TechStars Application Tips
With the deadline looming for TechStars Boston 2010, I've been asked for tips from a few people. It's time to share them in a blog post. Hopefully this helps.
Disclaimer: this is just my perspective from Localytics, a TechStars Boston 2009 company. My tips are anecdotal at best. As always, exercise your own judgement.
- There are a lot of applications, so short and sweet works well. Eliminate fluff. Most of our answers were less than a few concise paragraphs. The only answer that was long was for "Tell us about each founder." That's because...
- ... it's more about the founders than it is about the idea. A non-trivial percentage of TechStars companies change there idea, and it's not a big deal. Your application should help people like David and Shawn get to know you. Highlight cool things you've worked on in the past. Show that you're motivated and smart.
- Be mentor-able. TechStars is all about mentoring. You need to be open to advice while still being able to think critically and make decisions. To the extent that you can, convey those personality traits in your application.
- Be dedicated to the startup. TechStars strongly favors founding teams that are 100% committed and ready to go.
- Get your application in early - TechStars is already looking at them. Getting in early means your application has more time to float in front of different eyes. You are at less risk of being lost in the last minute flood.
- Get feedback. If you're connected to any alums or mentors, see if they'll review your application. We resubmitted our application several times based on feedback (though be warned, I'm not sure if resubmitting is possible on the application form, we sent updates over email).
- If your company/product is already chugging along, then demonstrate progress. Show how your company has met goals or achieved milestones like X number of users or high profile client Y.
- Try to get into TechStars for a Day. It gives you a chance for face time. If you do go, bring a laptop and be ready to informally demo your product.
- Apply! It isn't that much work, so just do it.
You should also check out:
- TechStars Boston Application Tips from Healy Jones
Best of luck to all of the applicants! TechStars is a truly amazing program.
The Past Few Months
It's been a while since I've updated my blog, so I thought I'd provide a rundown of what I've been doing.
Startup
We really found our focus over the past couple months. We are committed to making tools for mobile developers. Our name is Localytics, and our first tool is an analytics service for mobile applications.
We launched an early version of our analytics engine last week at a DemocampBoston1. Democamp involves a quick succession of presentations by local startups. Check out my recap.
We captured a video of our presentation. The presentation was 5 minutes with a 5 minute Q&A at the end. Check it out:
Registration is closed right now, but we will be opening it up in a couple weeks. During that time, we will add more features, documentation, and hopefully some guides on how to get the most out of the service.
For now, you can check out our demo, which might not make a whole lot of sense, but at least it's there and it works.
Gaming
I managed to get through a couple of the 2008 holiday season games. I have mixed feelings about most of them. The only ones I'd flat out recommend are Gears of War 2 and Left 4 Dead. Perhaps I'll go into more detail in future posts.
I finally discovered the wonder that is Xbox Live Arcade. There are some awesome games on there, many of them with a retro feel. Braid, Castle Crashers, and Geometry Wars are all great. Each is an update of classic game styles with gorgeous HD visuals.
Braid is a side-scroller with time manipulation, Castle Crashers invokes memories of Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles beat-em-up games, and Geometry Wars is Asteroids on crack. I especially like how Geometry Wars pulls in high scores from your friends, encouraging you to beat them.