By The Editors 6/21/12 2:40pm

Look At Me Now

23 Photos

Spontaneously (Summer 2011)

TechStars NYC: Where Are They Now?

We feel a little guilty. We’ve been fickle and easily distracted. Last year, the first two TechStars NYC classes were all we could talk about. But when their programs ended, we kind of forgot about them and directed our attention to the newest TechStars NYC class. Shame on us!

But back in the day, those first 23 companies were all the rage. Like shiny new toys, they were exciting and fascinating. There was even a reality television show about them. So even though their three-month, highly-competitive startup accelerator program has ended, these companies are still around. They didn’t just vanish into thin air. (Well, some of them did).

But all of this begs the question, where are these companies now? How have they fared in the big, bad world? Did they flop? Or surpass expectations?

We didn’t know, so we decided to find out. And it turns out that we weren’t the only ones who were curious about what these companies have been up to. Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 6/14/12 5:58pm

The Real TechStars of New York

Mr. Gaal

How to Ruin Your Wildly Successful TechStars Demo: Fudge Facts on Stage

You know what they say about karma, so don’t make us repeat it. It looks like good intentions backfired with Karma, a 4G hotspot provider initially founded in Amsterdam that presented this morning at TechStars Demo Day.

In press materials for the spring class, Karma’s one-line descriptor was: “Simple, honest 4G provider,” a sentiment repeated throughout its introductory blog post. But shortly after Demo Day ended, Travis Kalanick, the CEO of request-a-ride car app Uber, tweeted that Karma’s CEO Robert Gaal had not been honest in mentioning a partnership with Uber during the company’s pitch in front of crowd of more than 700 at Webster Hall. Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 6/14/12 9:00am

The Real TechStars of New York

13 Photos

Wander (a beautiful way to share and experience the world)

Everything You Want to Know About The Spring 2012 Class of TechStars for Demo Day [Slideshow]

After three long months of toiling away at 36 Cooper Square, TechStars NYC’s spring 2012 class is finally ready to say, “Hello, world.” Or rather, “Show me the money.” This morning, 13 startups will present their exhaustively-rehearsed pitches to a crowd of more than 700 for the program’s third Demo Day. (Check out our live-blog from Webster Hall.)

Back in March, managing director David Tisch promised us his most visionary class yet. “They all take big swings,” he told Betabeat. “I think the ideas are all going for something big. I don’t think there are  lot of safe bets or small bets.” Read More

By Kelly Faircloth, Jessica Roy 6/14/12 6:32am

The Real TechStars of New York

Managing director David Tisch on stage at TechStars Demo Day at Webster Hall.

Liveblogging TechStars Demo Day

Don your robes, apply your waterproof mascara and prepare for an indulgent celebratory lunch at some place like the Cheesecake Factory: it’s graduation day for the Spring 2012 TechStars. Each of the 13 companies will be introducing their products to a slew of mentors, investors and reporters at today’s Demo Day, with the hopes of knocking their socks off and–hopefully, fingers crossed!–nabbing some VC bucks. The show starts at 8 a.m., folks, so grab your coffee and we’ll see you then.

By Nitasha Tiku 6/13/12 4:47pm

The Real TechStars of New York

twitter_0611

The One TechStars NYC Startup That Won’t Be Pitching At Demo Day Tomorrow

In March, TechStars NYC announced that it had selected 14 startups from an applicant pool of more than 1,600 for the chance at 13-weeks of mentorship and $100,000. But only 13 companies will be presenting at tomorrow’s Demo Day at Webster Hall. Betabeat has learned that StockTouch, which described itself as “revolutionizing finance with mobile data visualization,” did not participate in the program.

