Why you should apply to TechStars (and my tips on how to get in)

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“Should I apply?” = Stupid Question I almost didn’t include the “Why you should apply to TechStars Seattle” part of this post, because in my mind it’s just a ridiculous question.  Somehow it still comes up. We started at TechStars Seattle last fall with about three months of cash in the bank.  Within three months… Read More…

Jeff Bezos-backed Remitly announces free money transfers to the Philippines

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Seattle startup Remitly just announced pricing for its new international money-transfer service to the Philippines, and customers are probably going to like the price. Money transfers of more than $100 are free — if you’re willing to wait three business days. If the money needs to be wired immediately, Remitly plans to charge a flat… Read More…

Meet the 10 startups Microsoft just accepted into the TechStars Windows Azure accelerator

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Microsoft is back with a new crop of companies for its Windows Azure accelerator program, operated in conjunction with TechStars. The companies just started working today at Microsoft’s offices in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle, with each receiving $20,000 in startup capital, $60,000 in Azure credit and access to resources from BizSpark. We’ve… Read More…

Realty Mogul raises cash to bring crowdfunding to commercial real estate

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Realty Mogul, a recent graduate of MIcrosoft’s Windows Azure Accelerator, has raised $500,00 in seed funding from Gust CEO David S. Rose, Zillow board member Gordon Stephenson and serial entrepreneur and Sky Kruse. The company also announced that LA-based real estate investment company AH Capital recently used Realty Mogul — a crowdfunding platform that allows investments to… Read More…

Microsoft acquires cloud startup MetricsHub, taking hatchling under its wing

MetricsHub founder Charles Lammana pitching at the Windows Azure accelerator Demo Day

Well, that didn’t take long. Less than two months after graduating from the Microsoft Windows Azure accelerator, Bellevue-based MetricsHub has been acquired by … Microsoft.  Terms of the deal were not disclosed. It is the first acquisition of a company from the Windows Azure accelerator program, which was formed last year in conjunction with TechStars… Read More…

TechStars grad FlexMinder raises $1.4 million to better manage healthcare accounts

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The health care system in the U.S. remains a confusing landscape, which is creating all sorts of new business opportunities. FlexMinder, which aggregates and automates the reimbursement process for healthcare flexible spending accounts, believes its software can help solve an important piece of the health care puzzle.  And some investors agree. FlexMinder, a 2011 graduate… Read More…

Meet the 10 startups from the Windows Azure accelerator

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It’s not easy to stand in front of a packed room of angel investors and venture capitalists and ask for money. But on Thursday afternoon, that’s exactly what 10 entrepreneurs attempted to do as part of Microsoft Windows Azure accelerator, a new incubator program supported by TechStars.  After months of preparation, Socedo founder Aseem Badshah… Read More…

Tred speeds ahead with $1.7M, plans to change car shopping with driveway test drives

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One of my favorite pitches at the TechStars Demo Day last November was a tiny company called Tred that had a big idea: Transform the way people test drive and buy new cars. Founder Grant Feek summed up the concept in one line, telling the audience that they allow car shoppers to “test drive from your… Read More…

Bing Fund gives a big, fat kiss to online dating site LikeBright

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LikeBright, the online dating site that taps into the power of social networks to find one’s perfect match, has found a new mate of its own. The Seattle startup is announcing today that it has linked arms with the Bing Fund, the newly-formed investment vehicle of Microsoft’s search engine. It marks the first investment by… Read More…

Looking to stay in front of the pack, Nike partners with TechStars on new incubator

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Maybe this new incubator will help play a part in the tennis shoe of the future. Nike and TechStars today announced the formation of the Nike+ Accelerator in which 10 startup companies will be invited to participate in the three month startup program. Nike said the goal is to ”build offerings that inspire and assist people to live… Read More…