As part of its commitment to drive innovation and entrepreneurship, Cox Enterprises announced it will launch Techstars Atlanta, an accelerator program for technology startups. Located at Ponce City Market, Techstars Atlanta will annually select a group of 10 startups to participate in a three-month program that provides expertise, funding and office space to help them accelerate their businesses.
Techstars is an internationally recognized accelerator program that boosts entrepreneurs’ early stage business and product development efforts through focused education, mentorship and funding.
“As a technology company, Cox Enterprises is committed to driving and inspiring innovation,” said Cox Enterprises Executive Vice President Alex Taylor. “Techstars is a fantastic program. The mentorships help accelerate startups, while also injecting a strong dose of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit into the community.”
Cox Enterprises has launched several startup companies and transformed them into large-scale, successful businesses, including Autotrader and NextGear.
Both Cox Enterprises and Techstars share a common goal of catalyzing the entrepreneurial community in and around Atlanta, similar to startup communities across the globe. The Techstars program has operated in Austin, Boston, Berlin, Detroit, London, New York and Seattle, among other locations.
“Atlanta has an entrepreneurial ecosystem that continues to draw startups to our area,” said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. “Cox Enterprises is Georgia’s largest private company and one of metropolitan Atlanta’s leading businesses. I am pleased Cox is investing in our city and region by supporting our start-up economy and creating an exciting, fast-paced culture of business and technology innovation.”
The Techstars Atlanta program will be based on the premise that life’s most important connections are happening in new and exciting ways. Social media platforms, cloud-based data, predictive analytics and cyber security are thoroughly interwoven in our daily lives. The businesses of tomorrow will need to aggregate and share vast amounts of information in creative new ways.
To help achieve that vision, the three-month Techstars program culminates with Demo Day, where approximately 100-200 angel investors and venture capitalists learn about the participants’ businesses. Approximately 75 percent of Techstars’ participants have received follow-on funding and/or become profitable soon after the conclusion of their three-month program.
“Techstars believes that great entrepreneurs are everywhere and Atlanta is no exception,” said Techstars’ Co-Founder and Managing Partner David Brown. “With a dynamic startup community, Atlanta is a leader when it comes to innovation in the southern U.S. We are excited to partner with Cox Enterprises to rally the broader Atlanta business community around this powerful and fast-growing startup community.”
Techstars Atlanta is seeking applicants that are focused on social media platforms, cloud-based data, predictive analytics and cybersecurity that will drive positive change in this interconnected world. Applications will be accepted today through March 20,
Applications will be accepted today through March 20, 2016 at http://www.techstars.com/programs/atlanta-program/. The first program will take place in Summer 2016.
