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| IN THE NEWS
Special Graduation Edition!
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| James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows and Innovation Scholars Participate in CMU's 2025 Commencement
During Carnegie Mellon University's 2025 Commencement Weekend, which took place May 9-11, the CMU Swartz Center celebrated several James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows and Innovation Scholars who participated in the graduation ceremony, even at CMU Qatar's campus.
Each of these students have been a significant part of the Swartz Center family as they embarked on their entrepreneurial careers, won startup competitions, participated in entrepreneurship club activities, attended the annual Entrepreneurship Trek to Silicon Valley, and participated in many other programs to help them on their startup journeys. Here is a snapshot of some of the graduates.
Above photos (in order from left):
Ruben Antonio Quesada (Swartz Fellow), Tepper School of Business, Co-founder and CEO, Sabana
Sapna Rohra (Swartz Fellow), Master's of Integrated Innovation for Products and Services (MIIPS)
Christina Yang (Swartz Fellow), Master of Design, Design for Interactions
Mukhammadjon Gafurov (Innovation Scholar), CMU Qatar (Business Administration, Finance)
Below photos (in order from left):
Emily Torrealba (Swartz Fellow) Tepper School of Business ('25 STEM)
Advika Jayanti (Innovation Scholar), School of Computer Science
Qinyuan (Olivia) Wu (Swartz Fellow), Information Networking Institute (INI), recipient of this year's
INI Leadership Award
Kaitlyn Chow (Innovation Scholar), Tepper School of Business, founder of BAM!
Congratulations Swartz Fellows and Innovation Scholars!
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|  | From left: Kaitlyn Chow, founder of BAM!, Dave Mawhinney, Swartz Center, Donald Bonk, President, Penn Club of Western PA and Chibuike Dumebi-Kachikwu, founder of Thursday Thrift
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Ivy+ CMU Swartz in the City Series Event Highlights Two CMU Alumni Swartz Center Founders
Two CMU Tepper School of Business alumni founders, also current and past winners of the Swartz Center's McGinnis Venture Competition, were featured speakers at the 'Swartz in the City' series event held at Pittsburgh's Allegheny HYP Club on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Kaitlyn Chow, founder of BAM! and Chibuike Dumebi-Kachikwu, CEO and founder of Thursday Thrift, shared their exciting journeys with their startups and the latest technology they are using with the Penn and other Ivy+ alumni who were in attendance.
BAM! is the home of self-heating containers that provide hot meals on the go, and Thursday Thrift is providing customers with the first digital thrifting experience powered by AI.
The event series is led by Dave Mawhinney, Founding Executive Director at the CMU Swartz Center and Donald Bonk, CMU alumnus and President of the Penn Club of Western PA.
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| UCLA Receives ADEA Grant to Use Pearl’s AI Platform to Improve Radiologic Education and Clinical Performance for High-Quality, Consistent Patient Care
Pearl, the global leader in dental AI solutions, today announced that the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Dentistry has been awarded a grant from the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) to integrate Pearl Calibrate, the first AI-powered clinical calibration tool, into its educational and research programs. The grant-powered collaboration will enable faculty, residents, and students to incorporate advanced AI technology into their curriculum and in preparation for clinical work. Insights garnered from the implementation are expected later this year.
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| Apply to the TiE Women Program by June 15!
Applications are now open for the TiE Women Program 2025, an incredible opportunity for women founders to showcase their innovative business ideas on a global stage.
If you are a woman entrepreneur with a passion for innovation and a drive to make a difference, you are encouraged to apply to participate in this prestigious program.
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| 2025 Innovation & Entrepreneurship Summer Kick-off!
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Step into summer with Dentons! Join us for an unforgettable evening of camaraderie, connection and celebration amidst the vibrant pulse of Pittsburgh's innovation and entrepreneurship scene.
Enjoy light hors d'oeuvres and engaging conversations as we gather to reconnect with old friends, forge new alliances and immerse ourselves in the dynamic spirit of innovation.
