YPO and Techstars Launch Partnership to Support High Growth Entrepreneurship and Innovation

DALLAS - March 7, 2017 - YPO, the premier chief executive leadership organization in the world, announced today that Techstars, a worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed, will be a YPO Entrepreneurship and Innovation Network global partner and the premier partner for YPO's 2017 global Innovation Week event, May 8-12.

The annual YPO Innovation Week connects a global community of chief executives in a weeklong series of more than 50 events and activities across 30 countries designed to accelerate innovation in companies and communities. Techstars partnership in the event will bring unique insights on activity across the global start-up ecosystem and enable collaboration across the Techstars and YPO member networks to support high-growth entrepreneurship and innovation around the world. Techstars Co-founder Brad Feld will share innovation insights in a unique two-way video cast held during 2017 YPO Innovation Week.  

As a global partner with YPO's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Network, Techstars will connect promising new enterprises emerging from the Techstars ecosystem with YPO resources globally. The partnership will include content sharing, event coordination and innovation-focused idea exchange. YPO will participate in Techstars' Annual Founder Con, the largest start-up conference in the world, to help foster opportunities for YPO members and Techstars companies to exchange ideas, create connections and further accelerate innovation.

Techstars has embedded a corporation innovation program at Barclays, Target, Amazon Alexa and Cedars Sinai, incubating successful start-ups developed specifically to solve unique challenge and leverage significant opportunities at these companies. YPO will benefit from Techstars' expertise in developing effective innovation programs within a larger corporate structure.

"YPO is the premier leadership organization for chief executives in the world. The promising start-up founders we work with at Techstars aspire to achieve those same heights." said David Cohen, Founder and Co-CEO of Techstars. "We source and support the world's most promising start-up founders and help them achieve liftoff through initial investment, business development and mentoring. Those that soar are not only excellent potential business partners for YPO members, but also can be the future of YPO's membership."

"Our global network of young chief executives are interested in, and actively involved with, innovative and high-growth start-ups that can positively impact their businesses, and Techstars provides curated and high quality opportunities to connect with promising start-ups," said Scott Mordell, CEO of YPO. "Techstars has proven that it consistently sources many of the world's most promising high growth start-ups and we're excited that YPO members will be able to know and connect with that potential."

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About YPO

The premier leadership organization of chief executives in the world.

YPO is the global platform for chief executives to engage, learn and grow. YPO members harness the knowledge, influence and trust of the world's most influential and innovative business leaders to inspire business, personal, family and community impact.

Today, YPO empowers more than 24,000 members in more than 130 countries, diversified among industries and types of businesses. Altogether, YPO member-run companies employ more than 15 million people and generate USD6 trillion in annual revenues.

Leadership. Learning. Lifelong. For more information, visit www.ypo.org.

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 start-up 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 ^TM. 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. For more information, visit www.techstars.com.

CONTACT:
Linda Fisk
YPO
[email protected]
ypo.org

Joanie Kindblade
Techstars
[email protected]
techstars.com