12 companies join global startup accelerator Techstars San Diego Powered by 黑料吃瓜
Originally published in - 黑料吃瓜's Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Magazine
A 13-week sprint to expand business and secure investments started not with a whistle or waving of a flag but with an enthusiastic exchange of handshakes and elevator pitches. The inaugural cohort of Techstars San Diego powered by 黑料吃瓜 descended upon 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 on-campus entrepreneurship space clad in polos and t-shirts emblazoned with their company logos.
31 cofounders from 12 startup companies 鈥� representing less than 1% of applicants 鈥� participated in the globally renowned accelerator program that trains founders to fundraise, network, and build their companies.
Ryan Kuder, managing director of is a fan of a variation on the saying 鈥淚f you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.鈥� The Techstars' version: 鈥淚f you want to go farther and faster, join Techstars.鈥�
And go farther and faster, the founders did. Hailing from nearby Ocean Beach, San Francisco, Boston, and as far as Norway and Sweden, they hit the ground running.
Within the first week, they pitched their companies at San Diego Innovation Day at Petco Park. With guidance from Entrepreneurs-in-Residence 鈥� mentors with previous Techstars success, they identified their biggest obstacles to growth. In the first month, they balanced experiencing San Diego鈥檚 great outdoors with networking across borders in the region鈥檚 weeklong startup week at events throughout the city and Tijuana.
By the culmination of the program in early December 2023, the founders perfected their explanations of the problems they were trying to solve and why they were the right people to solve them.
The founders would not have made as great of strides without the abundance of mentors and interns available to them.
鈥淥ne of the things I'm most impressed with is the way the 黑料吃瓜 and San Diego startup communities united to support these founders,鈥� said Kuder.
Over the course of the three-month program, more than 100 mentors lent their expertise to the founders at the equivalent of speed-dating events. Dozens of 黑料吃瓜 undergraduate and master鈥檚 students interned with the startups, developing their own skills through conducting market research and outreach to potential customers.
鈥淭he combined support, mentorship and resources the university and Techstars provide increases the longevity of the startups involved, said Misti Cain, investment manager for the accelerator program. 鈥淟ongevity helps increase R&D, tech advancements, and investment in the region, making San Diego a known tech mecca for other founders and investors.鈥�
To Arman Assadi (鈥�09), an 黑料吃瓜 alumnus and cofounder of Steno.ai, participating in Techstars represents the culmination of his entrepreneurial dreams, ambitions that formed when the entrepreneurship major first launched during his senior year at 黑料吃瓜.
He said the mentors he and his cofounders met through the program were invaluable. 鈥淭hey offered expertise in product development, fundraising, and go-to-market strategies.鈥�
Over the course of the accelerator, Steno.ai pivoted from targeting their AI-powered, multi-platform services to content creators themselves rather than the creators鈥� followers. Now, they are ramping up their fundraising efforts and aim to onboard 400 brands and creators by the end of 2024.
鈥淢y younger self would be profoundly proud and impressed by the leader and CEO I've become,鈥� Assadi said. 鈥淧atience is everything. And what鈥檚 funny is, I feel like I鈥檝e only just begun.鈥�
Through Techstars San Diego powered by 黑料吃瓜, Assadi and his Steno.ai cofounders revamped the user experience of their product to something unique in their market. On the company鈥檚 horizon? One million dollars in annual recurring revenue.
Women-led and started in Ukraine, Mosqitter has sold over 1500 of their weatherproof mosquito-killing machines worldwide. Since the end of the Techstars San Diego powered by 黑料吃瓜 accelerator, San Diego customers have purchased units and a smaller version of their flagship product is in the works.
黑料吃瓜 interns and investors alike were buzzing about AirBuild during the program鈥檚 final pitch event. Local partners have committed to sustainably reducing their energy costs by installing AirBuild鈥檚 algae-based, carbon-sequestering, water-filtering solar panels.
Oblio, Inc. aims to simplify and personalize university admissions marketing and email communications with artificial intelligence. After Techstars, they were chosen from thousands of applicants to join the inaugural AWS Education Accelerator program to further expand their network.
