News

White House adds DCU Ryan Academy to Techstar Network

03 February 2011

The DCU Ryan Academy Propeller Accelerator has been added as a member of the TechStars Network, a newly launched White House sponsored alliance of independently owned and operated startup accelerator programs from dozens of cities across the United States and around the world.

The TechStars Network, described by the White House as "The leading start-up accelerator program in the United States", is comprised of other startup accelerator programs similar to Propeller Accelerator that provide seed funding and mentorship to innovative entrepreneurs. The Propeller Accelerator will collaborate with these organizations and learn best practices from the mentorship-driven model pioneered by TechStars, the leading startup accelerator program in the United States. As a member of the TechStars Network, Propeller will have access to a rich set of strategic resources including professional development and ongoing support to effectively lead and mentor innovative entrepreneurs in Dublin, Ireland.

The TechStars Network is part of the Startup America initiative, launched today by President Obama. In partnership with the White House, the goal of the TechStars Network is to become an engine for job growth by ensuring that over the next four years, 5,000 experienced business leaders and investors will mentor and support 6,000 promising young entrepreneurs. The aim is to increase the success rate and sustainability of each program, and to ultimately create 25,000 new economy jobs by 2015.

We are pleased to have the DCU Ryan Academy Propeller Accelerator join the TechStars Network, said David Cohen, Founder and CEO of TechStars. The TechStars Network signals and formalizes our support for credible mentorship-driven programs like Propeller. We believe the proliferation of the mentorship-driven accelerator model is healthy for entrepreneurs. Through this network of independent organizations, we can help increase their impact dramatically and make entrepreneurial communities the real winners. DCU's Ryan Academy Propeller Accelerator joins a select group of invitation-only TechStars Network member organizations in major cities across the United States and around the world. Today the network is open to all entrepreneurial thought leaders and organizations interested in building or enhancing mentorship-driven startup accelerator programs. About the TechStars Network

The TechStars Network is a membership organization that ensures the sharing of resources and best practices between independently owned and operated mentorship-driven seed acceleration programs across the globe. Currently, the TechStars Network includes charter members in dozens of cities, including AlphaLab, Pittsburgh, PA; Arizona State University, Scottsdale, AZ; Betaspring, Providence, RI; Blueprint Health, New York, NY; BoomStartup, Salt Lake City, UT; Excelerate Labs, Chicago, IL; Founders Co-op, Seattle, WA; Incubate Miami, Miami, FL; Joyful Frog Digital Incubator; Singapore; Jumpstart Foundry, Nashville, TN; LaunchPad Ignition, New Orleans, LA; Ryan Academy Propeller Seed Accelerator Program, Dublin, Ireland; Springboard, Cambridge, UK; Startupbootcamp, Copenhagen, Denmark and Madrid, Spain; TechStars Boston, MA, New York, NY, Boulder, CO and Seattle, WA; Tech Wildcatters, Dallas, TX; The Brandery, Cincinnati, OH; The Elevator, Tel Aviv, Israel. The TechStars Network is quickly expanding its membership. For more information, visit www.techstars.org/network. Contact: Gordon.mcconnell@dcu.ie or on +353 86 8330536.