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| CMU VentureBridge (VB) San Francisco Demo Day!
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
[INVESTORS ONLY]
For the first time, Carnegie Mellon University is bringing its CMU VB Demo Day to San Francisco's Tech Week! Join us on Tuesday October 7, 2025 in San Francisco to meet CMU’s most promising pre-seed startups. Exclusive to investors and VIPs, this event is your chance to connect with founders and fellow backers shaping the next wave of innovation.
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Register for these additional events during SF Tech Week!
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If you would like to submit events onto the Luma calendar, please reach out to Steven Guo at stevenguo@cmu.edu.
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The 7th Annual CSL Corporate Entrepreneurship Forum!
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Join us for the 7th annual CSL Entrepreneurship Forum on October 22, 'Age of NexT: Beyond Use Cases, bringing together leaders and innovators to explore transformative technologies and strategies driving scalable growth!
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| ETC Faculty Member and Robotics Institute Ph.D. Vivian Shen Changing the Way Technology Feels
CMU Robotics Ph.D. and James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellow (2020-21) Vivian Shen is working to change the way technology feels. While completing her Ph.D., she is also starting a new role as an Assistant Professor at CMU's ETC. Shen will begin teaching courses in the spring, with potential offerings in applied AI and physical computing. Both areas, she says, reflect her core interests in building interactive systems.
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Gather AI Unveils Dual-use HQ for Warehouse
Tech Innovation
Local startup Gather AI opened up its doors to the tech ecosystem, showcasing a built-out, dual-use headquarters at a recent open house. The company, now located inside of the old Heinz manufacturing facility, develops software for pre-existing robotics, mainly drones, for warehouse inventory management and itemization.
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Astrobotic Partners with Honda to Explore Lunar Power Solutions
North Side-based Astrobotic Technology Inc. has entered into a new joint development agreement, this time with an automotive giant.
Astrobotic is partnering with American Honda Motor Co. on a joint feasibility study that aims to see if Honda’s regenerative fuel cell system can be integrated with Astrobotic technologies under development — namely its Vertical Solar Array Technology and its LunaGrid service.
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Illuminate Ventures Student-In-Residence Info Session
Date: Thursday, October 7
Time: 6-6:45 PM ET
Location: Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, Tepper Quad Bldg, 3rd Fl.
*Not able to attend? Watch via Zoom
Curious about venture capital and want hands-on experience while at CMU? Join us for the Illuminate Ventures Internship Program Info Session with Cindy Padnos—Managing Partner at Illuminate Ventures and a Tepper School of Business alumna—to learn how you can work one-on-one with the firm’s partners on real VC projects.
Illuminate Ventures is a Bay Area VC firm located in Oakland, CA focused on early-stage B2B cloud and enterprise software. Learn more.
Questions? Email Austin at alignell@tepper.cmu.edu
Light refreshments will be provided!
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Applications due on Sunday!
2025-27 James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows Program
Are you a CMU first-year graduate student interested in entrepreneurship, exploring a startup or working on your own while joining a network of startup-minded students? Applications for the 2025-27 cohort of James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows will open on Sunday, August 17 at 11:59 PM ET. The Swartz Fellows program is a two-year program that fast-tracks the careers of CMU's graduate students who are passionate about entrepreneurship.
Applications due on Sunday, October 5 at 11:59 PM ET.
**Applications received after the deadline will not be considered**
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| CMU Builders Mixer | #SFTechWeek
Are you a CMU founder building in AI & frontier tech? Join the CMU Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship for an intimate gathering of founders, investors, and operators celebrating CMU’s entrepreneurial impact on what’s next. This mixer is generously sponsored by Accel, the global venture capital firm co-founded by CMU alumnus and Swartz Center benefactor Jim Swartz.
Open to CMU founders. Limited spots!
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| Program Kickoff on October 10!
There’s still time to join Carnegie Mellon’s Family Business Initiative, kicking off on October 10.
Confidential conversations. Real solutions. Stronger legacies.
This six-session series brings together family-owned companies from across Western PA to tackle succession, growth, leadership, family dynamics, and more — all in a trusted, peer-to-peer environment.
To secure your spot, email leifj@andrew.cmu.edu.
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2025 Corporate Innovation &
Entrepreneurship Fall Social
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Date: Thursday, October 16, 2025
Time: 5:00-7:00 PM | ET
Celebrate the Fall season with a evening hosted by Dentons! Join us for a networking event among the city's innovation and entrepreneurship community. Enjoy light hors d'oeuvres and engaging conversations while gathering to reconnect with old friends, forge new connections and immerse yourself in the dynamic spirit of innovation, entrepreneurship and technology.
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Webinar: How are AI-embedded Products Changing the Way
We Think?
Date: Monday, October 20
Time: 8-9 PM | EDT
Location: Zoom
Join professors Susanna Zlotnikov and Arthur Sugden in a conversation exploring how AI-embedded products and services are reshaping how people think and create.
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| Evening of Entrepreneurship: Sustaining the Resilience
of Innovation
Date: Wednesday, October 29
Time: 4-7 PM | PST
Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley warmly invites you to our signature Evening of Entrepreneurship, this year themed “Sustaining the Resilience of Innovation.”
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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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|  10/7
REGISTER
Splitting the Founders Pie (Frank Demmler, Startup Whisperer)
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REGISTER
Keys to a Successful and Scalable Startup (Kelley Lynch, CFO, sovaSage, Inc.)
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REGISTER
Nonprofit Finance and Funding (Kelly McCormick, McCormick Group)
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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 find out more about each of the Clubs!
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Subscribe: CMU @ SF Tech Week Calendar!
One feed for the whole week's CMU-curated events.
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| The CMU T&E has a jobs board, available for people across the community to share and seek new opportunities in the startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Find out more and visit the website here.
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.
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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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| Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is a digital platform that provides free access to the latest AI tools and 1:1 guidance from experts to help founders solve challenges as they grow their business. We provide the right resources at the right time in a startup’s journey so founders can build faster and dream bigger.
Sign up for Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub!
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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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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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