In its second year, Techstars has announced a new cohort for its Denver-based Workforce Development Accelerator.
The accelerator program originally launched in 2020 to address the challenges of the current labor market, as it has become increasingly unstable during the Covid-19 pandemic. The accelerator, run in partnership with ZOMALAB, Strada Education Network and Colorado Thrives, accepts 10 startups per year and two nonprofits for the 13-week program in Denver.
Last’s years cohort included companies like Fort Collins-based leave management software startup TiLT and Denver’s Mentor Spaces, a DEI-focused mentorship facilitator that recently raised a $2.5 million seed funding round.
Accepted startups work in fields like career path discovery, workforce data intelligence, social capital development and more, with applications to the U.S. market. The program is led by Taylor McLemore, serial entrepreneur and founder of Patriot Boot Camp, a Boulder-based 501(c)(3) that supports active duty members, veterans and their spouses in their entrepreneurial efforts.
“The truth is that the labor market is messy and education pathways to meaningful employment are unclear for too many Americans," McLemore wrote in a blog post announcing the newest cohort. “We hold the conviction that entrepreneur-led, scalable workforce innovation is a necessary catalyst to make the workforce system work for more Americans as fast as possible.”
Meet the 2021 class of the Techstars Workforce Development Accelerator, with descriptions provided by Techstars, below:
Chamba (Westminster, Colo.) - Chamba helps Latinx job-seekers residing in the USA find jobs through tech.
Clusiv (Pflugerville, Texas) - Clusiv is the creator of the world's first e-learning and accessible onboarding platform built for and by blind and visually impaired people.
Divercity (Los Angeles, Calif) - Divercity.io helps tech companies measure and track their diversity breakdown and helps them improve it by connecting them with qualified diverse talent.
Hireguide (San Francisco, Calif.) - Plan and transcribe structured interviews with ease so you can hire the right person faster, fairer, and with certainty.
ion Learning (San Diego, Calif.) - ion is a B2B SaaS enterprise peer-learning technology platform that scales and optimizes learning in small diverse groups.
PeduL (Newark, N.J.) - PeduL helps corporations diversify their workforce with scholarship programs.
PitchMe (London, U.K.) - PitchMe empowers candidates to demonstrate their knowledge and abilities, allowing anyone with a relevant skill-set to apply for a position regardless of their age, gender, formal educational background and employment history.
Roleshare (London, U.K.) - Roleshare helps people who need to work part time connect, combine skills and apply for exciting full-time roles together.
ShiftUp (Detroit, Mich.) - Learning gyms: Wraparound support & community for online learners.
Transition (Atlanta, Ga.) - Transition bridges the disconnect between CNA schools and employers to better match students with jobs and career advancement.
Non-Profit Participants
Juntos2College (Denver, Colo.) - A career planning platform for undocumented high school students so everyone has access to upward mobility.
Watson Institute (Boulder, Colo.) - The new university model for the world’s next entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and change-makers.
