Techstars Infuses Atlanta with Startup Talent

ATLANTA, July 28, 2016 /3BL Media/ - Techstars Atlanta, in partnership with Cox Enterprises, announced the 10 companies selected to participate in the program’s 2016 class. The inaugural program officially kicks off on August 1 and includes 90 days of rapid acceleration.

“It’s an exciting time for Techstars Atlanta as we announce our first class,” said Techstars Atlanta’s Managing Director Michael Cohn. “I am thrilled to connect the founders with leaders from across Cox and throughout Atlanta, who have volunteered to share their expertise with these startups. These are amazing entrepreneurs, and we are going to drive incredible innovation and growth over the next 90 days.”

Last December, Cox announced its partnership with Techstars and invited startups to apply for the first-ever Techstars Atlanta Accelerator program.

“Techstars Atlanta brings new ideas, people and passion to our city and region,” said Cox Enterprises Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Alex Taylor. “I’m so pleased that Cox will be supporting and mentoring these startups and their founders as they seek to launch and scale innovative products and services. Tapping into these bright, entrepreneurial thinkers is good for our company and good for our city.”

The participation response was overwhelming with applications from 69 countries and six continents. Of the applications, these 10 companies were selected to participate in Techstars and embed themselves in Atlanta for the program.

Techstars Atlanta’s 2016 Class (Company’s Founding Location):

Bark (Savannah, Georgia): Bark protects children by detecting messages that contain cyberbullying, sexting and signs of depression or suicidal thoughts without invading their privacy.

Drizzle (Los Angeles, California): Drizzle gives website owners an incredibly easy way to let their visitors pay for premium content. Users can choose to charge a-la-carte for content or offer subscription access.

Fitspot (Los Angeles, California): Fitspot lets users book one-on-one sessions with certified fitness trainers when and where they want. Plan ahead or start in as little as 30 minutes.

Joonko (Tel Aviv, Israel): Identify and solve gender bias in your workplace, as it happens.

LaaSer (Atlanta, Georgia): Thousands of lives are lost each year due to incorrect location information being sent to 911 operators over existing mobile phone network technology. LaaSer prevents calls from being routed to the wrong jurisdiction and incorrect address, latitude and longitude information being shared.

Preesale (Brussels, Belgium): Preesale helps multiply sales channels by increasing tickets sales on Facebook. Easily connect apps to a Facebook page, create tickets in less than five minutes and sell to targeted customers.

Real Meal Delivery (Atlanta, Georgia): Skip the stress of meal planning and grocery shopping. Fresh, made-from-scratch meals are prepared daily by Real Meal Delivery’s chef. Families order by 4 p.m. and enjoy hot, fresh food delivered to their door.

Sequr (Atlanta, Georgia): Sequr is the first-ever visitor management system for communities using call boxes. They increase security by replacing permanent PIN codes with dynamic, time-sensitive PIN codes. Sequr can complete remote setup on any callbox anywhere in the world.

Splitty (Tel Aviv, Israel): Choose travel destination and dates, and Splitty’s “split and match” technology combines different reservation types to find the cheapest hotel stays for the dates provided.

UCIC (Waterloo, Canada): Ask and see a live photo or video from anywhere in the world, right now.

Each of the startups founders will relocate to Atlanta for the duration of the program. They will work in Techstars Atlanta’s space at Ponce City Market. Demo Day, the program’s culmination, takes place the evening of Nov. 1 at the Tabernacle and coincides with the 2016 Venture Atlanta Conference.

Social Media:
@techstars
@coxenterprises
#tsatlanta

Multimedia: Download company logos at https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/JnDpa

Media Contact: Joanie Kindblade, 303.562.6230, Joanie.Kindblade@techstars.com

About Cox Enterprises:
Cox Enterprises is a leading communications, media and automotive services company. With revenues of $18 billion and approximately 55,000 employees, the company's major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications (cable television distribution, high-speed Internet access, telephone, home security and automation, commercial telecommunications and advertising solutions); Cox Automotive (automotive-related auctions, financial services, media and software solutions); and Cox Media Group (television and radio stations, digital media, newspapers and advertising sales rep firms). The company's major national brands include Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, Savings.com and Valpak. Through Cox Automotive, the company's international operations stretch across Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America.

To learn more about Cox's commitment to people, sustainability and our communities, please visit CoxCSRReport.com.

About Techstars:
Techstars is a global ecosystem that empowers entrepreneurs to bring new technologies to market wherever they choose to live. With dozens of mentorship-driven accelerator programs and thousands of community programs worldwide, Techstars exists to support the world's most promising entrepreneurs throughout their lifelong journey, from inspiration to IPO. Techstars provides access to tens of thousands of community leaders, founders, mentors, investors, and corporate partners, allowing entrepreneurs to accelerate the pace of innovation and do more faster. Techstars supports every stage of the entrepreneurial journey – from early stage grassroots community development to more formal opportunities that provide education, experience, acceleration, funding, and beyond.