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 Intelligent Systems

Cognitive Space

Seed Round in 2021
Cognitive Space is a technology firm specializing in the automation of command and control for satellite operations through its proprietary CNTIENT-SC3 platform. The company leverages artificial intelligence to streamline mission planning and management for constellations of Earth-observing and telecommunications satellites. By providing a software-as-a-service solution, Cognitive Space addresses the evolving demands of the space market, enabling commercial satellite operators to optimize their assets in response to dynamic conditions. The leadership team, boasting over 50 years of experience in space systems and software development, is committed to enhancing the efficiency of satellite operations. This innovation facilitates improved monitoring of Earth for various applications, including economic, environmental, and national security purposes.

Inference Solutions

Seed Round in 2021
Inference Solutions Inc. is a provider of cloud-based Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and sophisticated call-handling solutions, headquartered in San Francisco, California. Established in 2011, the company specializes in Intelligent Virtual Agent technology, allowing businesses to utilize its code-free platform, Inference Studio, to create and implement self-service applications across various communication channels, including voice, chat, and messaging. With over 550 clients from diverse industries, Inference Solutions collaborates with leading telecommunications carriers and contact center providers to offer advanced self-service capabilities, enhancing customer interactions and driving revenue growth for service providers.

Geolumina

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Geolumina is an Intuitive AI with geologic insight.

AskSid USA

Seed Round in 2021
AskSid Technology Solutions is a specialist Conversational AI solution for retail and consumer goods delivering 3 outcomes - a) Accelerated Conversions (by simplifying the shopper's journey b) Enrich Product Knowledge-base (by discovering new consumer queries & questions on your products) and c) Precision marketing insights (from raw demand signals hidden in 1:1 customer conversations)

InterGen Data

Pre Seed Round in 2020
InterGen Data, Inc. develops a cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) software solutions and machine learning algorithms for banking, wealth management, insurance, and fintech companies. Its platform allows companies to identify when the clients are likely to have a life event occurrence. The company offers SoLOMON, an artificial engine that record and navigate age, risk tolerance, gender, personas, life stages, life events, healthcare costs, and investments; LSLE, searches for life events; and DAViD, an robo advice widget that provides information about lives. InterGen Data, Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Murphy, Texas.

H2Ok Innovations

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Using artificial intelligence and data science to empower communities with the knowledge for sustainable access to clean water.

swivl.ai

Seed Round in 2020
We are empowering the next wave of intelligent experiences. Think Duolingo + SquareSpace for AI. swivlStudio provides a toolset for companies to simplify the process of AI training. Our interface allows companies to train their current workforce to provide value in an increasingly AI-first world through step by step guided data labeling exercises. The employees can then manage the feedback loop to train, test, and tune custom machine learning models that personalize their customers’ experiences via natural language processing, personalized search results, and generalized data categorization. By combining the best of human and machine intelligence, companies can now increase speed to launch and improve accuracy over time.

WeavAir

Seed Round in 2020
advanced sensors & predictive analytics solution

Natural Intelligence Systems

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Natural Intelligence Semiconductor (NIS) is a brand new fabless semiconductor startup company that is developing the next generation processor device called the NNP, or Natural Neural Processor. The NNP embodies a unique architectural design that exhibits properties that enable the human neocortex to outperform machines in most applications. This architecture promises to move beyond the constraints of conventional architectures and deliver disruptive performance in artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytic applications. The NNP enables innovative computational approaches in neuromorphic computing, machine learning, large scale graph analytics, bioinformatics and others.

EdSights

Seed Round in 2020
EdSights uses chatbots and Ai to help universities engage and retain their students.

MSBAI

Pre Seed Round in 2020
MSBAI is solving the reason why 92% of product designers and manufacturers don't use High Performance Computing in engineering. The GURU cognitive AI assistant solves the fundamental ‘expertise-barrier’ holding back most engineers: By delivering ‘Expertise-as-a-Service’ — enabling them to run end-to-end design & analysis workloads for structural, thermal, fluid dynamics, etc. for virtual prototype design exploration.

