Accelerator

Techstars NYC

New York, NY, United States

Techstars' New York City accelerator, running general-tech cohorts twice a year.

The offer:
$220k per company
Location:
New York, NY, United States
Duration:
13 weeks

What you need to qualify

  • Techstars looks for founders who deeply understand their customers' pain, demonstrate the ability to execute quickly, and are building in a market large enough to make $1B+ in annual revenue a possibility.
  • Full commitment is required once the programme starts: no other work or academic engagements while the accelerator runs. Working elsewhere before you are accepted is allowed.
  • Founders who have already raised between $1M and $5M are still eligible to apply.
  • The programme is hybrid, so founders can be based anywhere, but must attend in person for the first two weeks, for one week in the middle, and for demo day.

Eligibility

Eligible stages
All stages
Countries
Global, subject to the provider’s eligibility and approval

How to apply

  1. 1

    Create a Techstars application account

    Applications for every Techstars accelerator, including New York City, are submitted through apply.techstars.com, which requires you to create an account before you can start a submission.

  2. 2

    Complete the founder profile

    Basic information about you: first name, last name, title, contact email, current location, LinkedIn URL, phone number, and whether you are working on your startup full time.

  3. 3

    Answer the company section

    Startup name and URL, founding year, the problem you are solving, what you are building, incorporation information, relevant industries, team, traction, revenue and funding, business model, target audience, competitors, competitive advantage, why now, customer acquisition strategy and next milestones.

  4. 4

    Prepare the deck and the two videos

    One question asks for a product demo video, a pitch deck and a team introduction video together, so record and host both videos before you start the form.

  5. 5

    Select Techstars New York City on the programme selection step

    Programme selection is a separate step in the application and lets you choose more than one accelerator, so pick this programme explicitly rather than assuming it from your location.

  6. 6

    Submit before the cycle's final deadline

    The programme page publishes the cycle as applications open on 2 March, final deadline 10 June, accelerator starts 8 September and demo day 10 December. Those are the dates of the cycle that has already closed, and the next cycle's dates are not yet published.

Frequently asked

$220,000 in total: $200,000 through an uncapped MFN SAFE and $20,000 through a Post-Money Convertible Common Equity Agreement. Techstars receives 5% of the company in common stock, plus the future conversion value of the SAFE.

Three months. The format is hybrid, with in-person sessions for the first two weeks, one in-person week in the middle, and a demo day at the end, so you do not have to relocate for the full programme.

You can work elsewhere before you are accepted, but the programme requires full commitment once it starts, with no other work or academic engagements.

Not necessarily. Techstars states that founders who have raised between $1M and $5M before applying are still welcome to apply.

Founders who deeply understand their customers' pain, demonstrate the ability to execute quickly, and are building in a market large enough to make $1B+ in annual revenue a possibility.

Applications run in cycles rather than continuously. The cycle published on the programme page opened on 2 March and closed on 10 June, with the accelerator starting 8 September and demo day on 10 December. The dates for the following cycle are not yet published, so check the programme page rather than assuming a repeat.
General tech

Related programs

We have not been able to confirm a deadline for this one. Check the official page before you start.

Do I qualify?

3 things decide this one. Check yourself against them before you spend time on the form.

Stage
Seed
Where it runs
United States. In person, so you need to be able to take part there
What you give up
5% equity for $220,000
Deadline
Not confirmed. Check the official page

That is the rulebook. What we cannot show you here is whether your startup clears it, how this ranks against the other programs you qualify for, and what to fix if you do not.

Check what I qualify for

Five questions, about a minute, no account needed.

Last verified against the official page. Report an error

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