Andres Barreto is the Managing Director of Techstars New York City, and Cord Brown is the Investment Associate on the team. Andres previously ran Techstars Boulder and Techstars Miami. Prior to joining Techstars as MD, Andres founded early mobile ad network Onswipe (Techstars 2011), pioneer music streaming service Grooveshark, Pre-Seed Fund Firstrock Capital, economic development-focused investment firm Socialatom Group, and computer science education non-profit Coderise. Cord began his career at Techstars as a Startup Sourcing Scout. Prior to Techstars, he led cohort operations and marketing at Founder Gym, an online training platform for early stage startup founders

This Is a Different Kind of Moment

Startups are easier to start than ever before. You can build faster, ship earlier, and reach customers with far less friction than even a few years ago. But building something that truly stands out now requires more. More clarity. More speed. More durability. There are simply more companies being built, more noise, and more competition for attention. The difference today is not access. It’s how quickly you learn, how clearly you think, and how effectively you execute. We’re excited about founders who understand that shift and are building with it in mind from day one.

Where We’re Leaning In

We’re generalists, but we see clear patterns in where the most compelling companies are emerging. These are areas where founders are building with real leverage and where we consistently see breakout potential. Not rigid themes, but strong signals of where things are going.

AI That Owns the Outcome

AI is moving toward systems that support execution across entire workflows. The most compelling products integrate deeply into how work gets done and improve outcomes at every step. We’re interested in systems that take responsibility for outcomes, not just outputs.

• Systems that compress multi-step workflows into a single continuous process

• Products that collapse service delivery into scalable systems with faster turnaround and lower marginal cost

• Systems that maintain context across steps instead of restarting from scratch on every task

Rebuilding Core Systems

Some of the most important systems are also the most constrained. Financial systems, enterprise workflows, and large-scale operational environments remain fragmented and inefficient. We’re drawn to founders rethinking these systems from the ground up.

• Systems that remove intermediaries or manual handoffs in fragmented workflows

• Infrastructure that becomes the central system of record for the workflow.

• Products that create a faster or more direct path between supply and demand

Data as Leverage

As AI becomes more accessible, the model itself is no longer the primary advantage. What matters is what your system learns over time. The most interesting companies are building products where usage creates an advantage.

• Systems that generate structured data as a byproduct of real workflows

• Workflows where outputs feed back into the system and improve future outcomes

• Products that capture decision quality signals

• Data layers built in environments where data is currently unstructured, offline, or inaccessible

Infrastructure for an Agent-Driven World

Software is beginning to act independently. Agents are making decisions, running workflows, and executing tasks across systems. This creates a need for new infrastructure that makes these systems reliable and trustworthy.

• Systems that log, verify, and explain automated decisions in real time

• Infrastructure that defines permissions, constraints, and guardrails for autonomous actions

• Platforms designed for machine-to-machine interaction rather than human interfaces

What This Means for Founders

This is a competitive environment, but it is also an open one. The founders who stand out are the ones closest to the problem, learning the fastest, and building something that improves with every iteration. They are not waiting. They are already in motion.

Why Techstars

Techstars NYC brings together a high signal network with a focused environment designed to help you move quickly. We work closely with founders to accelerate learning, tighten feedback loops, and get to real traction.

Apply

If you’re building something that feels important, inevitable, and hard, we’d love to meet you. Applications for our Fall program are open.

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