|
|
|  | From left: Dave Mawhinney, Rohan Singh, Paul Grech, Andres Castrillon and
Leah Lizarondo at the 2025 Social Enterprise Competition
| |
| | |
| OctaPulse Accepted Into Hult Prize Digital Incubator
When recent Tepper School of Business alumnus Paul Grech and his team won in the graduate track of this year's inaugural Social Enterprise Competition—a newly added track of the McGinnis Venture Competition led by CMU Swartz Center EIR Leah Lizarondo—it only went up from there. The co-founder of OctaPulse, a company aiming to revolutionize aquaculture using AI-powered fish inspection systems that reduce waste, improve yields and protect ocean ecosystems, was recently awarded CMU's esteemed John R. Thorne Entrpreneurship Award and is now one of five founders from the U.S. that have been accepted into the Hult Prize Digital Incubator. Paul and his team, which includes Rohan Singh and Andres Castrillon, are working to build the future of sustainable seafood.
Among his many other accomplishments while studying at the Tepper School, Paul is also an integral member of the 99 Tartans organization as an MBA partner, a Robotics Institute Pathways Fellow and Consortium Fellow.
| |
|
Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute taps RE2 Robotics founder as New CEO
The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute has named a new CEO, the former founder and CEO of RE2 Robotics. Jorgen Pedersen started RE2 in 2001, growing it to a team of over 100 employees before the company was acquired by Sarcos Technology in 2022 for $100M. On June 17, Jorgen will begin leading the Department of Defense's primary Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, working to foster relationships and collaborations between robotics and manufacturing companies, government agencies and universities.
| | | |
CMU Spinout Anactisis Awarded $20K at the
Spring 2025 EPIC Pitch Competition
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) awarded more than $100K in cash prizes at the Spring 2025 EPIC Pitch Competition, where startups presented their groundbreaking energy technologies.
Second place at $20K went to Anactisis, a company focused on enhancing U.S. energy security by developing polymer-based materials to recover critical minerals from industrial waste streams.
| |
| Rising Swartz Center Startup Daedalia (Mio AI) is Hiring!
CMU Swartz Center startup Daedalia, founded by CMU SCS/Tepper MBA and James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellow Michael Shang, has recently raised funding for its first product, Mio AI and has started to grow! The mission at Mio AI is to create a revolutionary mobile app that provides emotional enhancement in everyday lives. Mio AI creates 3D worlds, offering its users awesome characters as potential friends from a parallel universe.
The company is hiring for the following positions: Software Engineer, Game Programmer, 3D Generalist and Growth Hacker. Find out more and how to apply here.
| |
| 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.
| |
| 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.
| |
Date: Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Time: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Join Smith Point Capital for a morning of breakfast, conversation and networking with featured speaker Dylan Fox, CEO at AssemblyAI. The following topics will be covered:
• Discuss the critical trade-offs and advantages of building specialized, best-in-class AI solutions versus leveraging broader AI platforms, and how to position your company for success in this dynamic landscape.
• Uncover how AI is fundamentally altering business models, operational efficiencies, and competitive advantages across industries, providing insights into where the greatest opportunities lie for the next generation of companies.
• Discover the specialized GTM strategies for taking deep-tech AI infrastructure to market by securing enterprise partnerships and demonstrating tangible ROI in a rapidly evolving ecosystem.
This in-person event is organized in partnership with the CMU Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship and the CMU VentureBridge program. It is open exclusively to the CMU Founders community in New York City.
Spots are limited, register soon!
| |
| CONNECTS/START SMART LAW SEMINARS
| |
| Can't make a CONNECTS? Watch on our YouTube channel.
See the full schedule and register for ALL of the seminars here!
| |
|
The CONNECTS/START SMART LAW Seminars have ended for the Spring semester and will resume in the Fall.
| |
|
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.
| |
CMU ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLUBS
| |
| Click the images to see upcoming Club events!
| |
|
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!
| |
The following companies help directly support our programming and entrepreneurs.
| |
| 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.
| |
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
| |
|
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.
| |
PwC
Our purpose—to build trust in society and solve important problems—is at the core of everything we do. It guides how we serve our clients, our people and the world. To help our clients build trust and deliver sustained outcomes, PwC provides professional services across two segments: Trust Solutions and Consulting Solutions. Within these segments we bring a range of capabilities to help organizations solve faster, solve more and realize more value. These capabilities include cloud and digital, deals, ESG, cybersecurity and privacy, governance/boards, risk, transformation, tax services and much more. Across our global network of more than 295,000 professionals in 156 countries, we are committed to advancing quality in everything we do.
| |
HOW TO WORK OUT OF THE SWARTZ CENTER
| |
| |
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.
| | |
| |
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.
| | |
COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES/RESOURCES
| |
FIND OUT WHAT OUR PARTNERS ARE DOING
| |
|
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.
| |
|
|
|
Carnegie Mellon University Swartz Center For Entrepreneurship
5000 Forbes Avenue | Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890 |
|
|
|
