Techstars' current deal is $220,000 per company¹:

$200,000 via an uncapped MFN SAFE
$20,000 via a Post-Money Convertible Equity Agreement (CEA)

Techstars takes 5% common stock (CEA) plus the SAFE conversion at the next priced round. See the official announcement for full details.¹

Techstars is a big name in the accelerator world, known for backing thousands of companies since 2006. Having watched them from a distance since their documentary series on Bloomberg circa ~2011 ^{2, 3, 4}, I'd argue they're the second most important accelerator in the world still, after [Y Combinator](https://ycombinator.com/). I went through Techstars NYC myself in Winter 2023/Spring 2024 with [aVenture.vc](https://aventure.vc), so I've seen the process up close. Below is a breakdown of how the Techstars investment has evolved, based on various sources over the years. Both for my work at aVenture regarding [Techstars](https://aventure.vc/investors/firms/techstars-boulder-co-us) along with analyzing my [own investment from Techstars](https://aventure.vc/companies/aventure-venture-capital-san-francisco-ca-usa), I had to search for this data a few times and found it hard to come by, so I thought I'd share it here. ## Historical Terms Breakdown | Program Period | Investment | Breakdown | Equity Terms | Notes | | -------------- | -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Fall 2025 | $220,000¹ | $200k uncapped [MFN SAFE](https://capbase.com/most-favored-nation-mfn-clause-in-startup-investing-what-it-is-and-how-it-works/)
$20k CEA | 5% common (CEA) + SAFE conversion | Uncapped [MFN SAFE](https://capbase.com/most-favored-nation-mfn-clause-in-startup-investing-what-it-is-and-how-it-works/), CEA for 5% common | | 2011–2024 | $120,000⁵ | $100k SAFE + $20k CEA | 6% common (CEA) + SAFE conversion | SAFE cap typically $10M; 20% discount | | 2011 | $118,000^6,7 | $100k convertible note + $18k direct equity | ~6% common (equity) + note conversion | Note converts at next priced round | | 2006–2010 | $6,000–$18,000⁵ | direct funding | ~6% common (equity) | Varies by year and location | ## References

1. Techstars Investment Terms (April 2025)

2. TechStars Show On Bloomberg TV (Feld Thoughts, Aug 2011)

3. TechStars (TV Series 2011-2012) - IMDb

4. Debuting Tonight: TechStars on Bloomberg TV

5. Techstars - Wikipedia

6. Another $100,000 For Every TechStars Company (Feld Thoughts, Sep 2011)

7. Techstars FAQs (Oct 2011 Archive)