Techstars
Techstars is an internationally recognized startup accelerator that helps entrepreneurs boost their early-stage businesses and product development efforts through education and funding. For 90 days, 10 startups work in a creative space in the heart of midtown Atlanta, receiving expert counsel and support from a network of more than 100 local mentors — including dozens of Cox employees. The program concludes with a Demo Day presentation, during which the companies pitch their business ideas to Cox executives and a crowd of potential investors from around the world. Cox Enterprises was a founding sponsor of Techstars Atlanta and has remained the presenting sponsor since 2016. Techstars Social Impact powered by Cox Enterprises was launched in 2020 to support startups addressing social and environmental challenges.
Accomplishments
One of Cox’s primary goals in our Techstars partnership is to elevate the city of Atlanta’s status as a tech hub and center for innovation. Now with its seventh class, Techstars Atlanta has helped dramatically alter the startup landscape in Atlanta, creating a burgeoning network of successful entrepreneurs with growing businesses. Techstars Atlanta has helped launch 100 companies, with 50 percent of the entire portfolio based in Atlanta. Collectively, these companies have raised more than $210 million since completing the program. Our Techstars portfolio includes a healthy mix of enterprise and consumer-focused companies run by founders with diverse backgrounds in a variety of industries.
Bundle
Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
A marketplace ad platform for resale boutiques, consignment stores and individual sellers to connect to buyers all over the world. Bundle is the number one destination for children’s and baby resale apparel and accessories.
Coworks
Raleigh, N.C.
Software that provides operators of flexible workspace/innovation hubs what they need to better manage their members and spaces through data, automation and member engagement.
DwellSocial
Chicago, Ill.
A platform that helps you take better care of your home by aggregating demand for all your seasonal home projects and services, sourcing professional referrals from users and group members, and then leveraging the power of your group to negotiate competitive bids with group discounts for everyone.
Eletype
Atlanta, Ga.
A marketing operations platform enabling marketing teams to quickly respond to issues and opportunities in their campaigns and across their MarTechstack.
MaxRewards
Atlanta, Ga.
An app that helps consumers manage their credit cards and maximize their rewards.
Meeter
Tysons Corner, Va.
A community events platform that bridges event engagement into giving success.
RentCheck
New Orleans, La.
A mobile app that standardizes move-in and move-out inspections between renters and landlords by providing a guided walk-through, bringing transparency and accountability to the security deposit deduction process.
StreetMetrics
Birmingham, Ala.
StreetMetrics uses location data to help brands tell better stories both online and in the real world by providing third-party media measurement and insights for vehicle advertising.
Talented
Durham, N.C.
A mobile-first web platform and creative studio that converts creator’s professional development content into gamified micro-courses that drive real world action, growth and impact.
WeStock
Fort Lee, N.J.
A crowdstocking platform that lets shoppers request products at their local retailer. WeStock turns those requests into actionable data sets for brands and retailers to expedite product placement. WeStock then notifies and rewards the customer when the product hits the shelf.
BigTeam
Atlanta, GA
A platform that allows modern marketing, product, customer experience, and innovation teams to generate actionable feedback from employees, clients, and stakeholders.
CaribShopper
Miami, FL
A platform that enables underbanked customers in developing nations with the ability to participate in e-commerce by providing them with accessible cash-to-credit facilities and simplified freight-forwarding.
Case Status
Charleston, SC
An application that assists attorneys in keeping clients up-to-date on case status, allowing them to focus on more high-value work.
Cemento
Tel Aviv, Israel
A commercial real estate construction collaboration application for general contractors and subcontractors that provides visibility to all stakeholders to ensure that projects are delivered on time and on budget.
CommissionTrac
Atlanta, GA
A cloud-based software for commercial real estate firms that streamlines tedious back office accounting and commission management.
Fixel
Tel Aviv, Israel
A fully-autonomous platform that helps marketers create and manage more efficient customer segments by ranking them based on their level of engagement.
