Techstars launches a virtual space tech accelerator with USAF, the Netherlands and Norway

Techstars is following up the first class of their Starburst space-focused program with a new, virtual accelerator program that is being run in partnership with the U.S. Air Force, the Netherlands Ministry of Defence, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence and the Norwegian Space Agency. It’s called the Techstars Allied Space Accelerator, and its focus is specifically on startups operating in the commercial space industry.

Unlike most other Techstars programs, this one won’t require companies to work out of a centralized physical hub during the course of the program, which will span 13-weeks. It’ll be mostly remote, punctuated by three separate one-week visits on-site at the program’s government agency sponsors, which will supplement the virtual mentorship and guidance.

Techstars already has experience working with the U.S. Air Force, through the Techstars Air Force Accelerator, but this new program will give it a chance to work together both with the entrepreneurial organization, and also with some of its international partners. This kind of collaboration with industry could help pave the way to establishing more clear and widely accepted rules of the road when it comes to how the commercial space industry operates relative to national borders and international cooperation.

This inaugural program will run from June through September of 2020, and it’s open for applications as of today, with the cut-off for accepting new potential participants on March 3, 2020.