Caravel

Pre Seed Round in 2020
The app that understands customers and automates work.

Delta AI

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Delta AI Pty Ltd is an Australian company based in Brisbane that specializes in developing artificial intelligence-driven software as a service (SaaS) platforms. Founded in 2020, Delta AI offers solutions to help enterprises identify, monitor, and respond to deep fake content, thereby protecting brand identity and intellectual property for media companies. Additionally, the company utilizes computer vision technology to analyze social media, enabling brands to track product trends and gather insights on product usage worldwide. This dual focus allows brands to create and launch new products and marketing strategies more effectively and responsively in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

Retrocausal

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Retrocausal builds intelligence augmentation systems that help frontline workers train better, be more efficient at their daily jobs, and improve the processes they drive. Their RetroActivity platform for human activity analysis automatically builds computational models of a complex physical task, given only a handful of recorded demonstrations of the task. Once such a model is built, RetroActivity can finely track the job status from live video, to guide a worker through the task, provide independent training, and perform analytics.

Spiral

Seed Round in 2019
Spiral is a software company which is focused on building solutions for customer feedback using AI.

Spiral

Seed Round in 2019
Spiral is a software company which is focused on building solutions for customer feedback using AI.

Good People

Seed Round in 2019
Hello Iris uses AI and NLP to analyze a user's freeform text data input and generate a unique psychometric profile based on the way they talk and the words they use. It helps build a foundation for self-awareness and mindfulness, so we can become more aware of how we show up in our lives and relationships.

YOURIKA

Seed Round in 2019
YOURIKA combines years of AI research from the University of Waterloo (Top 5 in AI) with our proprietary technology and domain expertise to make smarter and more connected learning products. This includes our own platform, ORBITS, that liberates teenage students to work smarter when learning remotely.

Spiral

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Spiral is a software company which is focused on building solutions for customer feedback using AI.

Ejenta

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Ejenta Inc. develops an intelligent personal assistant platform that leverages artificial intelligence to understand users' daily activities, monitor adherence to mission plans, and provide personalized advice and support. Founded in 2012 and based in San Francisco, California, Ejenta's technology is built on exclusively licensed NASA research spanning two decades, focusing on intelligent agents, human-robot interaction, and security. The platform integrates wearable and environmental sensors to collect real-time behavioral data, allowing users to interact with their personal agents through mobile devices, Smart TVs, and natural language interfaces. Ejenta's technology is currently utilized in NASA's Mission Control for the International Space Station and is applicable across various industries, including space, government, and healthcare.

ImagoAI

Pre Seed Round in 2019
ImagoAI provides agri-food quality decision system using Artificial Intelligence. The AI powered system helps in delivering consistent food quality, generate premium products, and prevent supply chain waste. Companies use our technology to increase revenues, reduce food loss, and prevent product recalls.

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.

SoundTrack AI Inc.

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Soundtrack AI is a acoustics-based and AI-enabled Predictive Maintenance Platform.

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.

Bridged

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Bridged, founded by Ashwin Chalam, is striving to improve the efficiency of clients in the artificial intelligence sector through the use of human intelligence and training data. They believe that human intelligence, when combined with machine learning and artificial intelligence, can shape the way they do business in the future.

EdSights

Pre Seed Round in 2019
EdSights uses chatbots and Ai to help universities engage and retain their students.

Tomahawk Robotics

Seed Round in 2019
Tomahawk Robotics, Inc. is a Melbourne, Florida-based company founded in 2018 that specializes in designing and building various robotic systems. Its product offerings encompass assistive, security and defense, energy and infrastructure, and home automation robotics. The company's solutions are characterized by user-centric design and intuitive control technologies, allowing robots to operate safely alongside people in unstructured environments. By leveraging advanced electro-mechanical technology, Tomahawk Robotics creates systems that effectively manipulate real-world spaces and objects, serving as extensions of the user while prioritizing safety and cost-effectiveness.

