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Due to the observance of Memorial Day, the next Weekly Bulletin will be published on June 9, 2023.
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|  | From left: Jamie Quinterno, Doug Bernstein and Arush Kalra, MD of PECA Labs
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PECA Labs Achieves MASA Valve Successful
First-In-Human Implant
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Founded in 2012, PECA Labs®, Inc. is a Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh spin-off focused on the pediatric and cardiovascular surgical device spaces. Co-founded by Carnegie Mellon alumni Doug Bernstein, CEO, Arush Kalra, MD, CSO and Jamie Quinterno, COO, PECA Labs's MASA Valve, its novel, fully-polymeric pulmonary valved conduit, has been successfully implanted in an historic first-in-human case. Read the Investor Update for more.
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VentureBridge Company ESTAT Actuation Wins $10K at Phoenix Contact Startup Challenge at Automate!
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| ESTAT Actuation, the deep-tech hardware company pioneering components that make robot solutions safer, more capable and less expensive, took first place and $10K at the Phoenix Contact Startup Challenge at Automate on May 23, 2023. Co-founded by Stuart Diller, Ph.D., ESTAT is a participant in
the 2021 VentureBridge cohort.
Also a finalist in the Startup Challenge was 2022 Venture Bridge company, Voaige, Inc,, builder of vision
AI-based software for robotic automation, founded by Dipan Pal, Ph.D.
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|  | Mara McFadden, cofounder and CEO, Endolumik (image credit: Pittsburgh
Business Times)
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Endolumik CEO Mara McFadden Named to Pittsburgh Business Times 2023 Women of Influence
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Mara McFadden, CMU Tepper School of Business alumna and co-founder and CEO of Endolumik, Inc., a medical device startup, has been selected to the Pittsburgh Business Times 2023 Women of Influence.
McFadden hopes that her leadership as co-founder and CEO of a medical device startup can serve as a path that other women can follow, even if that journey is an upward climb for most.
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Andreessen Horowitz Partner Kofi Ampadu Joins
ForbesBLK Advisory Board
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Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business alumnus and Andreessen Horowitz partner Kofi Ampadu, has joined the advisory board of the newly expanded and rebranded ForbesBLK—a global community of Black entrepreneurs, professionals, leaders and creators who are driving systematic change in business, culture and society. Kofi is also general partner at SKU'd Ventures, which invests in pre-seed
CPG startups.
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|  | Thoro.ai's Big Joe Pallet Mover
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Thoro.ai Raises $7M Series A Funding Round
Thoro.ai, a company Carnegie Robotics spun out in 2020, has closed on a $7M funding round, bringing its total outside investment to just over $11M to date. The maker of robotics-based autonomy stacks for industrial equipment manufacturers, plans to use the funding to continue building out its workforce. CMU Tepper School of Business alumnus Daniel Beaven is the CFO at Carnegie Robotics.
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Innovation Scholars Deniz Birlikci and Coleman Isner
Move Into Swartz Center Garage To Work on Their Startups
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During the summer, some of the startups inhabiting 'garage' spaces at the Swartz Center move out, making room for new startups. Tepper School of Business student Coleman Isner, and School of Computer Science-AI student Mehmet Deniz Birlikci, have moved into one of the vacant garages to work on their individual startups. They have both been awarded a $6K summer stipend provided by the Swartz Center's Innovation Scholars program to take their startups to the next level.
Coleman, a finalist in the 2022 McGinnis Venture Competition, is the founder of Mycelium, a documentation assistant that enables users to converse with a codebase.
Deniz is building an innovative, chat-box shopping assistant that revolutionizes the way people shop by eliminating the need for reading Amazon reviews for hours and provides instant, tailored recommendations to help users make informed purchasing decisions. If you're interested in helping Deniz, complete a short survey for a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card.
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Apply for the Customer Discovery Kickstart Program
The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship’s Project Olympus Incubator announces the Customer Discovery Kickstart program, designed for early-stage startups to explore the feasibility of their business ideas. The second cohort will begin on June 14, 2023. This program helps startup founders to determine product-market fit by connecting them with potential customers and industry stakeholders. CMU students, staff and alumni are eligible to apply.
Apply for the June 14 - July 12 cohort by May 31, 2023!
Send questions to Melanie Simko, Program Manager.
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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.
The CONNECTS seminars have ended for the Spring semester and will resume at the start of the Fall semester in September.
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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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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: Upcoming date: June 7, 2023
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Legal Services Weekly Office Hours
Sign up for weekly office hours.
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| PATRON SPOTLIGHT
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. It offers competitive and flexible rates and aims to provide value to its 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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Have an idea you want to explore? Don’t have the time or resources to fully examine it, but think it could be transformative for your company? The Corporate Startup Lab (CSL), a Swartz Center initiative, allows you to join a cohort of peer companies and work with Carnegie Mellon University graduate students to investigate what’s possible over the course of a semester.
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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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