The startup scene can be tough, just ask Nicole Glaros, who manages the New York City branch of startup accelerator, Techstars. Yet there’s something to be said for the struggle. It makes victory that much sweeter. Glaros has seen her fair share of struggles in the industry, but has come to love it.
“I haven’t worked a day since I started,” she says.
As part of an accelerator, Glaros and Techstars act as mentors to a select few tech innovators each year, helping them navigate the tribulations of business infancy. By providing them with a host of perks, including seed money, mentorship, office space, and more, Glaros hopes to aid the aspiring entrepreneurs on what is often a roller coaster ride to success. Recruits that make it through Techstars’ program also gain valuable access to the group’s network of angel investors and venture capitalists. On average, Techstars protégés will go on to raise an average over $1 million in funding for each of their projects.
For Glaros, her career path holds quite a bit of sentimental value, as she and her father started their own small company back while she was studying Sports Psychology at the University of Florida. The entrepreneurship bug bit, and bit hard, but it wasn’t a straight climb up. Glaros moved to Colorado and struggled with two failing startups before finding a mentor in a local incubator who gave her a job and, more importantly, showed her the ropes.
That opportunity got Glaros in the door of Colorado’s tech scene, setting the stage for her eventual position at Techstars where she’s carried that importance of mentorship and cultivating promising prospects with her.
This year, Glaros says her biggest project will be “turning the Techstars startups in New York City into the best startups the city has ever seen.”
We can’t wait to see what comes next.
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