Smarter Human

Seed Round in 2019
Smarter Human provides businesses with solutions to make their use of AI and machine learning ethical and compliant to regulation. - AI governance - Algorithmic bias - Explainability - Unintended consequences

Deep 6 AI

Seed Round in 2018
Deep 6 AI is a computer software company that utilizes an AI-based platform that finds patients for clinical trials and it helps to provide cure to people. Its platform specializes in analyzing structured data, such as ICD-10 codes, unstructured clinical data, doctor’s notes, pathology reports, and operating notes. The company was founded in 2015 and headquartered in Pasadena, California.

i-BrainTech

Seed Round in 2018
i-BrainTech solution is a neuro interface with AI and serious games for sports, which trains brain motion control centers to improve training processes and accelerate recovery. It uses AI and provides real-time indicators of mental state & performance. It also offers analytics tools tracking the dynamics of cognitive state, performance, and individual player characteristics.

Intelistyle

Seed Round in 2018
Intelistyle Ltd. is an artificial intelligence fashion stylist. The company’s software provides personalized styling recommendations. It offers features, such as complete the look, which creates multiple outfits for each of the selected product; personal styling advice via an AI chatbot; visually similar and out of stock, which provides alternatives for out of the stock garments; and wardrobe management. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in London, United Kingdom.

Intelistyle

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Intelistyle Ltd. is an artificial intelligence fashion stylist. The company’s software provides personalized styling recommendations. It offers features, such as complete the look, which creates multiple outfits for each of the selected product; personal styling advice via an AI chatbot; visually similar and out of stock, which provides alternatives for out of the stock garments; and wardrobe management. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in London, United Kingdom.

Smart Diagnostics Systems

Seed Round in 2018
Smart Diagnostics Systems modernizes diagnostics to accelerate advancements in the detection, interpretation, and prevention of disease. The company's mission is to design, develop, and distribute modern diagnostic platform technologies to advance the detection, diagnosis, and interpretation of disease to prevent its adverse effects. Smart Dxs provides solutions to the agriculture, environmental, healthcare, and defense industries.

Humanising Autonomy

Seed Round in 2018
Humanising Autonomy is a predictive AI company focused on enhancing the interaction between vehicles and people across various environments. The company develops behavior artificial intelligence software that integrates behavioral psychology, computer vision, and large language models to predict human decision-making. Its platform analyzes camera data in real-time to interpret and forecast the behavior of pedestrians, passengers, and vehicles. This capability supports automated decision-making processes, improving driver alerts and vehicle motion response. By providing an end-to-end software solution for dashcam manufacturers, Humanising Autonomy aims to establish a global standard for safety and efficiency in vehicle operations.

Speeko

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Automated voice analytics and digital communication coaching

Wise Athena

Seed Round in 2018
Wise Athena Inc. develops and maintains Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AiaaS) platform to predict price and demand of SKUs. It offers Wise Athena, an AiaaS platform that helps companies to act on data-driven facts; analyzes competitors’ actions and the user’s product performance; and enable CPGs to make the best pricing and trade promotion decisions. Wise Athena Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is based in Houston, Texas with an additional office in Madrid, Spain.

Wise Athena

Seed Round in 2018
Wise Athena Inc. develops and maintains Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AiaaS) platform to predict price and demand of SKUs. It offers Wise Athena, an AiaaS platform that helps companies to act on data-driven facts; analyzes competitors’ actions and the user’s product performance; and enable CPGs to make the best pricing and trade promotion decisions. Wise Athena Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is based in Houston, Texas with an additional office in Madrid, Spain.

