= Overview =
Add '''[[techstars.com|TechStars]]''' is a global network that is designed to help entrepreneurs succeed. Their primary tool to help entrepreneurs succeed is their startup accelerator. They choose 300 companies per year, invest $120k, and connect them with mentors to support their startups. Their accelerator success rates are incredible. According to their website (as of 1/9/2017), they have supported 1274 companies, with 90% of them either active or acquired. Through their accelerator, they have raised over $4.4B, creating a market capitalization of the companies of over $11.4B.<p style="text here-align: center;">http://www.techstars.com/uploads/Techstars-Meta-Back-up.png</p>---- In addition to their accelerator program, Techstars supports a wide variety of outlets to become involved in the startup community. Techstars hosts startup weekends across the United States and abroad where the participants experience first-hand the success, failures, and strain a startup goes through. They interact with a number of mentors, potential cofounders, and investors that help ideate problems and generate business from the ground-up. Finally, Techstars has corporate and network sponsorships that help connect the startup community to companies and influential mentors across the world.Techstars allows for companies to cultivate new startup accelerators.They highlight that this program can also help source fresh ideas through mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
= Purpose =