To all the founders, funders, and friends out there, I have a simple message: There’s never been a better time to get into the retail tech space than now.
And there’s never been a better place to do it than in Minneapolis with the Techstars Retail Accelerator with Target. Applications open January 8 for our 2018 class (APPLY HERE).
Here’s why we’re so stoked about our program (and our city).
Since we launched in 2015, we’ve seen amazing growth—and helped reinvent Minneapolis in the process.
So far we’ve worked with 20 startups and built a community of 150 retail-specific mentors. In 2016, we saw our startups raise $25M in funding, and Target rolled out team Inspectorio’s factory-inspection tech worldwide, while Branch raised over $10M. Last year, we built off that momentum, disrupting spaces from warranties to food-delivery with our companies, all while growing our top-notch network of engaged mentors and retail executives.
That’s taught us that despite the daily predictions of doom and gloom for the industry, retail is still ripe with opportunity for disruption and innovation, and retailers of all stripes want to engage with Techstars Retail startups to find out what’s next.
This momentum has helped reinvent Minneapolis, turning it into the national leader in the retail tech space, and an anchor for the Midwest startup scene.
We’ve been there every step of the way, and we want you to join us. You can find the app for our next class HERE.
This ain’t flyover country any more. It’s fly-here country. Let’s make something great together.
Onward!
Ryan