Invision AI

Seed Round in 2017
Invision AI is focused on transforming the Internet of Things (IoT) into the Internet of Intelligent Things by developing advanced artificial intelligence software that operates directly on edge devices. This approach allows these devices to generate valuable situational insights without the need for costly hardware or reliance on cloud services. By enabling intelligent processing at the edge, Invision AI enhances the capabilities of IoT devices, making them more efficient and effective in gathering and analyzing data.

Wise Athena

Seed Round in 2017
Wise Athena Inc. develops and maintains Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AiaaS) platform to predict price and demand of SKUs. It offers Wise Athena, an AiaaS platform that helps companies to act on data-driven facts; analyzes competitors’ actions and the user’s product performance; and enable CPGs to make the best pricing and trade promotion decisions. Wise Athena Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is based in Houston, Texas with an additional office in Madrid, Spain.

Nimis Cybersecurity

Seed Round in 2017
Techstars backed cybersecurity company using artificial intelligence to provide real time penetration testing

Geopipe

Pre Seed Round in 2017
Geopipe specializes in creating immersive digital twins of the real world through advanced machine learning and algorithmic tools. The company processes vast amounts of geographic and numeric data, including satellite images, maps, and laser scans, utilizing cloud-based distributed systems to reconstruct entire cities rapidly. This innovative approach allows for efficient simulations in various fields such as gaming, architecture, and urban planning. By providing real estate developers with authoritative digital representations, Geopipe helps streamline project timelines, ultimately saving time and costs in the development process.

IAMBOT

Seed Round in 2017
IAMBOT specializes in delivering cognitive automation engine solution. It offers a platform that automates the interaction between a business and its clients. The platform utilizes state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and self-learning algorithms based on the latest scientific advances. The company was founded in 2017 with offices in Palo Alto, California and Wroclaw, Poland.

Mio Robots

Pre Seed Round in 2017
Mio Technologies develops robots with self-driving technology for product vending and brand marketing.

IntelligentX

Pre Seed Round in 2016
IntelligentX is a brewing company that has developed an innovative system to produce beer using artificial intelligence. Their approach involves leveraging complex machine learning algorithms to create a premium beer that evolves based on customer feedback. By utilizing an online feedback system, IntelligentX gathers data on customer preferences and uses this information to refine and adjust the brewing process. This allows the company to offer personalized beers that cater to individual tastes, setting it apart in the beverage industry.

Intelligent Layer

Seed Round in 2016
Intelligent Layer, Inc. develops machine learning and reinforcement learning algorithms for companies to help them to use their data and interact with the world. The company was founded in 2015 and is based in New York, New York.

Invision AI

Convertible Note in 2016
Invision AI is focused on transforming the Internet of Things (IoT) into the Internet of Intelligent Things by developing advanced artificial intelligence software that operates directly on edge devices. This approach allows these devices to generate valuable situational insights without the need for costly hardware or reliance on cloud services. By enabling intelligent processing at the edge, Invision AI enhances the capabilities of IoT devices, making them more efficient and effective in gathering and analyzing data.

Mindi

Seed Round in 2016
Mindi combines the best of human and artificial intelligence.

Deep 6 AI

Seed Round in 2016
Deep 6 AI is a computer software company that utilizes an AI-based platform that finds patients for clinical trials and it helps to provide cure to people. Its platform specializes in analyzing structured data, such as ICD-10 codes, unstructured clinical data, doctor’s notes, pathology reports, and operating notes. The company was founded in 2015 and headquartered in Pasadena, California.

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.

HelpSocial

Seed Round in 2015
HelpSocial is help companies to bring the capabilities from digital communication channels like social media and messaging apps into the platforms used in customer service centers. Many companies have asked us for help with phasing automation into these channels via artificial intelligence-backed bots and machine learning systems. Their platform has unique functionality that gives the AI bot the ability to remember customers and understand the larger context of their comments, while reducing the amount of training time needed for forming conversational responses.

