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|  | First place (graduate track): D.Sole
Dave Mawhinney (left) with Saisri Akondi, Zilin Zhang (center) and Aman Sinha (right)
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Winners of the McGinnis Venture Competition Announced!
A record breaking number of graduate and undergraduate students, 84 to be exact, applied to this year's McGinnis Venture Competition. As the multi-round event—which kicks off in January—progressed, fifteen teams emerged to compete in the final round celebration, which was held in person at the Swartz Center on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.
The first place graduate track winner and recipient of a $25K SAFE investment was De.Sole, a novel at-home diagnostic wearable device for patients with diabetes, founded by graduate students and Swartz Fellows Saisri Akondi and Zilin Zhang, along with Aman Sinha, Je-han Yang and Dina Kaganer. Second place and $15K went to doctoral candidate Spencer Matonis and Vladimir Lamm, founders of Edulis Therapeutics, makers behind a localized drug delivery system for chron's disease and participant in the upcoming 2023 Rice Business Plan Competition. Third place and $10K went to Right One, founded by Swartz Fellow Thomas Park and Erica Chao and also ReRoad Robotics, founded by John Harrington, Ryan Lee, Alex Pletta and Russell Wong.
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|  | Second place: Spencer Matonis, Edulis Therapeutics
| |  | Third place: Thomas Park, Right One; Ryan Lee, John Harrington, Alex Pletta and Russell Wong,
ReRoad Robotics
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First place in the undergraduate track and $4K went to Innovation Scholar Isaigh Rodgers and Zamir Rodgers, co-founders of Clutch Car Management, and second place of $2.5K went to ScOAPe, makers of a device that cleans endoscopes during medical procedures founded by Rohit Mantena, Brandon Lee, Kamil Nowicki, MD, PhD, Adi Mittal and Michael McDowell, MD.
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|  | First place: Isaigh Rodgers and Zamir Rodgers, Clutch Car Management
| |  | Second place: Rohit Mantena and Brandon Lee, ScOAPe
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| Farm to Flame Energy Inks $4.4M Agreement with
Vermont-based Furniture Company
CMU alumnus and Farm to Flame Energy, Inc. CEO Kwaku Jyamfi, has recently announced a $4.4M combined heat and power purchase agreement with a Vermont furniture company—just one of the many accomplishments the Pittsburgh-based renewable energy startup has achieved.
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Type Beauty Founder Ananya Kapur Featured in Vogue
Type Beauty, Inc's founder—Ananya Kapur, a CMU Chemistry BS alumna, was recently featured for the third time in the iconic Vogue magazine. Her idea of curating clean beauty products, backed by science, has received praise by consumers and magazine editors. The brand understands the need for products rooted in science and inclusivity, which sets it apart.
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GEC Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Panel Discussion
Date: Wednesday, March 29
The Graduate Entrepreneurship Club is excited to host a panel discussion about the worlds of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition and Search Funds. Find out more and register.
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Apply to the VentureBridge Summer Accelerator by
Friday, March 31!
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| The VentureBridge Summer Accelerator is a 12-week program that helps CMU startups by investing capital ($25K SAFE Note), providing office space in Silicon Valley, New York and Pittsburgh, as well as making introductions to mentors, experts and investors.
Eligible teams must have at least one CMU affiliated alumni founder. All applications must include a pitch deck and a two-minute pitch video. Applications are due by
Friday, March 31, 2023 at midnight.
Send questions to Aleks Petkov, Program Manager.
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|  | 2022-24 Innovation Scholars in Silicon Valley for the Entrepreneurship Trek
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| CMU Undergraduate Students!
Apply to the 2023-25 Innovation Scholars Program by April 14
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CMU undergraduate students! Are you interested in entrepreneurship? Have a startup, or want to connect with other student entrepreneurs? Apply to the 2023-25 Innovation Scholars cohort by
April 14, 2023. Current second year students in the second semester in ANY school or college at CMU are eligible to apply to this highly selective program.
