New focus at Sprint Accelerator hopes to lure local firms

Now wrapped up with its second startup class, the Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator has begun prepping for its new mission in 2016.

John Fein

Instead of focusing specifically on mobile health technologies, the Techstars-led accelerator will broadly welcome startups in all mobile technology. The Kansas City-based accelerator welcomes about 10 startups each year from around the world for a three-month program designed to boost their businesses.

Startland News caught up with John Fein, managing director for Techstars at the Sprint Accelerator, to see how the new focus will change operations and opportunities at the accelerator.

On starting to plan for the broader focus …
We are super excited. It opens up so many possibilities for us. One of the reasons that we’re so excited is because I think there’s going to be so many more opportunities for work between Sprint and the companies. With mobile health, it’s a little bit more of a challenge because Sprint has to figure out if there’s a fit after the companies come in. … In the coming weeks, we’re going to be sitting down with Sprint and putting together the areas that Sprint finds interesting.

On defining mobile technology …
At a high level, it’s really any startup that’s mobile-focused or any startup that has a really strong mobile component to their product. … We’re going to be meeting with Sprint in the next several weeks, we’re going to be fine-tuning that, but we’re not going to make it too narrow. Obviously, things like mobile health are a no-brainer. I’m sure mobile commerce is going to be in there. … The main thing is we have a really big umbrella to start with and then within that we’re going to be seeking out I think the most strategic opportunity. And still I think at the end of the process, we’re going to be choosing the 10 very best companies from the applications that we can.

On Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure’s commitment to the accelerator …
Marcello is an entrepreneurial force and he’s incredibly excited about what’s going on at the accelerator and he was more than just a big presence at Demo Day, he came to the after party and was spending a lot of time with our companies there, and it was great. … That commitment from Marcello is just another indicator that the companies will have so many more opportunities to work with Sprint as an organization.

On his hope to draw local startups …
We’re excited by the potential for more regional companies to apply and participate in the program. Mobile health is a pretty narrow focus, and there’s not a huge supply of mobile health companies in the KC region, but now that we’re just mobile, I really hope that the top mobile companies will apply for 2016, because there’s nothing better than to have more local representation in the program.