TechStars, the startup accelerator that’s “tougher to get into than Harvard,” is today announcing its third NYC program, which is kicking off on March 14th.
If you’re unfamiliar with TechStars, you’ll want to check out the tale of how TechStars washed up on New York‘s shore and how the then 29-year old David Tisch, a born and bred Manhattanite had wooed TechStars’ founder David Cohen into letting him lead 11 startups in TechStars’ inaugural New York program.
A handful of brilliant companies have emerged from the accelerator, and the first class was so impressive that Bloomberg turned the 3-month program into a reality TV show. Over the past year, TechStars has funded 23 companies, 21 of those went onto raise over $50m after the program.
Now, out of 1,500 applicants, here are the 14 companies chosen for TechStars Spring 2012 in NYC:
10 Sheet
10 Sheet, from Vancouver, Canada, is a modern bookkeeping service that frees you from costly bookkeepers and complicated software.
➤ 10 Sheet
Markover
Markover, from NY, NY, wants to open up the creative process. “We want creators of all shapes and sizes, from type lovers to sketchers to painters to UX designers to be able to get feedback on the work they are passionate about. But, until now, it’s been really difficult to do that.”
➤ Markover
Bondsy
Bondsy, from Brooklyn, NY, is the the social network of things. Revive your stuff and discover things you enjoy.
➤ Bondsy
Moveline
Moveline, from Blacksburg, Virginia, makes it easy for people who are preparing for a long-distance move to quickly gather the information they need to save money and make smart moving decisions. The team hopes to make it simple for people to learn about their options for moving their stuff and answer important questions like “how much will it cost to hire a moving company?” and “what size truck do I need?”
➤ Moveline
Classtivity
Classtivity, from NY, NY, is home to thousands of classes, easily searchable and bookable by you. Why? Because finding a class shouldn’t be harder than taking one.
Pickie
Pickie, from NY, NY, is operating in the ” Social Commerce” space. It’s in complete stealth mode right now, but we’ll add more details as they surface.
➤ Pickie
Condition One
Condition One, from NY, NY, is a technology company developing next generation immersive video applications. Our flagship product is an embeddable immersive video player for the iPad, which we license to media companies and brands. It allows for easy adoption by seamlessly integrating with existing video production workflows.
Rewind.me
Rewind.me, from Philadephia, PA, is a New York City-based startup that helps people create, manage, and benefit from a new personal asset: their digital history.
Droptype
Droptype, from Miami, FL, is another stealth startup with the promise of simple content publishing.
➤ Droptype
SmallKnot
SmallKnot, from Brooklyn, NY, is a social lending platform for your community. Right now, it comes across as a localized Kickstarter where you actually get repaid in the end (reminds me of micro loans).
Karma
Karma, from Amsterdam, Netherlands, is a simplified mobile provider for travelers.
➤ Karma
StockTouch
StockTouch, from NY, NY, hopes to revolutionize finance with mobile data visualization.
Lua
Lua Technologies, from NY, NY, is a digital tool for entertainment production that helps teams communicate, collaborate, and build community on site.
➤ Lua
Wander
Wander, from NY, NY, is in stealth, but leaves hints about places you’ll go and getting lost. The teams’s launch page is particularly compelling.
➤ Wander
It’s interesting to see how some of the companies are already operating, while others are keeping their lips shut tight. With startups like these in such an early stage, it’s not surprising to see them staying in private beta.
Along with the new class, TechStars is moving into Foursquare’s original office at 36 Cooper Square. Also new this year, 6 out of the 14 companies have a female founder and 5 are CEO’s — that’s just plain awesome.
Demo day for this class will take place mid-June at Webster Hall, and we’re excited to watch these companies grow in the mean time!
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