Motivo
Chattanooga, TN
An online platform that connects aspiring mental health professionals seeking licensure with clinical supervisors through live, HIPAA-compliant video.
PadSplit
Atlanta, GA
A solution for landlords that enables them to provide affordable shared living experiences to the workforce.
PowerSpike
Albany, NY
A platform that connects streamers with brands in a fully-managed eSports influencer marketing platform.
SAWA
Cincinnati, OH
A virtual graphic designer that allows teams to create consistent, branded designs for commonly needed communications.
2ULaundry
Charlotte, NC
On-demand laundry and dry cleaning services.
Bloveit
Atlanta, GA
Curated date night experiences.
Collider Tech
Chattanooga, TN
Stand-alone, end-to-end additive manufacturing technology.
Farmcrowdy
Lagos, Nigeria
Crowdfunding for small-scale agriculture.
Fraudmarc
Atlanta, GA
Cyber security service aimed at protecting corporate identity.
Landing Lion
Atlanta, GA
Landing pages for the modern marketer.
MoQuality
Atlanta, GA
AI platform for mobile QA.
TheMonetizr
Riga, Latvia
In-game monetization platform for merchandise purchases.
Rapid RMS
Chattanooga, TN
Retail POS system for fuel service stations and convenience stores.
Vlipsy
Canton, OH
Video clip soundboard.
Bark Technologies
Savannah, GA
Bark protects children by detecting messages that contain cyberbullying, sexting and signs of depression or suicidal thoughts using NLP and machine learning techniques to maintain a child’s privacy and preventing parents from having to spend hours reading their activity.
Drizzle
Los Angeles, CA
Drizzle gives website owners an incredibly easy way to let their visitors pay for premium content. You can choose to charge a-la-carte for your content, or offer your visitors a subscription to access all of your content.
Fitspot
Los Angeles, CA
Trying to cram a workout into your busy schedule? Fitspot lets you book one-on-one sessions with certified fitness trainers when and where you want. Plan ahead – or start in as little as 30 minutes.
Joonko
Tel Aviv, Israel
Identify and solve gender bias in your workplace, as it happens!
LaaSer
Atlanta, GA
Thousands of lives are lost each year due to incorrect location information being sent to 911 operators over existing mobile phone network technology. Calls are often routed to the wrong jurisdiction, address and latitude and longitude information are often wrong or not provided at all, and people lose their lives or suffer more than they had to as a result. Our company and our products were created for the sole purpose of solving this problem.
Preesale
Brussels, Belgium
Multiply your sales channels by increasing your tickets sales on Facebook. Easily connect your Facebook app to your Facebook page, create your tickets in less than 5 minutes and sell to targeted customers, and promote your events on Facebook – the best platform to target your attendees.
Real Meal Delivery
Atlanta, GA
Skip the stress of meal planning and grocery shopping! Fresh, made-from-scratch meals are prepared daily by our chef. Just order by 4PM and let your family enjoy the hot, fresh food delivered to your door.
Sequr
Atlanta, GA
Sequr is the first ever visitor management system for communities using call boxes. They increase security by replacing permanent PIN codes with dynamic, time-sensitive PIN codes. The best thing about Sequr? They can do remote setup on any callbox anywhere in the world.
Splitty
Tel Aviv, Israel
Split your way to a better hotel deal! Choose your destination and dates, and Splitty’s “split and match” technology combines different reservation types to find the cheapest hotel stays for the dates that you want to travel.
UCIC
Waterloo, Canada
Ask and see live photo or video from anywhere in the world, right now.
Arrived
Seattle, WA
Home ownership, 1% at a time. Arrived is a marketplace for investing in homes. We buy homes, break them into smaller shares, and offer them as investments in 1% ownership blocks.
AutoDo-It
Alpharetta, GA
AutoDo-It is a one-stop-shop community and e-commerce (market-network) platform built to empower the DIY and DIFM (Do-It-for-Me) Automotive Markets.
