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| Join Us for the Final Round Celebration Next Tuesday!
Help cheer the final round graduate and undergraduate teams to victory! Attend the final round celebration on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. The event will also be live streamed to allow for international and remote community members to attend. Find out more.
Schedule of Events:
1:00 - 5:00 PM - Final Round Team Presentations
5:30 - 7:00 PM - Award Ceremony & Networking Reception
Location:
Carnegie Mellon University Swartz Center, Tepper Quad Bldg., 4765 Forbes Avenue, 3rd Level
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 | This year's McGinnis Competition is in loving memory of Jerry McGinnis, founder of Respironics.
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|  | Image source: Efficient Computer website
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Efficient Computer Secures $16M in Seed Round
Efficient Computer, a startup with Carnegie Mellon University ties, has raised $16M in a seed funding round led by Eclipse Venture. Efficient is introducing a computer processor it says is up to 100 times more energy-efficient than leading models in the current market. Carnegie Mellon professor Brandon Lucia is co-founder and CEO.
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|  | From left: Tushita Gupta and Sarika Bajaj, co-founders at Refiberd
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Refiberd Co-founders Included in 2024 Tartans on the Rise
From operatic stages and virtual worlds to industrial warehouses and medical research labs, Carnegie Mellon University’s 2024 Tartans on the Rise are transforming the planet through their artistic expression, scientific exploration, entrepreneurial spirit and visionary innovations. Carnegie Mellon alumni Sarika Bajaj and Tushita Gupta, co-founders of Refiberd—a 2020 VentureBridge program startup that performs intelligent sorting for textile-textile recycling—are among those in the new class.
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ESTAT Actuation Selected for Robotics Factory Residency
Five Pittsburgh-based robotics companies have been accepted to the Robotics Factory’s Scale Residency program, including 2021 VentureBridge startup ESTAT Actuation. The companies will receive one year of access to the Robotics Factory’s space in the Tech Forge building, and will be provided with connections to potential grant funding and local manufacturers, among other benefits.
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U. S. Steel Makes Strategic Investment in Pittsburgh-Based Autonomous Warehousing Pioneer--Freespace Robotics
United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X) (“U. S. Steel”) today announced a strategic investment in Pittsburgh-based Freespace Robotics, a pioneering manufacturer of robotic storage and retrieval systems that are in demand by warehouses worldwide. Carnegie Foundry is a unique Robotics and AI venture studio, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA. In partnership with the world leader in autonomous robotics and AI - the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) at Carnegie Mellon University.
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Office Hours with Decibel Venture Capital
Jessica Leao, partner at Decibel, is focused on early-stage investments in software infrastructure startups (data engineering, developer platforms, cybersecurity, machine learning, and AI). Over the past few years, she has offered informal office hours to students and researchers who are exploring entrepreneurship, and she is excited to offer the same opportunity to CMU's aspiring tech entrepreneurs. These sessions are designed to be informal discussions where you can receive feedback and guidance on your venture ideas, and are a safe space to ask questions, rather than a formal pitch session.
If you're interested in exploring your entrepreneurial ambitions further, you can connect with Jessica directly here, or feel free to reach out to her at jess@decibel.vc.
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Join the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship on
Friday, March 22, 2024!
Lunch will be provided!
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Project Olympus Show & Tell
Date: Thursday, April 11, 2024
Location: Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
3rd Floor, Tepper Quad
In-person only from 4-6 PM ET (The closest visitor parking is at the CMU East Campus Garage) Presentations start at 4 pm with networking and light refreshments at 5 PM ET
Project Olympus Show & Tell is back! Show & Tell is a hugely popular venue for connecting CMU startups with the wider business and entrepreneurial community. This event showcases university research, innovations and companies. We are adding more speakers and startups every day, check our website for the latest event agenda.
Space is limited! Register by April 5, 2024.
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| Apply to the VentureBridge Summer Accelerator
by March 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 final deadline to apply 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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|  | 2023 Innovation Scholars visiting BCV Labs during the 2024 Silicon Valley Trek
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Apply for the 2024-26 Undergraduate Innovation Scholars Program by April 5!
The CMU Swartz Center has opened applications for the next cohort of undergraduate Innovation Scholars. This prestigious program fosters innovation and entrepreneurship aimed at increasing the number of successful startups initiated by or involving Carnegie Mellon University’s undergraduate students from across campus. Students in their junior year are eligible to apply.
Applications close on April 5, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. Early applications are encouraged. Find out more.
Register for the next virtual info session on March 21, 2024 | 12:30 PM ET
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Apply for the Innovation Commercialization Fellows Program by April 15!
The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship has opened applications for the 2024-2025 Innovation Commercialization Fellows program. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working with faculty investigators and are interested in driving the commercialization efforts for their Carnegie Mellon University research-based startup are eligible to apply.
This is a year-long program that will begin on July 1, 2024. Along with cohort-based educational workshops and expert one-on-one mentoring, Fellows will receive a $50K contribution from the Swartz Center, contingent on a $50K match from another source, to support them while they focus on the commercialization process.
For further details on the program and eligibility, register for an upcoming information session on March 14; 2:00 pm ET and March 26; 10:00 am ET.
Apply by April 15, 2024 at midnight ET. Send questions to Melanie Simko.
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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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|  3/21
REGISTER
START SMART LAW: Part I: The Fundamentals (David Lehman, K&L Gates)
| |  3/26
REGISTER
START SMART LAW: Startups vs. Investors: How to Structure Your Capital Raise – Part II: Negotiating the Term Sheet Workshop (David Lehman and Oded Green, K&L Gates)
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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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| | CMU UEA: Venture Challenge
Demo Day, March 23!
Register
Join the UEA for the final round of pitches at the CMU Venture Challenge, the premier annual event of the Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Association. Special guest speakers are: Lucy Guo, co-founder of Scale AI and founder of Passes, and Blake Scholl, founder of Boom Supersonic. See pitches from 12 finalist teams and network with other entrepreneurial-minded people at this can't-miss event. Lunch will be provided!
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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!
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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 for office hours outside of these regular hours.
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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. Their dedicated team works closely with its 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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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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