The University of Southern California (USC) and Techstars are proud to announce the newest cohort of university catalyst companies selected for the USC and Techstars program. The USC and Techstars program is a collaborative effort led by USC’s Office of Research and Innovation (OORI), that brings Techstars expertise and programmatic offerings to USC students and faculty.
The USC and Techstars University Catalyst supports up to 20 startups in a part-time, primarily virtual pre-accelerator program from September through November. Early-stage USC faculty, staff, alumni, and student founders will have access to virtual masterclasses with a focus on pitch coaching and pitch deck development, 1:1 mentoring, and peer collaboration opportunities. Program speakers include founders, experts from the Techstars network, and professors from USC, such as Steven Plappert (Co-Founder & CEO at Forecastr), Gabriel Schlumberger (Managing Director at Techstars), and Carmen Palafox (Adjunct Professor at USC Marshall School of Business & Founding Partner at 2045 Ventures). Masterclasses will focus on business fundamentals, including Customer Discovery, Mastering Your Pitch, Understanding KPIs, and Building an Investor Pipeline.
These innovative startups represent a wide range of industries, from healthcare and biotechnology to digital platforms and sustainable solutions and are founded by visionary entrepreneurs committed to creating impact.
Below is the 2026 USC + Techstars cohort:
- Applixy™ – Developing digital solutions to simplify complex workflows.
- Avarie Femcare – Redefining women’s health with sustainable and accessible femcare products.
- Biotransport Systems Development – Innovating technologies for safe and efficient biological transport.
- CoordiCare – A patient-centered platform that streamlines healthcare coordination.
- DataCare – Harnessing data to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes.
- FireWarden – Offering smart detection systems to reduce wildfire risks.
- First Gen X – Supporting first-generation students and professionals with tailored tools.
- FungiFix – Leveraging fungal biotechnology for sustainable problem-solving.
- Jam – Building community-driven platforms for creators and collaboration.
- Nara – Creating accessible digital solutions to improve daily living.
- PALI VR – Using immersive VR technology to transform training and education.
- Seventh Degree Technologies – Advancing next-generation hardware and software solutions.
- SIER Sidekick – A tool to enhance emergency response and preparedness.
- Simplest Healthcare (Division) – Streamlining healthcare navigation for patients and providers.
- Str3amcore Labs – Developing advanced streaming and computing infrastructure.
- Textura – Designing innovative materials for sustainable industries.
- Threadlabs – Creating smart textiles for health and lifestyle applications.
- Tummi – Delivering gut health solutions backed by science.
- Veena – Empowering wellness through holistic, technology-driven platforms.
- Wellspring – Innovating solutions for water sustainability and access.
This year’s cohort demonstrates the breadth of entrepreneurial talent emerging from USC and beyond, uniting bold ideas with the resources of Techstars’ world-class accelerator. With mentorship, capital, and community, these founders are poised to bring transformative technologies and services to market.
“It’s impressive to see such a diverse range of innovative solutions coming from USC faculty, staff, alumni, and students. Each of these startups are bringing deep knowledge and expertise coupled with a passion to support the communities they are serving. We are excited to work with these founders, provide them with tools and resources over the next 10 weeks and see how they take their ideas to greater heights,” said Telesha Bowen, the Techstars Program Lead.
Stay Updated: USC’s Innovation Activities
Alongside the launch of our USC Innovation Ecosystem website, we’re introducing the USC Innovation Listserv, a new way to stay informed about key programs, funding opportunities, and innovation support services. To subscribe, send an email to listserv@maillist.usc.edu with “Subscribe usc-innovation [Your Name]” in the email body. Also, stay tuned for more information regarding an upcoming webinar, which will highlight the USC and Techstars program, where more information on Techstars’ offerings to the broader USC community will be discussed.