Techstars is truly global; you'll see us continue to expand all our programs worldwide, including accelerators, our venture capital, as well as the UP Global programs including Startup Weekend, Startup Next, Startup Digest, etc.
David Cohen
Our goal is simply to make entrepreneurship more accessible to everyone around the world throughout the entrepreneurial journey, from inspiration to IPO.
Entrepreneurship transparency, I think, is important because there are so many problems that you just have to be real about them. There are so many ways for a startup to die, so the transparency attitude is key.
In Boulder entrepreneurship circles, there is a genuine desire to see others succeed and a general belief that karma matters. There's a sense that together we're building something here, and that we're all a meaningful part of it.
If I had a do over, I'd indubitably start investing in startups earlier in life!
We think of the Techstars product as not really the accelerator but the network. That's what entrepreneurs should be valuing here. I think it's the most undervalued thing that many entrepreneurs don't get.
I wish I had had more mentorship and more access, not only for capital, but the critical thinking.
Clearly, there is a gender imbalance when it comes to venture capital and entrepreneurship.
The rise of digital technologies has eroded boundaries: Anyone can participate, start a business, and reach a global audience.
There is no doubt that Boulder was a supportive and open-door community well before TechStars ever existed. But one of the things that I'm most proud of is that TechStars has provided a real focal point for this sort of activity and has brought attention to just how impactful one community can be when it works together.
I'm often asked what it takes to be 'Series A ready' in terms of metrics, progress, and traction. Unfortunately, there's no easy answer.
I think motivation and drive, coupled with raw talent, help make founders successful.
People are starting companies at young ages. They fail fast, learn a lot, and keep going.
At TechStars, I have the privilege of working with hundreds of the best and brightest start-up mentors on the planet. We coach our mentors to take a Socratic approach and to provide data rather than decisions.
What Techstars is fundamentally a global ecosystem in which entrepreneurs are enabled and empowered to bring new technologies to the market.
I think entrepreneurs should demand transparency for startup accelerators.
I've just always been interested in moving past the keyboard and mouse.
Techstars has done a great job accelerating and providing venture capital to the most promising companies to make the biggest long-term economic impact.
I think just calling up a VC and saying 'I want to pitch you' is an enormous waste of time.
Aspiring entrepreneurs are often advised to work at a startup for a couple of years first, to understand what's involved. But often, each company's approach to success is very narrow. So my advice is, 'Just do it.'
I'm most proud of helping so many others achieve their dreams as founders.
Consumers have zero time for products that are not simple, intuitive, and attractive to use. This is especially true with Internet products, where clean and useful design is a prerequisite to keeping anyone on your site for more than 30 seconds.
To have a diverse set of perspectives and backgrounds enables you to understand the market at large much more effectively.
You may have a small network, but growing that network has become easier with the use of social tools. LinkedIn, Conspire, even Facebook and Twitter allow you to grab branches that may have previously seemed out of reach.
If you're pitching to investors for the first time and expecting them to be so blown away by how thoroughly amazing your pitch is that they write a check on the spot - well, prepare to be disappointed.
We're pretty broad as investors. Our thesis is work with great entrepreneurs that believe they can change the world.
If I'm an entrepreneur and I have an idea, and I don't have the development talent around me but I need to find a developer, I would do my selection just like I would with hiring an employee.
I think entrepreneurs really appreciate directness and honesty, coupled with empathy.
Deciding whether or not to bring in an outside CEO is one of the most gut-wrenching decisions that a founder will ever need to make.
Meetings with no goal, also known as 'coffee shop' meetings, can be huge time wasters if you're not efficient with them. 'Always know why you're meeting, and make sure it's important - try to keep them to 30 minutes, max.
I think the best developers can learn any language; if they are a good developer, they can learn whatever. But the raw talent, the ability to learn it and do it and demonstrate the ability is helpful.
Twilio is a great example of a company executing tremendously well on its vision and delivering a beautiful set of products that solves real problems.
Rules designed to ensure competition ensure that innovators with new ideas can challenge incumbents on a level playing field.
In innovation, you're trying to create something from nothing.
People look up to Techstars because they get funded by Techstars; they go through the accelerator. What we do impacts what they do. What we care about we hope has a meta impact on those entrepreneurs and how they think about the world.
Focusing on the right priorities can help you do more faster.
Going public is one step in the life cycle of a company; it's not the last step.
There are not enough female VCs in an industry so traditionally dominated by males. There are not enough female mentors who are actively engaged with female founders. We need women VCs and entrepreneurs to stand up, get loud, and help guide their peers.
My attitude is there are at least hundreds of interesting startups that are going to get going in every year.
I've done a bunch of consulting; I've actually spent time in Singapore, England, Denmark, all over.
Part of the thing that's magic about TechStars is it's about a community that wants to make itself better.
The future is going to happen in Toronto or Berlin or Bengaluru and not necessarily in the Valley.
The more you're real with people, and the more you let people help you, the more they get to understand how you operate as an entrepreneur. The stronger that relationship is, then the more likely there's a future together in that relationship.
I'm an investor in a lot of things that have to do with human-computer interaction.
If you look at the history of innovation, the innovations coming through the defence department have been some of the most important innovations ever. Little things like drones, sensors, and the Internet of Things are defence-type initiatives, but the big one is the Internet itself.
We believe that startups can be built anywhere.
If you're not working on something you're passionate about, it's a long, hard road.
For most people, their home is their most valuable asset. Yet most of us don't take care of it.
Every year, it seems to be there are more people right out of college who are willing to jump into a start-up.
Company naming is a key part of the branding process, but it's subject to contrasting tastes and an illiquid domain name market that results in startups wasting their time during the branding process.