Netra

Convertible Note in 2015
Netra Systems Inc. develops an artificial intelligence technology that automatically analyzes and interprets the contents of images and videos. The company offers its technology for multi-camera object, event, and activity recognitions/detections; automatic scene summarizations; instant cross-camera search options; and cross-camera object tracking needs. It provides its products for applications in healthcare, military, customs and border security, retail, security/surveillance, etc. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

imperson

Seed Round in 2015
imperson Ltd. develops an artificial intelligence marketing platform that impersonates characters online. It builds marketing bots that promote, qualify, and sell products and services through one-on-one conversations. imperson Ltd. is based in Savyon, Israel.

Curious

Seed Round in 2015
Curious is an "intelligent" offline search engine powered by SMS.

Wise Systems

Seed Round in 2015
Wise Systems Inc. develops autonomous dispatch and routing software designed to enhance the efficiency of last-mile delivery operations across various industries, including food and beverage, courier, and field service. Founded in 2014 and based in Boston, Massachusetts, the company leverages machine learning to optimize fleet performance and improve customer service. Its platform includes tools such as Scheduler for creating dynamic route plans, Dispatcher for real-time monitoring of delivery progress and performance metrics, and a Customer Portal for tracking orders with accurate ETAs. The software processes millions of data points to make intelligent, real-time decisions, resulting in significant mileage reductions, increased fleet utilization, and a substantial decrease in late deliveries. Wise Systems aims to help customers better manage their delivery logistics by providing flexibility and optimizing routes, thereby enhancing overall operational efficiency.

Netra

Seed Round in 2015
Netra Systems Inc. develops an artificial intelligence technology that automatically analyzes and interprets the contents of images and videos. The company offers its technology for multi-camera object, event, and activity recognitions/detections; automatic scene summarizations; instant cross-camera search options; and cross-camera object tracking needs. It provides its products for applications in healthcare, military, customs and border security, retail, security/surveillance, etc. The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Vancouver, Canada.

Indico Data

Seed Round in 2014
Indico Data Solutions, Inc. is a Boston-based company that specializes in developing artificial intelligence solutions for automating the processing of unstructured content. Founded in 2013, Indico's platform allows enterprises to create customized machine learning models using smaller datasets, effectively enhancing the efficiency of labor-intensive document-based workflows. By focusing on automating tedious back-office tasks, Indico enables organizations to extract valuable insights from unstructured content, such as text and images. The company's innovative approach, known as transfer learning, empowers users to train machine learning models with significantly less data than traditional methods require. This capability helps businesses overcome common barriers to AI adoption, ultimately transforming their document processing into more profitable operations.

Indico Data

Pre Seed Round in 2014
Indico Data Solutions, Inc. is a Boston-based company that specializes in developing artificial intelligence solutions for automating the processing of unstructured content. Founded in 2013, Indico's platform allows enterprises to create customized machine learning models using smaller datasets, effectively enhancing the efficiency of labor-intensive document-based workflows. By focusing on automating tedious back-office tasks, Indico enables organizations to extract valuable insights from unstructured content, such as text and images. The company's innovative approach, known as transfer learning, empowers users to train machine learning models with significantly less data than traditional methods require. This capability helps businesses overcome common barriers to AI adoption, ultimately transforming their document processing into more profitable operations.

Lifekind

Pre Seed Round in 2014
Lifekind designs and develops AI Persona that allows to ask a question, receive help, talk, and learn from coaches, teachers, scientists, entertainers, and personalities. The company is based in the United States.

Verifcient Technologies

Venture Round in 2013
At Verificient Technologies, we utilize artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer visioning and biometrics in forming our Trusted Identity-as-a-Service (TIaaS), platform for identity verification and authentication. Over the last 5 years, we've become a leader in the industry to deliver continuous identity verification and digital remote monitoring. Weaving these advanced technologies together with user-centered design and award-winning customer service, our patented automated approach, pairs usability with accurate results and true scalability. Today, we're serving a variety of markets, including Higher Education, HR and Recruitment, and Remote Labor-Force Management (virtual work at home agents).