The Techstars program in Atlanta is set to go through some pretty significant changes following next week’s Demo Day, the culmination of the most recent cohort’s 13-week accelerator program.
As Managing Director Tim Dorr put it, it is best to think about it as Techstars Atlanta gearing up for its“Season Two.”
Season One was exclusively powered by Cox Enterprises, the corporate giant that has provided financial and in-person support to dozens of startups that have gone through the program since joining forces with Techstars in 2016.
Season Two will be about bringing in even more partners from across the Atlanta ecosystem as backers of the program. Dorr sees this as a way to get more of the Atlanta technology community involved in the program.
“This isn’t [Cox] pulling out at all,” Dorr added. “This is really making space for us to be able to support a new structure of a program. It’s not one company benefiting, but it’s also not one company burdened with all the work.”
Exact details on how Season Two will shape up are still being determined, but “the general plan is to better connect to the community,” Dorr added. “We want to make sure that if TechStars wins in Atlanta, Atlanta wins.”
David Cohen, The CEO of Techstars, will be in Atlanta on October 9 for Demo Day to address the audience about what changes are coming and to celebrate Techstars Atlanta’s success to date.
Techstars Atlanta Over The Years
Techstars Atlanta Powered By Cox Enterprises has been a staple part of the city’s innovation ecosystem over the last several years. Its Demo Days have been can’t-miss events at packed venues like The Eastern and The Tabernacle.
Locally-grown success stories that graduated from Techstars Atlanta include Bark Technologies, PadSplit, Motivo, MaxRewards, ServeScape, Sequr, SAWA (acquired by Mailchimp), OrderNerd (acquired by PopMenu), and many others.
The program has also brought startups from Canada, Israel, Latvia, and across the United States to the City of Atlanta for the program.
Preparing For Techstars Atlanta Demo Day 2024
This year, Techstars Atlanta’s Demo Day will be integrated into Venture Atlanta, one of the largest venture capital conferences and a cornerstone event on the Southeast’s startup calendar. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at The Woodruff Arts Center on the afternoon of October 9. In addition to the Demo Day presentations and after-party, this year’s Demo Day ticket provides access to Venture Atlanta’s keynote speaker session and a massive block party that will conclude the Venture Atlanta 2024 conference.