Managing director David Tisch would only say that the decision was mutual. We have reached out to StockTouch for comment and will update the post when we hear back. StockTouch CEO Jennifer Johnson was one of five female CEOs (and six female cofounders) accepted into the spring 2012 class. Read More

By Jessica Roy 5/24/12 11:11am

Accelerated Learning

Paul Graham, YCombinator overlord. (flickr.com/jolieodell)

Beware the Artificial Accelerator

In the world of startup accelerators, TechStars and Y Combinator are arguably top dogs. Each receives thousands of eager applicants every year, and only accepts an elite percentage of companies into their inner circles. But of course, with the success of the TechStars/Y Combinator models comes a slew of copycat accelerators that may lack the credentials and experience to actually help their applicants. Read More

By Adrianne Jeffries 5/01/12 8:25am

Teach Me How to Startup

(Photo: CERN)

About One New Accelerator Is Launching a Day, Says TechStars Founder

Yesterday we wrote that the tech accelerator epidemic had hit New Jersey. The truth may be closer to: The tech accelerator epidemic has hit everywhere. Tech accelerators are so in vogue that Forbes added an accelerator ranking to its “Midas List” coverage, which includes a list of the top 100 venture capitalists.

Incubators have become so popular that about one accelerator launches every day, David Cohen, the founder and CEO of TechStars, told Forbes. He’s said it before; he was echoing his own earlier line from a panel about accelerators at SXSW. “It’s become a new college for entrepreneurs,” he added.

Forbes has rated Y Combinator, TechStars and DreamIt Ventures as the top three accelerators in the country. We’re all for accelerators, but one a day seems excessive. Echoes of ’99?

By Nitasha Tiku 3/12/12 1:05pm

The Real TechStars of New York

techstars

Meet Your Spring 2012 TechStars NYC Class: ‘They All Take Big Swings’

It’s that time again, boys and girls. TechStars NYC managing director David Tisch just announced the 14 companies who got the golden ticket to the accelerator and seed fund’s Spring class. Unlike the previous two programs, which operated out of Pivotal Labs, this class will call 36 Cooper Square home. (TechStars recently moved in to Foursquare’s old office in the Village Voice building.) “They’ll be able to sleep there easier,” Mr. Tisch quipped to Betabeat over the phone.

Last year, TechStars NYC funded 23 companies, 21 of which went on to raise $50 million after they graduated. According to Mr. Tisch, you can expect even bigger things from this class. The common element among all 14 newbies? “They all take big swings,” he said. “I think the ideas are all going for something big.  I don’t think there are  lot of safe bets or small bets.” Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 1/24/12 6:01pm

The Real TechStars of New York

timehop

Timehop, Your Own Personal Way Back Machine, Lands $1.1 M.

Social media’s dominion over the Internet tends to skew conversation toward the real-time. Facebook may have dropped the What are you doing right now? but the emphasis remains. Investors, however, are eager to back something that bucks that trend. Timehop, an app that culls your Facebook, Foursquare, and Twitter history to answer the question What were you doing a year ago today?, just announced that it picked up $1.1 million in funding. The round was led by OATV and joined by Spark Capital. Also participating? TechStars, where co-founders Jonathan Wegener and Benny Wong worked on a Craigslist competitor called Friendslist, which flopped.

Fittingly for the app, which was born as 4 Square & 7 Years Ago during a Foursquare Hackathon at General Assembly last February, the round featured some bold-faced names as angel investors, including Dennis Crowley, Naveen Selvadurai, and Alex Rainert from Foursquare, GroupMe co-founders Steve Martocci and Jared Hecht, as well as Rick Webb and Kevin Slavin. Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 1/18/12 3:53pm

The Real TechStars of New York

Great, now we have to figure out what a Tebow is.

Sporty Spice! An NFL Player and Two Olympians Applied for TechStars New York

TechStars New York managing director David Tisch is neck-deep in applications for the accelerator’s eagerly-anticipated upcoming class. But he managed to share a few scintillating details with Business Insider.

Among the 1,000-plus would-be entrepreneurs that have already applied (well ahead of last year), are some notable surprises including: graduates of previous accelerators, a current NFL player, and two former Olympians. Read More