BOS Framework
Nashville, TN
Set up your new project in the cloud with CI/CD and built-in functionality in under 5 minutes.
Growth Collective
Atlanta, GA
Hire the world’s best freelance marketers in 2 days or less.
Screen reader support enabled.
MealMe
Atlanta, GA
MealMe is a food delivery app.
Please Assist Me
Washington, D.C.
Please Assist Me is an all-in-one home management app that allows you to come home to everything done.
Poppy
Washington, D.C.
Poppy is a new, more streamlined and transparent way to buy wedding and event flowers, powered by a distributed network of floral designers working from home.
Swivl
Denver, CO
Simplifying AI training
This App Saves Lives
Philadelphia, PA
This App Saves Lives (“TASL”), a free mobile app that rewards drivers who choose not to engage in phone-based distracted driving.
Treasure
Toronto, Canada
Treasure is a debit card and financial literacy app for kids.
Focal Point
Atlanta, GA
Offers procurement management tools for organizations to maximize spend on third parties, while ensuring safe and secure transactions.
Hello Audio
San Diego, CA
An audio streaming platform for businesses and coaches to share private audio feeds with their customers.
Nectar
Atlanta, GA
Creates innovative economic units, or pods in the co-living, short-term rental, self-storage, and covered parking spaces.
OrderNerd
Atlanta, GA
Online platform that streamlines management of delivery services into an app to improve the experience of staff and customers.
Punchlist
Atlanta, GA
Allows feedback to and from teammates by adding an annotation layer over websites and images to ease collaboration.
ReRent
New Haven, CT
Helps students avoid debt and save money by monetizing their apartments during the times of the year they are away.
ServeScape
Atlanta, GA
A company evolving the nursery business to save landscape professionals time and money and offer better plants delivered sooner.
Upkid
Salt Lake City, UT
Network of trained substitutes for childcare providers.
Washbnb
Milwaukee, WI
Eliminates the need for Airbnb hosts to do laundry.
Taking the guesswork out of DEI to help organizations unleash the creative powers of an inclusive, diverse workforce.
Equipping early career women with the tools, strategies, and community to unlock their full potential.
The first digital platform for top tattoo artists to display their work and find their next customer.
Rethinking the way families rescue their memories with a digital assistant to bring them all together in one place.
A digital family assistant for helping loved ones with special needs take care of critical priorities across health, education, and life.
Using AI to generate authentic and relevant brand and audience personas to drive effective content strategy.
Providing access to integrative healthcare through a secure online community and offline on-demand space.
The world’s first wig rental service, making a fresh hairstyle accessible, sustainable and budget-friendly.
An online marketplace for enthusiasts to buy and sell automotive parts safely and securely from around the world or right next door.
An all-in-one health journal for managing chronic conditions, tracking symptoms and enhancing self-care.
Providing first-generation students with the resources they need to become college- and career-ready.
Empowering people with disabilities to make informed decisions and live confidently and independently.
ACT House
Tallahassee, Fla.
A premier co-living incubator enabling young innovators to grow their skills, develop entrepreneurial mindsets and create new products and services.ACT House: A premier co-living incubator enabling young innovators to grow their skills, develop entrepreneurial mindsets and create new products and services.
BestFit
Atlanta, Ga.
An app that provides students with the resources and insights to find colleges that are an academic, social and financial fit.
Blue Studios
New York, N.Y.
Provides STEM classes for kids on their schedules in the convenience of their homes.
Civic Dinners
Atlanta, Ga.
Offers a thoughtfully designed series of conversations on key topics that can help organizations build a more inclusive culture with employees, stakeholders, customers and the greater community.
Kai XR
Oakland, Calif.
Creates inclusive and accessible mixed reality spaces that allow kids to explore, dream and create.
EnMass Energy
Durham, N.C.
A micro-utility focused on generating baseload electricity using agricultural waste products, designed to reduce energy poverty and mitigate climate change.
Forefront
New York, N.Y.
