People
On the Techstars team
David Cohen
David Cohen is the founder and CEO of Techstars, the startup accelerator he launched in Boulder, Colorado in 2006 alongside Brad Feld, Jared Polis, and David Brown. A self-described life-long entrepreneur and ex-hacker, he built and sold two companies before turning to investing, then reshaped early-stage funding around a philosophy he calls Give First. Under his leadership Techstars has backed thousands of startups across dozens of countries, seeding more than a dozen unicorns and helping founders raise billions in follow-on capital.
Shirley Romig
Shirley Romig is a consumer, technology and operations executive with more than two decades of experience across the full company lifecycle. She is Chief Operating Officer at Techstars, the global pre-seed accelerator, after joining as Chief Accelerator Investment Officer in late 2023. Before that she co-founded and ran Mixo, a video platform for global food creators, and held senior operating roles at Lyft, Equinox, SapientRazorfish and Saks/Hudson's Bay, where she led omnichannel transformation. She sits on the boards of Lovesac and Mama's Creations.
Sabrina Kelly
Sabrina Kelly is a people and talent leader who rose from technology recruiting to become President of Techstars, one of the world's largest startup accelerator and investment platforms. Over roughly a decade at Techstars she led People Operations globally, served as Chief People Officer, and built scalable HR functions across markets in the US and Europe. Earlier she recruited technical talent for names like Spotify, IAC, and Etsy in New York, and founded the HR function at CustomMade in Boston. She is known for an empathetic, direct, and pragmatic approach to building culture and managing distributed teams.
Company Facts
At a glanceUpdates
Recent updatesTimeline
Company historyDavid Cohen, David Brown, Brad Feld and Jared Polis start Techstars in Boulder, Colorado.
The inaugural mentorship-driven cohort launches in Boulder, setting the model.
Techstars raises an initial $5M fund to invest further in its companies.
PillPack goes through the program; it is later acquired by Amazon for a reported $753M.
A $155M fund broadens Techstars' investment in alumni companies.
Techstars alum SendGrid is acquired by Twilio for roughly $3B.
Co-founder Cohen retakes the CEO seat to refocus on founders and mentorship.
Techstars restarts its Boulder accelerator, 20 years after founding.
Product History
What shipped, and whenTechstars Accelerators
Three-month, mentorship-driven accelerator programs run in cities worldwide. Founders receive investment plus intensive mentorship, ending in a demo day.
Founder Catalyst
A pre-accelerator program giving early-stage entrepreneurs startup education, mentorship and community before they are ready to raise.
Startup Weekend
54-hour weekend events where aspiring founders form teams, build a product concept and pitch it. A global grassroots entrepreneurship program.
Startup Week
Community-driven, multi-day entrepreneurship conferences hosted in cities around the world.
Techstars Anywhere / Remote programs
Distributed accelerator options letting founders participate without relocating.
FAQs
Frequently askedWhat does Techstars do?
Techstars is a pre-seed investor and startup accelerator. It runs three-month, mentorship-driven programs that give early-stage founders capital, mentors and connections in exchange for equity.
How much does Techstars invest and what equity does it take?
Historically Techstars invests around $20,000 for roughly 6% equity, often alongside an optional convertible note, though terms have evolved over time.
Who founded Techstars and when?
It was founded in 2006 in Boulder, Colorado by David Cohen, David Brown, Brad Feld and Jared Polis. The first accelerator class ran in 2007.
What are some famous Techstars companies?
Notable alumni include SendGrid, DigitalOcean, ClassPass, PillPack and Remitly. Techstars has produced 22+ unicorns.
How competitive is it to get into Techstars?
Very - programs typically receive on the order of 100 applications for every available spot, accepting roughly 1%.