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The Web3 Accelerator is moving from London to Dublin and will accept 10 start-ups annually.
Techstars, alongside crypto investment firm Alphabit, will run a blockchain-focused accelerator programme in Dublin in 2022.
The Launchpool Web3 Techstars Accelerator will run from late March to mid-June next year. The organisers said they plan to hold it in person, subject to public health conditions.
The accelerator was originally announced in June, but Techstars had been planning to run it in London. On Friday (24 September), it said the programme would be relocating to Dublin.
Applications for the accelerator opened on 13 September and will remain open until 1 December. The programme is intended to run annually, accepting 10 start-ups each year. Participants will receive funding, guidance, workshops and access to a network of potentially useful contacts.
Alphabit’s involvement in the initiative is being run through Launchpool, the firm’s blockchain-based start-up investment platform. Though the programme will be based in Dublin, start-ups do not need to be Irish or even based in Europe to apply.
Newly appointed Techstars CEO Maëlle Gavet commented: “The strong growth of the Irish start-up ecosystem in recent years alongside the longstanding presence of the leading global tech firms in Ireland make Dublin an attractive talent hub for Techstars.
“In 2022, Techstars is expecting to invest in 100-plus companies in Europe, representing 20pc of our total planned investments through our accelerator programmes alone, further reinforcing our commitment to growth in the region.”
Gavet noted that her company has experience in the area of blockchain. Chainalysis, the blockchain unicorn recently valued at $4.2bn, is alumnus of one of Techstars’ New York accelerators.
Shane McQuillan, Alphabit’s vice-president of strategy, said earlier in the year that the firm was “thrilled” to be working on bringing “the first Techstars accelerator to the crypto world”.
Earlier this month, Techstars announced other European initiatives in the form of new accelerators in Paris and Stockholm. Siliconrepublic.com also recently took a look at the participants in the company’s 2021 London programme.
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