A premier training provider helping Fortune 1000 firms and emerging tech companies adapt to the future of work and its diverse workforce.
Healthy Hip Hop
Kansas City, Mo.
Encouraging students and teachers to get active through music, movement and a message.
Invincible
San Jose, Calif.
Inspiring families living with health issues through creative approaches to solve old problems.
Make Music Count
Atlanta, Ga.
An innovative math curriculum that teaches students how to master fractions, graphing and algebra through popular music on the piano.
Acclinate
Birmingham, Ala.
Educates and engages diverse individuals to make informed decisions about genomic research and clinical trial participation.
Co:census
New York, N.Y.
Enhances equity in social surveys intended to assess community needs for people of color and/or with limited English proficiency.
COMMUNITYx
Los Angeles, Calif.
Enables users to create and scale cause-driven communities that are ready to mobilize, from anywhere in the world.
Empowrd
Atlanta, Ga.
Personalizes and guides civic engagement experiences that inspire, inform and enable civic participation.
Govrn
San Francisco, Calif.
Makes politics simple, transparent and effective for people who want democracy to be more trustworthy.
JusticeText
Irvine, Calif.
Strengthens the ability of public defenders to analyze critical video and audio data by enabling users to upload body camera footage, interrogation videos, courtroom proceedings and jail calls.
Legal Equalizer
Atlanta, Ga.
Connects people with five eyewitnesses, shares legal information and alerts loved ones in real-time during law enforcement encounters.
Minwo
Woodbridge, Va.
Uncovering and amplifying the needs of Black businesses by matching them with organizations that have set specific missions to support and develop Black businesses and their founders
STRE.ME
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Creates unique educational experiences for individuals to learn how to manage their biases in a safe, convenient and confidential manner.
Unpacking
Tempe, Ariz.
Builds culturally competent teams through an online learning platform that navigates historical context, real world scenarios and interactive gaming.
Dreami
USA
A web application that provides an end-to-end solution for launching, maintaining, tracking and scaling career mentorship.
ConConnect
USA
A networking platform geared at advancing formerly incarcerated individuals by modernizing the way they access services, resources and are viewed by fair chance employers.
Masa
USA
A digital marketplace platform for locals to sell and buy fresh goods directly from one another with just a few clicks.
Mini City
USA
Provides technology solutions to help our nation’s homeless obtain identification and connect to much needed benefits, like housing, government assistance and employment.
Rego
USA
AI-powered technology that prevents useable furniture from ending up in landfills or dumped on the street.
SenseGrass
USA
A soil intelligence platform that combines AI-based recommendations and soil sensors to deliver real-time soil health analyses and targeted nutrient management.
Vertru
USA
Uses advanced technology to monitor and predict supply chain sustainability risk.
WeChipN
USA
A marketing platform that hosts socially good campaigns that are funded by companies and promoted by everyday people.
WellMiss
USA
A femtech, modern wellness startup that provides women on-demand access to centralized holistic 360-degree integrative wellness care.
Wundergrubs
USA
An agtech start-up that uses IoT technology to sustainably grow and harvest organically fed human-grade edible insects.
Providing equitable communication and management practices for college admissions offices seeking diverse students.
A free, nonpartisan tool for voters in federal, state and local elections that breaks down what is on their ballot and why it matters.
An app for organizations that have a recycling contamination problem, allowing their users to know the recyclability of materials with a single picture.
Supporting regenerative farmers with business services so they can produce food that regenerates ecosystems and nourishes people.
Building affordable, healthy and sustainable homes and buildings with blocks made of sustainable geopolymer concrete.
A first-of-its-kind period brand that uses products made of regenerative materials to reduce the carbon footprint of period products.
An enterprise human resources software solution that connects companies to Black and Latinx professionals.
Streamlining planning, coaching and collaboration in one platform for K-12 schools struggling to retain teachers due to burnout.
