Bloomberg Television to Launch New Show 'TechStars'

Across the U.S., a new generation of entrepreneurs is working tirelessly to build the next Google, Apple or Facebook.  

As investors sift through thousands of pitches and venture capital money keeps pouring in, start-ups are struggling to execute their ideas and locate the money to fund their business dreams and goals. 

Beginning next Tuesday, Sept. 13 (9:00 PM, ET/PT), Bloomberg Television takes viewers inside one of the world’s most elite tech incubators in the half hour, non-scripted reality series, “TechStars,” to see what it really takes to make it in today’s marketplace. 

Each week the program documents the high stakes pressure, growing pains and financial rewards of participating in the boot camp for start ups. Bloomberg Television’s board of judges, including TechStars founder David Cohen and New York managing director David Tisch, as well as top venture capitalists, rank the participants and offer praise and no-holds-barred criticism on the founders’ ideas, products and execution. 

The six companies featured in “TechStars” include: Immersive Labs, Onswipe, To Vie For, Shelby (formerly HomeField), Veri (formerly SocratED), and Nestio (formerly UrbanApt).

TechStars mentors include venture capitalist Alan Patricof; Dennis Crowley of Foursquare; Fred Wilson, founder of Union Square Ventures; Gilt Groupe founder Alexandra Wilkis Wilson; Ben Lerer, co-founder and CEO of Thrillist; David Karp, founder of Tumblr; Rob Wiesenthal, Executive Vice President & CFO of Sony Corporation of America, and many more.

For the six-part series culminating in a live, hour-long finale on October 18th, Bloomberg Television tracks the first class of New York City-based TechStars entrepreneurs as they work around the clock from a Union Square loft. The program captures the long hours, the tension-filled meetings, creative energy and the breakthrough moments.  Along the way, viewers will get to see companies undergo disruptive change and what it really takes to launch a hot new technology successfully.

"TechStars is proud to partner with Bloomberg Television to show what it's really like to be involved in a startup with amazing potential,” said David Cohen, founder and CEO of TechStars. “We think that the show will help demystify what it's like to be an entrepreneur, a mentor, or an investor in startups that aim to change the world."

"The credit here goes to the entrepreneurs that were part of the first group in TechStars NYC. They came in day one, worked incredibly hard, made challenging decisions and started to build very interesting companies. The progress they made during the program was incredible. To do that all while being filmed, while being on TV, amazing. The show gives a real insight into the challenges the entrepreneurs faced on a daily basis as they started their companies. I'm very excited to watch that all unfold on Bloomberg this fall."

"With the debut of 'TechStars,' Bloomberg TV continues to expand our primetime programming and illustrate our commitment to the wave of innovation and technology that is changing the way we live, work and do business," said Andrew Morse, Head of U.S. Television for Bloomberg.

Follow Bloomberg Television on Facebook at Facebook.com/BloombergTelevision, on Twitter @BloombergTV and tweet with us about TechStars using the hashtag #TechStarsBTV.