Techstars was founded in Boulder, Colorado, in 2006 by David Cohen, Brad Feld, David Brown, and Jared Polis.
The program began as a mentorship-driven accelerator for technology startups. It provided selected founders with seed funding, structured mentoring, and access to an investor network, culminating in a public Demo Day.
Techstars is often compared with Y Combinator, but the organizations began in different years and locations. Techstars launched in Boulder, while Y Combinator was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2005.
The Techstars model helped popularize fixed-term accelerator programs in which startups receive intensive support over a short period. The company later expanded its accelerator network to cities around the world.