Techstars, the most active pre-seed investor in the world, today announced the appointment of Andrew Cleland as Chief Investment Officer. He is replacing Jason Seats, who will transition to a new role of Senior Fund Advisor.
Cleland will oversee Techstars’ Investment and Capital Formation teams. His responsibilities will include providing strategic leadership for the accelerator investment selection process globally, directing Techstars’ fundraising strategy and developing its investment products. In 2023, Techstars invested in nearly 700 early stage startups through its accelerators and expects to invest in more than 800 in 2024. His addition to the management team reinforces Techstars’ commitment to becoming the world’s leading pre-seed investor along with the company’s continued dedication to growth and innovation to deliver strong and consistent returns through its investment funds.
Cleland brings significant experience as a venture investor, along with years of operational experience at startup companies. He joins Techstars from Comcast Ventures (“CV”) where he was a Managing Director for nine years. There he was responsible for leading CV’s East Coast office’s investment strategy, while also establishing CV’s Enterprise Seed Investment and Entrepreneur-in-Residence programs. Previously, he was Managing Director of Investments at Time Warner Investments, where he focused on early-stage media and technology companies.
“Andrew brings invaluable experience and a track record of building exceptional venture capital investment strategies. His leadership in spearheading Techstars’ fundraising strategy and investment decisions will further accelerate the growth of our business,” said Maëlle Gavet, Chief Executive Officer of Techstars.
Jason Seats joined Techstars in 2011 as a Managing Director in Texas and has served as CIO since 2018. In the capacity as Senior Fund Advisor, he will provide strategic guidance to Techstars’ Executive Leadership Team while also supporting the firm’s overall fund management and investment strategy. Seats will also continue to engage Techstars’ Limited Partner Advisory Committees.
About Techstars
Techstars is the most active pre-seed investor in the world having invested through its accelerators in more than 4,000 companies. Founded in 2006, Techstars believes that entrepreneurs create a better future for everyone and great ideas can come from anywhere. Now we are on a mission to invest in an unprecedented number of startups per year enabling more capital to flow to more entrepreneurs around the world. We do this by operating accelerator programs and venture capital funds, as well as by connecting startups, investors, corporations, and cities to help build thriving startup communities. www.techstars.com
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