TechStars Boston Demo Day Preview
Tomorrow, November 14th, CoachUp will present in front of an audience of investors, press, and tech community members at the TechStars Boston Demo Day—the culmination of this fall’s startup accelerator program. TechStars Demo Day is an important event for the Boston startup community. Investors and entrepreneurs will descend on Demo Day for presentations from the 13 companies in the program. CoachUp is looking forward to demonstrating its recent rapid growth and upcoming company goals. Walter Frick of BostInno briefly interviewed CoachUp CEO Jordan Fliegel, along with 3 other TechStars founders, to get a preview of tomorrow’s action…
A TechStars Boston Demo Day Preview: Meet the Companies & See Their Progress (full text after the jump): Tomorrow, 13 companies will take the stage and pitch a business that, in almost every case, has come a long way over the past two months. My goal Friday was to get a progress report from as many of those companies as possible. I chatted with four founders, and heard from one more via email, so consider this a Boston Demo Day preview, if only a partial one.
CoachUp
CoachUp has made progress on a number of fronts since I wrote about the company’s launch in May. The company offers an online marketplace for private coaching, and is up to eight full-time staff. Co-founder, CEO and former basketball pro Jordan Fliegel updated me on a few of the firm’s latest progress. Milestones
- There are now 6000 coaches on the site (in 50+ sports), up from 50 at launch, with about 60 per day signing up.
- Revenue is growing 40% per month
- MassChallenge Gold Winner ($50K)
- Angel investment from Dharmesh Shah, Ty Danco, and several others.
On the Value of TechStars I was curious to quiz Fliegel on the value of TechStars, as his company has progressed in a relatively straight line since entering, and because he’s seen the benefits of MassChallenge and TechStars simultaneously. “More than anyone I was skeptical,” he said, noting that his company was further along than some. But his tune has changed. “I’m totally convinced of the value of it, especially for a first-time CEO,” he said, citing the critical importance of a personal network for founders. “It’s a very personal thing doing a business. It’s kind of sad leaving. It’s like college.”
