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|  | Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh students at CMU Africa from left: Pratyay Didwania, Serena Dao, Roshni Surpur, Advika Jayanti, Logan Nye, MD, Julie Negussie
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Carnegie Mellon Swartz Fellows and Innovation Scholars Visit CMU Africa for Innovation Summit
The CMU-Africa Innovation Summit 2024, an initiative by CMU-Africa’s Center for Inclusive Digital Transformation of Africa, recently took place January 24-26, 2024. Six students from Carnegie Mellon's Pittsburgh campus and part of the CMU Swartz Center's Innovation Scholars and James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows programs were selected to participate as delegates:
Innovation Scholars:
Pratyay Didwania (Tepper), Roshni Surpur (Information Systems), Advika Jayanti (SCS)
James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows:
Serena Dao (Tepper), Logan Nye, MD (SCS) and Julie Negussie (Tepper)
This year's theme was Cultivating an Entrepreneurial Mindset. The Summit aims to equip students with the skills, tools and connections necessary to create innovative solutions and address Africa’s
pressing challenges.
In a recent post on LinkedIn, Serena Dao said, "Together we learned a tremendous amount about developing business ideas and technologies that can have a positive impact on our climate. The conference also allowed us to connect with local startup incubators and hear from inspirational panelists about their entrepreneurial journeys".
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ViralMoment, AI Social Video Insights Tool, Raises $2.5M
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| ViralMoment, the leading provider of AI-powered social video insights and analytics, has announced a seed round of $2.5M, led by Supernode Global, with participation from funds including Crush Ventures, Duo Partners, Carnegie Mellon University, and Techstars. ViralMoment, a 2021 VentureBridge startup, is co-founded by Carnegie Mellon University alumni Chelsie Hall and Sheyda Demooei.
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| Info Session and Q&A - $1M Hult Prize
Featuring Leah Lizarondo, CMU Swartz Center EIR and Francisco DaSilva, Hult Prize
Date: Monday, February 5, 2024
Time: 12:30 PM | ET
Location: Virtual (via Zoom - see below)
Find out more about the $1M Hult Prize for Student Entrepreneurs at this info session and Q&A.
The Hult Prize is one of the largest student entrepreneurship pitch competitions that will culminate with six global finalists going to London in September to participate in an accelerator and pitch (to an audience of potential investors, partners and media) for the $1M grant prize (that means non-dilutive funding). CMU Swartz Center EIR Leah Lizarondo and Francisco DaSilva, Hult Prize, will host
this discussion.
For those participating in the McGinnis Venture Competition—you've done most of the work and can use your entry to this prize! For those who haven't—there is still time to work on it.
APPLY TO THE HULT PRIZE BY February 15!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://cmu.zoom.us/j/4934697972
Meeting ID: 493 469 7972
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| Date: Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Time: 12:30 - 1:30 PM ET
Location: CMU Swartz Center, Tepper Quad, 3rd Fl., 4765 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
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Date: Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Time: 12:00 - 12:50 PM ET
Location: Tepper School of Business (Tepper Quad), Simmons A
Join the Tepper School of Business for a discussion with Niraj Shah, CEO and Co-Chairman of Wayfair, for its next W.L. Mellon Speaker Series event. Moderating the fireside chat will be Professor Dave Mawhinney, Executive Director, Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship; Executive Director, Donald H. Jones Center
for Entrepreneurship.
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| Apply to the VentureBridge Summer Accelerator
by February 29!
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The VentureBridge Summer Accelerator is a 12-week summer program that helps CMU startups by providing funding ($25K investment from CMU), speakers, workshops, 1:1 support, and introductions to mentors and advisors.
Eligible startups must have at least one Carnegie Mellon University affiliated alumni founder that is full time on the company. All applications must include a pitch deck and a two-minute pitch video. The early application deadline is February 29, 2024 and the final deadline is March 29, 2024. Send questions to Aleks Petkov, Program Manager.
Register for the next information session on March 4, 2024.
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Apply to the Spring 2024 Customer Discovery
Kickstart Program
The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship’s Project Olympus Incubator is seeking candidates for
its March, 2024 cohort of the Customer Discovery Kickstart, a program for early-stage startups to explore
the feasibility of their business ideas.
Startup teams in the 4-week program learn about the fundamentals of customer discovery, including conducting customer discovery interviews and will receive coaching from experienced
Entrepreneurs-in-Residence. CMU startup founders, including alumni, are eligible to apply. The next cohort will begin on March 20 and run through April 10.
Register for a virtual info session: February 12; 12-1:30 PM ET
Contact Melanie Simko, Program Manager, with questions.
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| CONNECTS/START SMART LAW SEMINARS
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Can't make a CONNECTS? Watch on our YouTube channel.
Find out more and see the full schedule.
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|  2/8
REGISTER
CONNECTS: Cost Efficient IP Strategies That Lead to Massive Exits (Sreekar Gadde, BlueTree VC and Jason Somma, Attorney/Consultant)
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Carnegie Mellon's Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Association Hosts Contrary Capital at the Swartz Center
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The CMU Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Association (UEA) hosted a fireside chat with Contrary Capital partner, Jason Chen, on Tuesday, January 30, 2024. Moderated by Material Science/Engineering student and Innovation Scholar Shagun Maheshwari, the event brought together technical talent, builders and founders at CMU to share resources and lessons learned from Contrary and demystifying building a startup for student founders. Shagun recently joined Contrary as a Venture Partner.
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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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Deadline Extended to February 29!
Entrepreneurship Rebrand Design Competition
The CMU T&E has announced a brand design competition to refresh the its visual identity for the growing CMU T&E community. Open to everyone, the competition closes on January 31, 2024
at midnight.
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| 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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| 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 currently 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.
To sign up for a 30 minute session with Matt, complete the Signup Form by the Thursday prior to your desired appointment. If you need to schedule an office hour outside of these regular hours,
contact Daria Stokes.
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Legal Services Weekly Office Hours
Sign up for weekly office hours.
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| PATRON SPOTLIGHT
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble (P&G) serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks® and Whisper®.
The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries with thirteen research and development centers worldwide. Since 1837, P&G’s success is rooted in research and development and strong external partnerships with academia, entrepreneurs and start-ups. P&G would like to continue this legacy by partnering with you to bring your ideas to life. Find out more.
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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. Find out more.
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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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