TechStars and R/GA Team to Support Hardware Development

I’m a mentor for the NYC Techstars program. Along with some other amazing mentors, we get to help early stage companies grow in a structured environment. If you are not familiar with the program, Techstars offers up to $120,000 in funding and access to a HUGE network of mentors, founders, and investors -- all rolled into an intensive three-month class. They now have another mission: helping early-stage hardware and connected-device companies get off the ground to become the next Beats by Dre or Nest.

To do so, Techstars has partnered with R/GA, a leading agency for design, branding, and product development to create the R/GA Accelerator. Startups selected to participate in the accelerator work in R/GA’s in-house labs to design, develop and validate innovative physical products. And it’s all happening right here in NYC. This is local and this is LEGIT.

The next session of the program is run by Jenny Fielding, managing director at Techstars, who most recently spearheaded investments for the BBC and also founded BBC Labs, an award-winning program for early-stage digital media companies in the UK. She’s now turning her sights to hardware, tapping into an emerging genre of products that combine hardware, design, data, and software in new and innovative ways.

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PRO TIP (Interested in applying) : The program kicks off on October 20 in NYC. Participants receive up to $120,000 plus 150 hours of R/GA services. Applications are open thru August 25, 2014 so apply here, quick!

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

One of the program’s success stories is Grove Labs, making indoor gardening affordable and accessible with their plant growing appliance. The Boston-based company worked with R/GA to help refine, develop, and brand the product, ultimately raising more than $2M following the program’s investor demo day.

Producing hardware is not an easy task. With programs such as Techstars, it becomes easier to give creators the ability to tap into local resources. The future is bright for new products being conceived in the USA. Let’s get excited and build something. Hustle ON.