In the entire startup journey, there’s one day that stands out for Joseph Rutakangwa. It was what he calls, “the most pivotal moment in Rwazi’s growth.”

“It was Dec. 1, the day we were invited to join Techstars,” said Rutakangwa, founder and CEO of Rwazi, a market intelligence platform that provides companies with actionable data to help them drive revenue and expand.

Rutakangwa joins a select cohort of founders accepted into one of 54 Techstars accelerator programs located across the globe. For Matt Kozlov, Techstars managing director, he wants founders like Rutakangwa who bring grit, humility, and a passion for solving a problem that’s truly worth solving. 

“Convince me of that,” said Kozlov who leads three Techstars programs: Los Angeles powered by J.P. Morgan Accelerator, Techstars Space Accelerator, and Techstars Healthcare sponsored by Cedars-Sinai, Point32Health, UCI Health and UnitedHealthcare. The three-month programs include vertical-focused programming, workshops, and fundraising opportunities and access to a rich network of mentors that Kozlov calls, “the magic.” 

Kozlov sources between 100 and 400 mentors from the region or the industry who share experience, networks, advice with founders, and most importantly, the Give First spirit.

“Everyone gets value out of it in unexpected ways,” said Kozlov. 

Interested in learning more? Watch this short video.

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