a prominent mobile gaming company focused on developing high-quality games for platforms such as iOS, Google Play, Amazon, and Facebook. The company specializes in creating engaging, visually appealing gameplay experiences that allow gamers to enjoy entertaining titles across various devices. With a commitment to innovation and quality, PlayQ aims to deliver compelling mobile gaming experiences that resonate with a wide audience.