Founders Take Flight

Twelve companies join global startup accelerator Techstars San Diego Powered by San Diego State University

By Sarah White

A 13-week sprint to expand business and secure investments started not with a whistle or waving of a flag but with an enthusiastic exchange of handshakes and elevator pitches. The inaugural cohort of Techstars San Diego powered by SDSU descended upon San Diego State University’s on-campus entrepreneurship space clad in polos and t-shirts emblazoned with their company logos.

Thirty-one cofounders from 12 startup companies — representing less than 1% of applicants — participated in the globally renowned accelerator program that trains founders to fundraise, network, and build their companies.

Ryan Kuder, managing director of Techstars San Diego powered by SDSU is a fan of a variation on the saying “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” The Techstars' version: “If you want to go farther and faster, join Techstars.”

And go farther and faster, the founders did. Hailing from nearby Ocean Beach, San Francisco, Boston, and as far as Norway and Sweden, they hit the ground running.

Within the first week, they pitched their companies at San Diego Innovation Day at Petco Park. With guidance from Entrepreneurs-in-Residence – mentors with previous Techstars success, they identified their biggest obstacles to growth. In the first month, they balanced experiencing San Diego’s great outdoors with networking across borders in the region’s weeklong startup week at events throughout the city and Tijuana.

By the culmination of the program in early December 2023, the founders perfected their explanations of the problems they were trying to solve and why they were the right people to solve them.

Going together

The Techstars San Diego powered by SDSU founders would not have made as great of strides without the abundance of mentors and interns available to them.

“One of the things I'm most impressed with is the way the SDSU and San Diego startup communities united to support these founders,” said Kuder.

Over the course of the three-month program, more than 100 mentors lent their expertise to the founders at the equivalent of speed-dating events. Dozens of SDSU undergraduate and master’s students interned with the startups, developing their own skills through conducting market research and outreach to potential customers.

“The combined support, mentorship and resources the university and Techstars provide increases the longevity of the startups involved, said Misti Cain, investment manager for the accelerator program. “Longevity helps increase R&D, tech advancements, and investment in the region, making San Diego a known tech mecca for other founders and investors.”

Homegrown success

To Arman Assadi (‘09), an SDSU alumnus and cofounder of Steno.ai, participating in Techstars represents the culmination of his entrepreneurial dreams, ambitions that formed when the entrepreneurship major first launched during his senior year at SDSU.

He said the mentors he and his cofounders met through the program were invaluable. “They offered expertise in product development, fundraising, and go-to-market strategies,” he added.

Over the course of the accelerator, Steno.ai pivoted from targeting their AI-powered, multi-platform services to content creators themselves rather than the creators’ followers. Now, they are ramping up their fundraising efforts and aim to onboard 400 brands and creators by the end of 2024.

“My younger self would be profoundly proud and impressed by the leader and CEO I've become,” Assadi said. “Patience is everything. And what’s funny is, I feel like I’ve only just begun.”