Deadline: March 14, 2025
Program Starts: August 18, 2025
Program Ends: November 11, 2025
Location(s)
Japan
Overview
Details
Techstars is the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed. Our 13 week mentorship-driven accelerator programs provide in-depth foundational content that prepares you to run your startup, plus strong mentoring relationships with experts in your industry and in all aspects of entrepreneurship. We truly set you up to #DoMoreFaster—participants often say that they accomplish more in these three months than they would in a year and a half, working on their own. Programs culminate with Demo Day: we prepare you thoroughly to give your best pitch to a room full of interested investors.
Each year, we choose over 300 companies to join our three month mentorship-driven accelerator, investing $120K and providing hands-on mentorship and access to the Techstars Network for life.
At Techstars, we see the reverse in our accelerator portfolio – 90 percent of our startups are active or have successfully exited. Which statistic reflects your business? If you’re ready to succeed, take the next step and apply now to the Techstars worldwide network with more than 10,000 mentors, partners, investors and founders.
At Techstars, we are on a mission to help entrepreneurs succeed. Our mentorship-driven accelerator programs invest in founders to help them do more faster. Over the past 10 years we have helped over 1,274 companies grow and raise over $4.4 billion in funding, with a market cap of $11.4 billion. Now, we are excited to start the search for the next wave of companies to join our worldwide network!
HOW IT WORKS
Our Three-Month Program
We don’t tell you what to do or when. We create an environment that is conducive to helping your startup every day by surrounding you with people who will mentor, inspire, and challenge you.
- Grow Your Network: From a large pool of mentors, find your top 3-5 mentors who will be committed to helping you with product development, market fit, and who will also provide valuable introductions to help grow your company — fast.
- Gain Traction: Go deeper with your lead mentors, work with your Managing Director, gain traction and hit your milestones – whether that’s a prototype, building out the next phase of your product, finding your first customer or hitting $50M in revenue.
- Accelerate Your Business: Determine your fundraising strategy and prepare to meet with investors. Learn how to communicate your vision and prepare to meet with investors, partners and other key stakeholders who can help shape your future.
- Demo Day: The program culminates with a celebration at Demo Day! This is your chance to show the world how much progress you’ve made in just a few short months.
- Techstars for Life: While the program itself may be over, Techstars is for life. Leverage the network through Techstars BizDev Days, Techstars Investor Days, Techstars FounderCon, ongoing mentorship, monthly alumni events, and access to a deep well of resources.
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
We fund technology oriented companies, typically these are web-based or other software companies, but we’ve funded companies that don’t quite fit that mold as well. We’re also looking for companies that can have national or worldwide reach. Specifically, we don’t fund biotechnology companies, restaurants, consultancies, or other local service oriented companies.
What if my company doesn’t fit the above themes?
If you’re working on something that doesn’t fit neatly in one of the above categories, great! While these are areas that excite us, people are so much more important at this stage – definitely reach out and apply if Techstars NYC feels like a fit for you.
Is there a type of founder or team that you’re looking for?
Every team is different, but we’re ultimately looking to invest in founders that are persistent, thoughtful, passionate, and, most importantly — teams that execute.
We also want to invest in founders that are representative of the amazing city we call home. We know tech in the US has and continues to under-represent women and people of color, despite consistent evidence that more diverse teams outperform their more homogenous counterparts. Techstars is committed to building a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Dates
Deadline: March 14, 2025
Program starts:
August 18, 2025
Program ends:
November 11, 2025
Cost/funding for participants
How much funding do Techstars companies receive?
A $100,000 convertible note is automatically offered to all Techstars companies upon acceptance.
$20,000 in exchange for 6% common stock, plus:
- Access to Techstars resources for life
- Acceleration in a 90-day Techstars program with intense, hands-on mentorship from Techstars Mentors
- Connections to the Techstars Network of over 5,000 founders, alumni and mentors globally
- 400 perks worth over $1M
- Office space for three months
- Demo Day and other investor connections
- Equity Back Guarantee, the only one of its kind in the industry
Historically, Techstars companies go on to average more than $2M raised in outside capital after the program. We believe our stats speak for themselves.
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.