Techstars Announces the Fall 2026 Founder Catalyst Global Cohort | Techstars

27 Startups. Five Communities. Connected to the World.
Techstars is proud to introduce the Fall 2026 Founder Catalyst Global cohort: 27 startups from Istanbul, Sarajevo, Omaha, Uzbekistan, and Belfast. Spanning AI, healthtech, cybersecurity, ecommerce, legaltech, fintech, and edtech, each brings a distinct understanding of the problems it is solving. Together, they join a global community built to help that insight become a stronger company.
A year after the inaugural Startup Community Partnership Founder Catalyst cohort connected founders from Omaha and Sarajevo, the program returns with a clearer expression of what that model makes possible: local expertise strengthened by global access. Fall 2026 builds on the relationships established through the first two cohorts, bringing founders into a network where experience travels across borders, and the value of a connection can extend far beyond a single company.
The 10-week program began on Sep 22, 2026, and runs through Nov 27, 2026, with a virtual Global Showcase on Dec 3, 2026. Through masterclasses, curated mentorship, individual guidance, pitch feedback, partner workshops, and conversations with experienced founders, participants will test their assumptions, strengthen their business models, and refine how they communicate their value. The experience is fully virtual, free, and equity-free, allowing founders to build their companies while remaining connected to the communities that support them. That connection is central to Founder Catalyst.
Community partners bring the local relationships and understanding that help identify promising founders and support their progress. Techstars brings an international network and a shared framework for learning, testing, and building. As founders exchange experience across sectors and markets, they also create relationships that can continue to serve their communities long after the program ends.
Istanbul’s cohort brings scientific research, commercial experience, and applied AI into the same conversation. Its founders are working on wearable circulation technology, synthetic consumer research, legal software, hospitality communications, and business AI adoption. The range is striking, but the common challenge is practical: turning technical capability into something customers can use and trust. Supported by Igniters Tech Law, these teams join a program that connects their knowledge of local and international markets with mentors and peers who can help them sharpen the next stage of their growth.
Sarajevo returns for a third consecutive cohort with companies addressing both the resilience of essential systems and the quality of everyday life. Critical infrastructure security and protection against quantum-era threats sit alongside clinical administration, civic maintenance, indoor climate control, local mobility, personal knowledge management, and support for people with ADHD. With 38x Ventures, the community continues to bring founders into the program whose technical skills are matched by a close understanding of the people and organizations they serve. Their work shows how expertise developed locally can address challenges shared across markets.
Omaha’s founders bring an especially direct relationship to their customers’ needs. Their companies address animal welfare, young athletes’ hygiene, family road trips, website decision-making, and secure infrastructure that can operate without reliance on the cloud. Several draw on problems encountered in their own professional or family lives, translating familiarity into a clear starting point for product development. Supported by Open Range and the Greater Omaha and Lincoln startup community, these teams bring a grounded perspective to the cohort: understand the user, identify what gets in the way, and build something that makes a difference.
Uzbekistan’s cohort reflects an entrepreneurial community building from a close understanding of how people learn, access care, and run their businesses. Its founders are applying AI to problems that demand more than technical capability: products must fit established workflows, earn users’ trust, and deliver value in daily use. Experience across local and international markets gives the group a practical foundation for that work. With UzVC and Hackonnect, Founder Catalyst connects this commercial and technical ambition to mentors, peers, and relationships that can help founders test their ideas beyond familiar markets.
Belfast’s cohort is working at moments when a better decision can have lasting consequences: assessing property risk, recognizing changes in contractual obligations, managing personal finances, allocating advertising spend, and preparing for the future of a family. The companies approach these challenges from different industries, with a shared focus on making complex information useful. Supported by Ormeau Labs and Queen’s University Belfast, the founders bring legal, financial, technical, and commercial experience to products designed to help people and businesses act with greater clarity.
Behind every company in this cohort is a founder who knows a problem well enough to challenge how it is solved. Meet the 27 startups turning that insight into products, and the communities supporting their next chapter.
ARCH Technology — A wearable technology device that uses real-time machine learning analysis to support active circulation.
Chatlogger — An AI-powered guest communication platform for hospitality businesses, connecting customer conversations with day-to-day operations.
EmptoSight — An AI-native synthetic consumer platform that simulates consumer behavior to help businesses explore market insights and inform decisions.
Harmona AI — A no-prompt AI adoption platform that helps businesses build an AI workforce using their own data.
Lavren — An AI-powered legal technology platform for enterprise companies and law firms.
AiMED — AI-powered clinical documentation and patient call management designed