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September 24, 2021

Stanley+Techstars accelerator moving from Hartford to Baltimore

Photo | Contributed Participants in the Stanley+Techstars Accelerator in downtown Hartford.

A startup accelerator program hosted by New Britain toolmaker Stanley Black & Decker is moving to Baltimore after operating in Hartford for the past three years.

Stanley+Techstars 2022 cohort will run Feb. 14 through May 12 in partnership with UpSurge Baltimore, an initiative that aims to build up Baltimore's innovation and startup scene. The Baltimore-based Stanley+Techstars is currently accepting applications for their next joint business accelerator program, which will focus on electrification technology. 

Maryland is home to Stanley Black & Decker's Global Tools & Storage business.

Asked by HBJ whether the move is permanent, officials at Stanley didn't directly say whether or not the accelerator would ever return to Hartford, but pointed out that the company is still participating in entrepreneurship activities in the city, including sponsoring the Make48 competition in Hartford this October at Makerspace CT.

"Similar to Hartford, Baltimore is also engaging in an effort to propel entrepreneurship and we are doing our part," Stanley's email response said. "We remain firmly committed to continuing to invest in and engage in the city of Hartford and the state of CT in alignment with all our previous work."

Laila Partridge, managing director of the program, said that it will be run in conjunction with the Hartford accelerator. She didn’t provide further details. 

Stanley+Techstars, which ran its inaugural startups cohort in 2018, has hosted companies from dozens of countries, and helped graduates raise nearly $24 million, according to Stanley. It's also been viewed by many in the startup community as an important corporate backer of the state's effort to expand entrepreneurship in the state.

Stanley partnered with Colorado-based seed accelerator Techstars in 2017 to establish the Stanley+Techstars, which initially focused on advanced manufacturing startups. In 2019, the company opened its Manufactory 4.0 facility in downtown Hartford, where workers do R&D work, in addition to hosting some startup activity.

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