--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We think of the Techstars product as not…" description: "\"We think of the Techstars product as not really the accelerator but the network. That's what entrepreneurs should be valuing here. I think it's the mos..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/david-cohen-9104_business_we-think-of-the-techstars-product-as-not_1758905.jpg" --- # We think of the Techstars product as not really the… ![“We think of the Techstars product as not really the accelerator but the network. That's what entrepreneurs should be valuing here. I think it's the most undervalued thing that many entrepreneurs don't get.” quote by David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/david-cohen-9104_business_we-think-of-the-techstars-product-as-not_1758905.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/david-cohen-9104_business_we-think-of-the-techstars-product-as-not_1758905.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/david-cohen-9104_business_we-think-of-the-techstars-product-as-not_1758905.jpg) > “We think of the Techstars product as not really the accelerator but the network. That's what entrepreneurs should be valuing here. I think it's the most undervalued thing that many entrepreneurs don't get.” [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The true value of an accelerator lies in its network, which offers ongoing support, connections, and resources beyond initial funding. **In simple terms:** Network is the accelerator’s core value. Key Takeaway Leverage relationships over short‑term gains. Themes entrepreneurship networking value creation Mood optimistic strategic Type business inspirational When to use this quote - startup fundraising - mentor matching - market entry Key Concepts social capital long‑term support Questions to Reflect On - How can founders build strong networks early? - What role does community play in startup success? A Different Perspective Networks can be unevenly accessible, creating inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Entrepreneurs Valuing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurs-valuing-1675254/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [Network Entrepreneurs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/network-entrepreneurs-1675256/) [Product](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/product/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Techstars Product](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/techstars-product-1675253/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Techstars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-techstars-1675252/) [Undervalued Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/undervalued-thing-1675255/) ## Related quotes > [When you do a voice in an animated film, you don't see the finished product at all. You're not animating. 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Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [We are the product of quantum fluctuations in the very early universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/we-are-the-product-of-quantum-fluctuations-in-the-very-early-universe/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) ## More by David Cohen > [Because Techstars is an intensely productive three-month program in which product development and iteration are primary goals, we're constantly looking to streamline our program…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/because-techstars-is-an-intensely-productive-three-month-program-in/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [The best mentors present their opinions simply as data and not as direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/the-best-mentors-present-their-opinions-simply-as-data-and-not-as/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [My attitude is there are at least hundreds of interesting startups that are going to get going in every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/my-attitude-is-there-are-at-least-hundreds-of-interesting-startups/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [We've been publishing the TechStars data fully since the beginning on TechStars.com. For every single company, you can see if it's a failure, success,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/we-ve-been-publishing-the-techstars-data-fully-since-the-beginning-on/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [At TechStars, I have the privilege of working with hundreds of the best and brightest start-up mentors on the planet. We coach our mentors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/at-techstars-i-have-the-privilege-of-working-with-hundreds-of-the/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [There is no doubt that Boulder was a supportive and open-door community well before TechStars ever existed. 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Leveraging it early and often is the key. Don't make the mistake of waiting until you need money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/when-fundraising-your-network-is-critical-leveraging-it-early-and/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [Twilio is a great example of a company executing tremendously well on its vision and delivering a beautiful set of products that solves real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/twilio-is-a-great-example-of-a-company-executing-tremendously-well-on/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [Ultimately, even if you follow the advice of a mentor or board member, it's still your fault if they were wrong!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/ultimately-even-if-you-follow-the-advice-of-a-mentor-or-board-member/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [People look up to Techstars because they get funded by Techstars; they go through the accelerator. What we do impacts what they do. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/people-look-up-to-techstars-because-they-get-funded-by-techstars-they/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) [Explore all 75 David Cohen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. 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It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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