What the numbers say: Colorado-headquartered accelerator Techstars backed 661 European startups between 2018 to date, per Pitchbook. Techstars has topped the list of most active accelerators investing in European startups, making it one of the four U.S.-based investors in the top 10. Trailing behind in the second spot is California-based Plug and Play Tech Center, which made 334 investments over the four-and-a-half-year period. Relevance: Techstars dominance in Europe startup investments is due to its presence across seven European cities and the recent expansion to Stockholm and Paris in 2021. The firm raised $150M in 2021 to invest in 100 European startups. Where to see the impact: Despite topping the most active investors list, Techstars still does not have the highest number of unicorn startups in its portfolio. Y-Combinator takes the crown in that aspect, boasting an impressive portfolio that includes payments startup GoCardless, marketing platform MessageBird, and ID verification startup Veriff. |
