Techstars

Check the incorporation rule first

• Techstars invests only in US corporations or foreign equivalents (or holding companies). An Indian-incorporated company has to complete a flip before Techstars can invest.
• Decide with your lawyer and your existing investors whether and when to reincorporate before you spend time on an application.
• Techstars runs background, incorporation, ownership, intellectual property and bank-account checks before it commits.

Choose the right programme

• Idea or pre-funding stage, no equity given up: Founder Catalyst, a 10-week pre-accelerator. Sign up on its page to hear about future programmes.
• Space or aerospace technology: the Space Accelerator.
• Healthcare delivery: the Healthcare Accelerator with Permanente Medicine, or AI Health Baltimore for AI-driven health startups.
• Working across industries from North America: the Anywhere Accelerator, which is for companies in North American time zones.
• Based in or moving to Japan: the Tokyo Accelerator.

How applications work

• Applications go through the Techstars application portal. Use the Apply Today button on the programme page.
• Each programme lists its own opening, deadline, start and Demo Day dates. Dates differ from batch to batch.
• There is no fee to join a Techstars accelerator.

What selection looks like

• Competition is heavy. For the 2026 Permanente Medicine cohort, Techstars reported nine startups chosen from more than 1,200 applicants.
• Programmes with a partner, such as the Space Force and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory or the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, pick teams whose work fits that partner's focus. Read the programme page and write for that focus.

Know the terms

• A Techstars investment comes with equity: common stock, plus a convertible investment that converts later. Asia-Pacific programmes use different terms.
• Read the investment terms on the Techstars site before you apply, so that your cap table and existing investors can accommodate them.

Techstars is a pre-seed and early-stage venture capital firm that runs accelerator programmes for startups. It was incorporated in 2006 and is run by Techstars Central LLC, a Delaware company headquartered in New York. Its accelerators are mentorship-driven: selected companies receive an investment, hands-on mentoring and access to a network of founders, investors and partners.

How Techstars accelerators work

A Techstars accelerator is not a grant. Techstars invests in each company it selects and takes equity in return: common stock, plus a convertible investment that turns into equity later. There is no fee to join. Programmes are run in named cities and around named industries, and many are sponsored or hosted by a corporate or government partner. Each programme has its own intake dates, listed on its page, and applications go through the Techstars application portal using the Apply Today button on the programme page.

Techstars also runs Startup Weekend events and Startup Week community festivals, and publishes toolkits, books and courses for founders.

Who can apply, and what it means for Indian founders

Techstars invests in US corporations or their foreign equivalents, or in holding companies. If a company is incorporated in a country Techstars has not approved, it has to complete a reorganisation, often called a flip, before Techstars can invest. Techstars gives an Indian-incorporated company as its own example: it needs to flip before Techstars can invest in it.

Before a commitment is made, Techstars runs checks on background, incorporation, ownership, intellectual property and bank accounts.

Techstars' programme list does not include an accelerator in India. The programmes below run in the US, the UK, the Netherlands or Japan, and some set their own conditions on who can join. The Anywhere Accelerator, for example, is for companies in North American time zones. An India-based team should read each programme's eligibility carefully and plan for the incorporation step before applying.

Programmes

The core Techstars Accelerator runs as separate batches in different cities and industries. New York is one of them. Others on the programme list include Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, London, Boulder, Amsterdam and Tokyo, plus industry batches such as health, space, food and energy.

The Techstars Anywhere Accelerator is remote-first. It is for companies in North American time zones and includes three in-person offsites in venture capital hubs. When we checked on 7 October 2026, applications were open with a final deadline of 18 November 2026, a start in March 2027 and a Demo Day in June 2027.

The Techstars Space Accelerator runs in partnership with the United States Space Force and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and backs space technology companies. Its 2026 applications closed in June 2026, and the batch began in September 2026 with a Demo Day in December 2026.

The Techstars Healthcare Accelerator powered by Permanente Medicine is run with the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, the exclusive care provider of Kaiser Permanente across Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland. It gives founders direct access to a value-based care system. Techstars reported that its 2026 cohort of nine startups was chosen from more than 1,200 applicants.

Techstars AI Health Baltimore is described as Techstars' flagship healthcare accelerator. It invests in AI-driven health startups building solutions that improve healthcare economics and patient outcomes.

The Techstars Tokyo Accelerator is sector-agnostic. It backs startups from Japan and abroad that are working on emerging technologies across industries. Techstars' accelerators in Asia-Pacific are offered on different investment terms from the rest of the network, so read the Tokyo programme page before you apply.

Techstars Founder Catalyst is different from the others. It is a 10-week pre-accelerator for founders at the pre-funding or idea stage. There is no equity exchange. Founders need domain expertise, a clear problem, a collaborative spirit and very little outside funding raised so far. The page currently only offers a sign-up to hear about future programmes.

Scale

Techstars reports its own numbers, and they do not all match. Its home page counts 11,171 founders, while its about page counts more than 10,900 founders accelerated. Both pages also state that Techstars has reached more than 150 countries and has 29 unicorns in its portfolio. These are Techstars' own claims, not figures we have checked.

Who runs it

Techstars Central LLC, a Delaware limited liability company headquartered in New York, operates the Techstars websites and is the contracting entity named in its terms of use. Its address is 228 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003. For a privacy request, Techstars lists a privacy inbox, but there is no general founder contact address on the pages we read, so apply through the programme pages.

Locations

Techstars is headquartered in New York. Its accelerator programmes are listed by city, including Baltimore and Tokyo, and the Anywhere programme is remote-first. Founders who want to apply from India should check each programme's location and incorporation requirements first.