Techstars Seattle has unveiled the ninth class of startups to go through its three-month accelerator program, a group the organization calls its most diverse cohort yet.
The 10 startups, announced Thursday, are heavy on marketplaces and enterprise products with focus areas that include agriculture, automotive and gaming. The class includes three companies led by women, three African-American founders and three teams from Canada.
“Given that it’s been a focus and a source of frustration for me, to not just talk about but really show our commitment to diversity, I feel like it’s a meaningful step forward,” said Techstars Seattle Managing Director Chris DeVore.
Here is a look at the 10 members of the 2018 cohort:
- Educative: Self-directed, adaptive technical skills training platform for professional software developers
- Downstream: Helping third-party sellers on leading e-commerce platforms maximize their presence by combining catalog optimization, on-platform paid search, and integrated analytics
- Ganaz: Labor marketplace and workforce management platform for seasonal agriculture, connecting growers and workers
- Halo: Car-connected mobile marketing automation and customer retention platform connecting automotive dealers, car owners and third-party service providers
- Launchboard: Innovation project management platform for the agile enterprise
- LegalPad: Bridging the gap between law and technology by focusing on repeatable legal tasks and workflows that are ripe for automation
- Locumunity: Labor marketplace for temporary staffing of doctors and other licensed medical professionals
- Rainway: Remote game-streaming solution allowing gamers to stream their favorite PC games to any device
- Spocket: Wholesale marketplace connecting drop-ship-capable suppliers with online retail entrepreneurs
- WeSolv: Project-based talent discovery and diversity recruiting solution for enterprise customers
Techstars Seattle calls itself the Pacific Northwest’s “oldest and most-selective startup accelerator.” Its graduates, including companies like Remitly, Outreach, Leanplum and Zipline have raised more than $500 million and employ more than 1,000 people combined.
Techstars Seattle provides early-stage startups with mentorship, guidance, and a $100,000 investment. Following the three-month program where they refine their business models, the startups will go on to a Demo Day on April 18.
