Pre-Seed Funding – The New Friends and Family Round
Techstars Rising Stars is a pre-seed fund investing in underrepresented founders of color in the U.S., which was deployed from 2022 through 2025. While the fund is now fully deployed, we continue to actively work with the existing portfolio of companies and fund many new companies each year through our accelerator programs globally.
Filling A Crucial Funding Gap for Underrepresented Founders
Friends and family funding is a critical early capital source for many startup founders. While great ideas can come from anywhere and anyone, not everyone has a built-in network they can tap into to bring their company to life. This missing friends and family funding holds back too many historically under-appreciated entrepreneurs in the United States. We aim to change this.
Techstars created Rising Stars to fill this crucial funding gap. Rising Stars is a pre-seed, pre-accelerator fund, deployed between 2022 - 2025, specifically structured to provide underrepresented founders in the U.S. with access to investment at the very beginning of their startup journey.
Rising Stars invested $100k in promising, but often overlooked, startups that would otherwise be ignored by traditional venture capital. Along with a financial boost, Techstars connects these founders with our worldwide network for unparalleled mentorship, real-world startup know-how, and access to opportunities for growth.
And, selection for Rising Stars put these founders on the best footing for future consideration to join one of our 50+ accelerator programs located throughout the U.S., and around the world. While the fund is now fully deployed, we remain committed to working with the founders within this portfolio as they continue to grow and evolve their companies.