Techstars application questions — all 21, word for word
Techstars hires through Greenhouse. Beyond name, email and CV, its application form asks 21 questions, 20 of them required. 8 of them are required, fixed-choice questions about your eligibility to work. A cover letter is optional.
9 roles were open when this was last checked, mostly in operations and engineering. The questions below are the form's own wording, not a paraphrase.
What Techstars has open
These are the roles the form was read from, as Techstars titles them, in Remote, Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, Birmingham, Alabama, United States:
- Backend Engineer
- Product Manager - Engineering
- Senior Full Stack Engineer
- Social Media & Content Manager
- Operations Associate, Washington, D.C.
- Operations Associate, Baltimore
- Operations Associate, Techstars Alabama Energy Tech Fall 2026
- Operations Associate, Amsterdam
- Operations Associate, Techstars Space Fall 2026
16 of the questions below are ones at most two of the 213 employers measured ask (median: 18), the least standard being “How did you hear about this opportunity? If referred, please provide the Techstars employee's name.”.
The eligibility questions
These are required, and answered from a fixed list rather than in your own words: work authorisation, visa sponsorship or security clearance. Employers often use questions like these to filter applications automatically, but Greenhouse's public data does not say whether Techstars does — so treat them as the answers most likely to matter, not as a verdict. Answer them honestly either way.
| Question | Answers accepted |
|---|---|
| Are you legally authorized to work in the Netherlands? required, fixed choice | Yes, No |
| Are you legally authorized to work in the U.S.? required, fixed choice | Yes, No |
| Will you now or in the future require sponsorship to work in the U.S.? required, fixed choice | Yes, No |
| Are you legally authorized to work in the United States? required, fixed choice | Yes, No |
| Will you now or in the future require sponsorship? required, fixed choice | Yes, No |
| Are you authorized to work in the U.S.? required, fixed choice | Yes, No |
| Will you now or in the future require visa sponsorship to work in the U.S.? required, fixed choice | Yes, No |
| Are you legally authorized to work in the country in which this position is located? required, fixed choice | Yes, No |
Every question on the form
| Question | Type | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Are you legally authorized to work in the Netherlands? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| Are you legally authorized to work in the U.S.? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| Will you now or in the future require sponsorship to work in the U.S.? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| Are you legally authorized to work in the United States? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| Will you now or in the future require sponsorship? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| Are you authorized to work in the U.S.? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| Will you now or in the future require visa sponsorship to work in the U.S.? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| Are you legally authorized to work in the country in which this position is located? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| First Name | text | Yes |
| Last Name | text | Yes |
| Preferred First Name | text | No |
| text | Yes | |
| Phone | text | Yes |
| Resume/CV | file | Yes |
| Cover Letter | file | No |
| LinkedIn Profile | text | No |
| What excites you about this role at Techstars? | textarea | Yes |
| Were you referred by someone at Techstars for this role? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| How did you hear about this opportunity? If referred, please provide the Techstars employee's name. | text | Yes |
| Are you currently located in or near Washington, D.C.? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| Do you currently live in or near Baltimore, MD? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| How did you hear about this opportunity? (if referred please give employee name) | text | Yes |
| Have you previously been employed by Techstars? Yes with an Accelerator Program, Yes with Central Office, Yes as a contractor, No |
select | Yes |
| What is your desired compensation? $50,000 - $70,000, $70,000 - $90,000, $90,000 - $110,000, $110,000 - $130,000, $130,000 - $150,000, $150,000 - $170,000 (+4 more) |
select | Yes |
| In what state do you reside? Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado (+44 more) |
select | Yes |
| What is your current street address? | text | Yes |
| What city do you live in? | text | Yes |
| What is your zip code? | text | Yes |
What it's really asking about
Grouped by what each question is for, so you can prepare the answers that repeat across employers.
| Topic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Other | 7 |
| Work authorisation | 5 |
| How you heard of them | 3 |
| Visa sponsorship | 3 |
| Remote or on-site | 2 |
| Cover letter | 1 |
What other employers ask
The same question rarely comes out the same way twice. These employers' forms are measured the same way, from their own job boards:
Robinhood · Roofstock · Runwise · Samsara · Scopely · Shopmy
Before you apply
Have the answers to the required questions ready before you open the form — Techstars's asks for 20 of them, and Greenhouse does not save a partial application by default. Settle the eligibility questions first — they are the ones with no room to elaborate, so knowing your answer before you start tells you whether the rest of the form is worth your time.