The three partners of Techstars METRO Accelerator introduce themselves

Techstars METRO Accelerator is the first technology accelerator anywhere in the world specifically focused in the hospitality and food industry. Meet the three organising parties, Techstars, METRO and R/GA:

What is Techstars?
Techstars is a global ecosystem that empowers entrepreneurs to bring new technologies to market wherever they choose to build their business. With 18 mentorship-driven accelerator programs worldwide, Techstars exists to support the world’s most promising entrepreneurs throughout their lifelong journey. Techstars provides access to over 3,000 founders, mentors investors, and corporate partners, allowing entrepreneurs to accelerate the pace of innovation and do more faster. Techstars makes entrepreneurship more accessible by providing access to capital, guidance, marketing, business development, customer acquisition, and recruitment.

What is METRO?
METRO Cash & Carry – the international leader in self-service wholesale –is represented in 26 countries with over 750 self-service wholesale stores. With a headcount of about 117,000 employees worldwide, the wholesale company achieved sales of about € 31 billion in the financial year 2013/2014. METRO Cash & Carry is a sales brand of METRO GROUP who is one of the largest international trading companies. During the financial year 2013/14, it generated sales of about €63 billion. The company operates around 2,200 stores in 30 countries and has a headcount of around 250,000 employees. The performance of METRO GROUP is based on the strength of its sales brands that operate independently in their respective market segments: METRO/MAKRO Cash & Carry, Media Markt and Saturn – the European market leader in consumer electronics retailing – Real hypermarkets and Galeria Kaufhof department stores. For more information, please visit www.metrogroup.de.

What is R/GA?
R/GA, the company for the connected age, develops products, services and communications to grow our clients’ brands and businesses. Founded in 1977, the agency has been a pioneer at the intersection of technology, design and marketing with work spanning web, mobile, and social communications, retail and e-commerce, product innovation, brand development and business consulting. R/GA has more than 1,400 employees globally with offices across the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia-Pacific and is part of The Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG), one of the world’s largest advertising and marketing services organizations. For more information on R/GA, please visit www.rga.com.