Techstars is always adding to our worldwide network through our accelerators, our community programs, and more. Because we attract such amazing people, our network is basically a giant pool of awesome talent. We launched Techstars Talent because we saw an opportunity to connect every stakeholder in our network with companies they care about. The real …
Recently, at Techstars, we’re noticing more and more that we are being asked to sign up for joint unlimited liability for fraud in the context of M&A with one of our portfolio companies. In other words, we are being asked to guarantee that our portfolio companies, and sometimes even that other shareholders of these companies, …
In 2009, coming out of Techstars, SendGrid set out to raise a seed round. The original target was $300,000. They ended up raising $750,000 in that round. Eight years later, they went public at around a $1B valuation. Shortly thereafter, Twilio acquired SendGrid for $2B. Great success stories have humble beginnings. This was true for …
Last week, I did a talk as part of YPO Innovation Week on “managing distributed innovation.” Effectively, this was about strategies and tactics for innovating using globally distributed teams. We have approximately 300 employees at Techstars and those people live and work in about 60 different cities around the world. The YPO group was very …
Let me explain why you should never ask anyone to be your lead investor. First, if you’re talking to a venture capital firm that writes large checks (>50% of the round size you’re seeking), just ask them to commit to investing. Let them know they’re wanted. If they want to invest, they’re going to want …
Last week, I was in New York and decided to stop by the Air Force Pitch Day. What a great experience. It’s so nice to see when government organizations figure out how to effective engage with startups, and then scale it! At Air Force Pitch Day, the US Air Force awarded 51 contracts, each in …