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| CORE SWARTZ CENTER EVENTS, PROGRAM DEADLINES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
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CMU Founders and Employers!
Join us for CMU SPARK 2026, September 17
SPARK 2026, CMU's largest annual student networking event for startups and emerging companies, is a
high-energy evening where startups founded by CMU alumni deliver rapid-fire lightning tech talks about what they’re building and the roles they’re hiring for. Taking place during CMU Startup Week, the evening kicks off with a special keynote, flows into tech talks, and wraps up with a networking mixer.
From robotics and AI infrastructure to intelligent agents, productivity tools, cleantech innovations, and breakthrough medical devices, these startups are taking on some of today’s boldest challenges. They’re hiring hardware engineers, software engineers, designers, storytellers and business minds.
With 900+ students expected, CMU SPARK is the university’s largest startup job fair, bringing the entire CMU community together for one powerful evening of insights, access and opportunities.
Build the future with CMU startups!
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Appy by August 1!
Fall 2026 CSL Project Course and CSL Fellows Program
The Corporate Startup Lab at Carnegie Mellon University works with companies to foster greater innovation, entrepreneurship and future readiness. Through partnerships with CMU graduate students, CSL helps organizations explore real-world challenges, identify new opportunities and bring the latest thinking in technology, innovation and startup methods into their companies.
For Students: Applications are now open for the Fall 2026 CSL Project Course and CSL Fellows Program. These incredible opportunities give Carnegie Mellon University graduate students the chance to gain valuable hands-on experience, build meaningful professional connections, and expand their networks while working on impactful projects.
The CSL Fellows Program is a paid position that offers students the opportunity to be compensated while developing skills to support their academic and career goals.
Both programs are open to Carnegie Mellon University graduate students. Please note that the CSL Project Course is restricted to Pittsburgh campus students.
For Corporate Partners: Organizations interested in engaging CSL graduate students to help address a real-world challenge are encouraged to connect with the CSL team. This is a unique opportunity to collaborate with talented CMU graduate students, gain fresh perspectives and explore innovative approaches to meaningful business, technology and societal challenges. Reach out to Jim Jen if interested, jjen@andrew.cmu.edu.
Students, click the links below to learn more about each program and apply by August 1!
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CMU, Pitt, WVU to Supercharge Energy Innovation with $321M NSF Engine
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| Led by West Virginia University in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and more than 60 regional partners, the Resilient Energy Technology and Infrastructure (RETI) Consortium will receive up to $160M over ten years through the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program and will leverage another $161M from RETI’s established industry, workforce, philanthropy, state government and community partners to develop a world-class industrial energy innovation hub in the heart of Appalachia.
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Voyager Technologies Completes $300M Acquisition
of Astrobotic
Local aerospace company Astrobotic Technology Inc. has been acquired in a deal valued at approximately $300M. With the acquisition closed, Astrobotic will now operate as Voyager Lunar Systems. This includes its North Shore facility and a propulsion and test facility in the Mojave desert. Former Astrobotic CEO John Thornton will lead Voyager Lunar Systems as a member of Voyager's executive team.
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| AI Safety Startup Gray Swan AI Raises $40M Series A
Fast-growing AI safety startup Gray Swan AI announced it has raised a $40 million Series A.
Gray Swan was launched in 2024 by a team of Carnegie Mellon University researchers, including CEO Matt Fredrikson and Chief Scientist and OpenAI board member Zico Kolter. The company develops tools for AI companies to assess the risks of their systems before deployment.
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|  | Ryan Stinebaugh (left), Ian Speers and Robert Halvorsen
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CMU Startup Pacto Medical, Inc. Awarded Red Dot
Design Concept Award
Co-founded by CMU/MIIPS alumni Ryan Stinebaugh, Robert Halvorsen and Ian Speers, Pacto Medical has been awarded a Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2026 for Slimshot®, its compact prefilled syringe platform. Slimshot® was recognized in the Medical Devices & Technology Concept category for its innovative approach to injectable drug delivery, combining compact design, compatibility with existing syringe components and the reductions in packaging volume, supply chain burden and environmental impact.
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STARTUP JOB OPPORTUNITIES
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Shelfmark is hiring! Shelfmark is a Pittsburgh, PA-based team of engineers, designers, and entrepreneurs with a mission to solve problems for the bedrock industries that power our global economy. Their innovative AI computer vision technology is solving problems for the world's largest manufacturers and they are hiring.
Open positions:
Deployment Manager - Physical AI
Embedded Software Engineer
Machine Learning Engineer
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Brighton Business Analytics is seeking a go-to-market sales partner to launch a financial
analytics service that helps small businesses improve profitability, pricing, and cash flow. The
product has paying clients and opportunities in both direct sales and reseller partnerships.
Bookkeepers, fractional CFOs, and professionals interested in building an advisory practice can
expand their services and create recurring revenue by offering financial analytics to their clients.
Jonathan Brighton is a 2026 graduate of the CMU Tepper School of Business Master of Science in Business Analytic (MSBA) program.
Contact jonathan@analyticcfo.com to learn more.
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Why Most Startups Can't Explain What They Do
A GTM Strategy Workshop with FinStrat Management:
For VentureBridge and CMU Startup Founders
Date: August 7, 2026
Time: 1:00 - 2:00pm ET | Online Webinar on Zoom
Presented by CMU VentureBridge and FinStrat Management, this online session will break down the two languages every founder needs: external messaging that converts customers, and internal language that aligns your team and guides product decisions. Adam Chen, Chief Revenue Officer at FinStrat Management will walk through how to build a specific, actionable Ideal Customer Profile, craft a value proposition that answers "why should I choose you," and write a behavioral statement that defines the exact behavior change your product is trying to create.
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OTHER APPLICATION DEADLINES
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Apply for the AlphaLab '27 Cohort by July 17!
AlphaLab is now accepting applications for AL27. AlphaLab is a six-month on-site accelerator based in Pittsburgh that invests $100K as an uncapped convertible note in early-stage startups across software, hardware, health, and robotics. The program provides hands-on mentorship, deep connections to investors, customers, and talent, and a built-in network of 300+ alumni
companies that have raised more than $1.3 billion in follow-on funding.
The AL27 application is open to early-stage startups that are incorporated in the U.S. and ready to commit to spending significant time in Pittsburgh during the program. Applications are free and reviewed on a rolling basis.
Schedule office hours or apply at alphalab.org/apply.
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| Apply to the Pear Fellows Program by August 9!
If you're a current or aspiring CMU undergrad, MBA, or PhD founder who wants to learn how VC actually works, apply to the Pear Fellows program. Past Fellows have gone on to start massive companies, work at top-tier funds like Sequoia, and take leadership roles at Anthropic.
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| CONNECTS/START SMART LEGAL 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!
The CONNECTS/START SMART Legal Seminars will resume in the
Fall 2026 semester.
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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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Join the CMU Tech & Entrepreneurship Community
on August 6!
Meet fellow CMU founders, operators, investors, and innovators for drinks, conversation, and a chance to mingle with the people building what's next. Come with a startup idea, a side project, a challenge you're working through. Or just come for the company! You never know who might have the introduction, expertise, co-founder, customer, or insight you've been looking for.
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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 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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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. We offer competitive and flexible rates and aim to provide value to our 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.
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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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