From a Humble Beginning to a Worldwide Entrepreneur Network

by Jason Mendelson

It’s crazy when I think that Techstars is ten years old. I “met” Techstars when I had beers with David Cohen at the Lazy Dog in Boulder in 2006. Meeting David was a truly memorable experience. I instantly realized that I was speaking to one of the most thoughtful people that I’d ever met. My opinion has not changed today.

At the time, Techstars was nothing but an idea with the theory that it would most likely help make the Boulder startup scene stronger. Being new to town, I was immediately attracted to the idea of getting involved and having the chance to work with David. But wow…. Even though my job as a venture capitalist is to see the future, I had no idea what Techstars would turn out to be.

What started out ten years ago as a single class of risk-taking entrepreneurs, has turned out to be the most powerful entrepreneur network in the world. The unprecedented connective tissue that binds founders, mentors, partners and Techstars staff around the world simply astounds me when I think about its humble beginnings.

Happy birthday Techstars! It’s been an awesome decade and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

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