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| Join us on June 2nd during NY Tech Week for the CMU VentureBridge 2025 Demo Day to watch
pitch presentations from the current cohort and select VentureBridge alumni in the portfolio, followed by a reception.
This event is open to investors and VIPs only.
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| CONNECTS/START SMART LAW SEMINARS
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| Can't make a CONNECTS? Watch on our YouTube channel.
See the full schedule and register for ALL of the seminars here!
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The CONNECTS/START SMART LAW Seminars have ended for the Spring semester and will resume in the Fall.
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The mission of 99 Tartans is to partner with the highest potential, early-stage CMU alumni companies and accelerate their success through access to capital and networks. Find out more.
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CMU ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLUBS
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| Click the images to see upcoming Club events!
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Big News: We’ve Moved to Substack!
Starting April 2025, the CMU T&E is transitioning from Mailchimp to Substack for their primary newsletter!
You can expect a welcome email—if you don’t receive it, you can manually subscribe at cmutechentrepreneur.substack.com.
We’re excited for this next chapter—see you there!
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| The CMU Tech & Entrepreneurship group aims to build a bridge between CMU students and alumni across the startup and tech continuum. With main chapters in NYC, Pittsburgh, and SF, we offer a range of in-person and online events and programming in the form of panels, workshops, founder/investor engagements, startup support, and socials to foster collaboration, innovation, and networking opportunities.
Join 7,000+ Tartans on our Slack workspace and mailing list for resources and updates on how you can engage in the community and CMU entrepreneurial ecosystem. Find out more and get involved!
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The following companies help directly support our programming and entrepreneurs.
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| Pillsbury and Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC are holding office hours for the CMU Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship. The office hours are for any interested CMU graduate, undergraduate or alumni interested in entrepreneurship or connecting with members of the Swartz Center network.
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Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
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Legal Services Weekly Virtual Office Hours with Matt Kirmayer
Mondays 1:00-3:00 PM ET (10-12 PT)
Matt Kirmayer of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, is offering office hours for newly established startup and emerging companies. Matt specializes in representing technology startups and emerging growth companies, assisting with entity formation, fundraising and overall growth needs. Startup companies with a founder who is a CMU graduate, undergraduate or alumni is eligible to register for
an appointment. Complete the Signup Form for a 30 minute session by the Thursday prior to your
desired appointment.
Contact Daria Stokes or Sean Mawhinney for office hours outside of these regular hours.
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| Steptoe & Johnson PLLC
Steptoe & Johnson PLLC is a multi-jurisdictional, full-service law firm that takes a progressive approach to providing counsel at each stage of a client’s life cycle. Our dedicated team works closely with our clients to form entities, advise on the most advantageous entity type, and design and negotiate joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions. If a client has a dispute, Steptoe & Johnson has a team of business and product liability litigators and labor and employment lawyers to guide clients through these often stressful and disruptive situations.
Steptoe & Johnson brings a strong skillset for data privacy, cyber security and intellectual property matters which are frequent concerns for startups and technology companies. We offer competitive and flexible rates and aim to provide value to our clients.
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HOW TO WORK OUT OF THE SWARTZ CENTER
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Swartz Center Education and Resources
No matter what phase of the entrepreneurship cycle you're in, there are programs and resources at the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship that will take your idea to the next level. Find out more.
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Project Olympus Incubator Program
Want more help with finding product/market fit, developing your business model, making connections and attracting funding? Project Olympus will team you up with a business coach to develop a personalized ‘roadmap. Find out more.
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COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES/RESOURCES
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FIND OUT WHAT OUR PARTNERS ARE DOING
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Have startup news or opportunities to share? Have questions about the Swartz Center Weekly Bulletin? Send news, opportunities or questions to Sonya Ford, Program Manager.
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Carnegie Mellon University Swartz Center For Entrepreneurship
5000 Forbes Avenue | Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890 |
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