Uber, Timehop, and Sphero are just some of the most notable alumni the accelerator programme had produced

Global accelerator programme Techstars today announced the launch its Techstars Adelaide accelerator programme, marking its first entry to the Asia Pacific region through Australia.

The programme will support early stage startups with focus on Internet-of-Things (IoT), big data, sensors, and robotics, with the potential to develop and commercialise technologies connected to the defence and security sectors.

“Defence research has driven some of the most transformative consumer innovation the world has seen, from the internet and GPS to superglue and digital photography. We are excited to invite entrepreneurs to join a programme that will help them develop and commercialise cutting-edge products in collaboration with the defence industry,” Techstars co-founder and co-CEO David Cohen explained in a press statement.

Participating startups will have access to “most advanced” technologies and research from Techstars’ partners in the industry, such as BAE, Thales, Austal, SAAB, ASC, Rheinmetall and DCNS, and the opportunity to collaborate with industry leaders.

Also Read: DailySocial joins forces with the Indonesian army to host military-themed hackathon

Application for the programme, which is due to start in July 2017, is now open. Techstars is looking for 10 startups from all over the world, and it is also opening recruitment for an Australia-based Managing Director.

There are several reasons why Techstars chose to make its Asia-Pacific base in the South Australia capital city.

The first being the Australian Federal Government recent investment in a AU$230 million (US$168 million) worth of Centre for Defence Industry Capability in the city.

Techstars also stated Adelaide is “poised to become a global centre of excellence for the defence sector with over AU$100 billion (US$73 billion) worth of major industry projects in the pipeline.”

Also Read: CoAssets the coworking startup gets former military colonel as COO

Adelaide also has “the hallmarks of a successful Techstars host city,” according to Cohen.

“Adelaide fits the bill perfectly. Not only is it ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit as the fifth most liveable city in the world, it has been recognised by the G20 for its coordinated support for entrepreneurship. It is a tech-forward city that is building sophisticated infrastructure for startups. Last year it became the first international ‘GigCity’, and Cisco’s only ‘Lighthouse City’ for innovation in Australia,” he said.

Prior to this, Techstars have had presence in the US, UK, Germany, Israel, and South Africa. The programme was co-founded in by Cohen, David Brown, and Brad Feld, and it was first launched in Boulder, Colorado, US.

Some of Techstars’ notable alumni includes Uber, Timehop, Sphero, Digital Ocean, Localistic, ClassPass, Twilio, and Ginger.io.

The post Stars in the making: Techstars made its APAC debut in Adelaide, Australia appeared first on e27.