Marius Ciocirlan, the new managing director at Techstars Seattle, takes over his new role at the business accelerator on Monday, and already has goals for the program.
Ciocirlan said although there are plenty of surface-level tech events in the area, there should be more collaborative get-togethers, or "startup weekends," where entrepreneurs actually work with one another. Forming those relationships could pay major dividends down the road, he added.
"I would love to put people in situations where they need to brainstorm together and work together, and I think that will lead to a lot more partnerships and bringing some really smart people together to solve some big problems," Ciocirlan said. "The fruit of the labor of the startup weekends, we'll see that two or three years from now."
Ciocirlan was previously the co-founder and CEO of Seattle-based ShareGrid, a filmmaker and photographer marketplace that allows users to buy, rent and sell camera gear. In January, ShareGrid was acquired by Brooklyn-based Backstage, which connects creative projects with staff. Earlier in his career, he designed Groupon's mobile apps.
Ciocirlan said he was drawn to the Techstars role because he has always enjoyed giving advice to other entrepreneurs and wanted a chance to do that more. ShareGrid's acquisition by Backstage created a natural point to begin a new chapter, he said, given that the company was in good hands and now had the resources of its new parent.
Ciocirlan added that he already likes keeping track of startups: "A lot of people look at fantasy football as a thing they do off work. I just enjoy reading about startups. I enjoy keeping track of different companies and their progress. I do that for fun anyway."
More than 130 companies have come through Techstars Seattle since 2010, according to the accelerator, and those companies have raised more than $2.5 billion in private capital. Big local companies like the remittance company Remitly and the sales technology company Outreach have come through the program. The larger Techstars network says it has more than 7,100 mentors.
The new Techstars Seattle accelerator class begins Monday. Isaac Kato, Techstars Seattle's previous managing director, stepped down in late September after leading the program for three years. Kato said he's "working on something in the investment space" for his next career move. Ciocirlan said Kato did a good job of getting diverse groups of founders in the program by making Techstars Seattle a hybrid program and only requiring founders to be in Seattle for a portion of the program, something Ciocirlan said will continue.
Ciocirlan said he and Kato meet almost every week to ensure a smooth transition. Kato also led the program's blockchain-focused sister program, Filecoin Techstars Accelerator, which launched in July 2021. Ciocirlan said he will not lead the Filecoin Techstars Accelerator but a search is underway for someone to take over.