Learn more at an upcoming info session:
Wednesday, April 5 - 12:30 PM | EST
Register
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CONNECTS/START SMART LAW SEMINARS
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| See the full Spring 2023 schedule here.
Can't make a CONNECTS? Watch on our YouTube channel.
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|  3/28
REGISTER
START SMART LAW: How to Structure Your Capital Raise, Part II, Negotiating the Term Sheet (David Lehman, K&L Gates; FJ Lucchino, Lucchino Law)
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REGISTER
Accelerating Your Startup Via Corporate Partnerships (Sean Ammirati, Birchmere Ventures, and Dr. Ed Rakiewicz, PPG)
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Date: March 24-26, 2023
Location: Swartz Center, Tepper Quad, 3rd Fl., 4765 Forbes Ave.
XchangeIdeas is a weekend to develop, refine and reshape impactful ideas alongside 250+ regional leaders using strategic design thinking to help change Pittsburgh and the world. Learn more about the full schedule of XchangeIdeas events.
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Silicon Heartland Talk and Q&A
Pittsburgh: From Rust Belt to Tech Belt
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Date: Friday, March 31, 2023
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | ET
Location: Swartz Center, Tepper Quad, 3rd Fl., 4765 Forbes Ave.
Join the Swartz Center for a fireside chat with Silicon Heartland author and CNBC journalist
Rebecca A. Fannin and Dave Mawhinney, Executive Director, Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship.
A book signing with Rebecca will take place after the talk.
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| Project Olympus Show & Tell
Date: Thursday, April 13, 2023
Time: 4:00 - 6:00 PM | ET
Location: Swartz Center, Tepper Quad, 3rd Floor, 4765 Forbes Ave.
(Visitor parking available at the East Campus Garage)
The Project Olympus Show & Tell event is back! Show & Tell is a hugely popular venue for connecting CMU startups with the wider business and entrepreneurial community. Find out more.
This is an In-person only event.
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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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Upcoming Events
NYC Panel & Mixer | GEC x T&E
Date: Friday, March 24, 2023
Register
CMU Alumni Startup & Entrepreneurs Networking Event
Date: Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Location: Swartz Center, Tepper Quad, 3rd Fl.
Register
CMU Alumni Co-Founder & Team Matchmaking Night
Date: Monday, April 3, 2023
Location: Brewers Block (Club Room)
Register
The CMU Tech & Entrepreneurship group connects the CMU community, alumni and students, to build an entrepreneurial culture and provide resources to help the community succeed. There are multiple region-based chapters within the group. Find out more and join the CMU T&E blog,
the CMU Tech Entrepreneur!
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The following companies help directly support our programming and entrepreneurs.
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| Pwc and Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC are holding in person office hours at the CMU Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, Tepper Quad, 4765 Forbes Avenue, 3rd Floor. The office hours are for any interested CMU graduate, undergraduate or alumni interested in entrepreneurship or connecting with members of the Swartz Center network.
Walk-ins accepted. Registration NOT required!
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| Trust & Consulting Solutions
When: Weekly on Wednesdays
12-5 PM | ET: Dates: April 5, 2023, May 3, 2023, June 7, 2023
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Legal Services Office Hours
When: Weekly on Thursdays
1-4 PM | ET
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| PATRON SPOTLIGHT
TD Cowen
TD Cowen is a diversified financial services firm that operates through two business segments: a broker dealer and an investment management division. The Company’s broker dealer division offers investment banking services, equity research, sales and trading, prime brokerage, global clearing and commission management services. Cowen’s investment management division builds on Cowen’s core insights by developing differentiated, actively managed investment strategies that seek to meet the dynamic needs of our clients. Founded in 1918, the firm is headquartered in New York
and has offices worldwide.
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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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The VentureBridge program is an initiative of the Swartz Center exclusively focused on helping Carnegie Mellon alumni founders succeed in their entrepreneurial ventures. The program provides seed funding, office space, access to a large network of mentors and innovators and help with startup growth and future larger scale fundraising rounds.
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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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