Team
Tim Dorr
Managing Director
Tim Dorr is the Managing Director of Techstars. He is a co-founder of Salesloft, one of the largest startups to come out of Atlanta with a $2.3B valuation. Prior to that, he created the first coworking space in Atlanta, Ignition Alley, was an entrepreneur-in-residence (EIR) at the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) at Georgia Tech, and has been an advisor at Atlanta Tech Village.
Hannah Turner
Investment Associate
Hannah Turner is the Investment Associate for Techstars. Prior to joining, she worked in the nonprofit sector for organizations like Fernbank Museum of Natural History and Zoo Atlanta. Her background includes event planning, operations, marketing and sales. She’s married to an entrepreneur and has two kids.
Anastasia Simon
Investment Principal
Anastasia Simon is the investment principal for Techstars. She brings almost a decade of experience in the startup ecosystem, ranging from marketing and business development to venture capital and community building. Anastasia is an experienced operator who has designed programming for the first fully virtual incubator for early-stage protech companies, managed strategic partnerships with companies like Google for Startups, True Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, and Goodwin Procter, and served as a mentor during Facebook’s North American Community Accelerator. Prior to this role, she served as program director at Founder Gym, the No. 1 training program teaching underrepresented founders how to raise venture capital.
Mentor Spotlight
Abhi Ghosh
SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER
COX COMMUNICATIONS
Tim Howe
Associate Vice President, Strategic Planning, Healthcare
Cox Enterprises
Kim Mackenzie
Sr Manager, Strategy & Corporate Development
Cox Enterprises
Josh McClung
Chief Operating Officer, Cox Farms
COX ENTERPRISES
Vickie Rodgers
vice president of sales
Cox Communications
Maury Wolfe
Vice President, Corporate Responsibility & Social Impact
Cox Enterprises
Abhi Ghosh
SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER
COX COMMUNICATIONS
“The #GiveFirst ethos of Techstars creates a perpetual cycle of value that ensures mentors singularly focus on the best interest of their founders, from finding the right relationships and opportunities, to recognizing and discussing their blind spots, and perhaps most importantly, providing a safe space in which to freely discuss challenges. Having this relationship is a great responsibility but also a tremendous honor.”
Tim Howe
Associate Vice President, Strategic Planning, Healthcare
Cox Enterprises
“Being a techstars mentor is mutually rewarding experience that often lasts beyond the time in the accelerator. Working with Entrepreneurs is energizing. They are problem solvers working at a lighting pace. Engaging with them helps to shape my own perspective and approach to business creation. It is rewarding to be able to contribute in some way to these amazing people’s journey as they look to make an impact with their business.”
Kim Mackenzie
Sr Manager, Strategy & Corporate Development
Cox Enterprises
“As a company that’s continually leaning into change, we’re proud to support a venture ecosystem where innovation is born and given support to scale. Our partnerships allow us front row access to the best and the brightest and empower entrepreneurship at every stage. Their grit and determination is nothing short of inspiring.”
Josh McClung
Chief Operating Officer, Cox Farms
COX ENTERPRISES
“Techstars mentorship provides me access to innovation across a broad spectrum – like media, cyber security and e-commerce. The diversity of problems and solutions helps keep me on the front end of technology and industry evolution while also enabling me to leverage and apply learnings from other sectors to my own. I am also able to broaden my network amongst inspiring founders and accomplished mentors. Techstars is an all-around great platform for innovation, learning and relationships.”
Vickie Rodgers
vice president of sales
Cox Communications
“I enjoy the strategy and planning aspect of startups. Many of these entrepreneurs are strong in engineering or product development, but they may not have a sales and marketing background. Many times, I can help them take a great idea and better think through how they would develop their go-to-market strategy.”
Maury Wolfe
Vice President, Corporate Responsibility & Social Impact
Cox Enterprises
“Startup entrepreneurs who are trying to fundamentally solve big problems in innovative ways will feel right at home working with Cox mentors and leadership. Social responsibility is embedded in our business strategy here at Cox. It’s why we are making key investments like Techstars that both drive innovation and enhance our communities.”