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Join Us Next Week!
The McGinnis Venture Competition Final Round Celebration
Date: Tuesday, March 18,2025
Location: CMU Swartz Center, 4765 Forbes Avenue, Tepper Quad, 3rd Fl.
Join us at the CMU Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship for the McGinnis Venture Competition Final Round Celebration on March 18! Help cheer on the final round graduate and undergraduate teams to victory and attend the award ceremony and networking reception.
Social Enterprise Prize Pitch Competition
Date: Monday, March 17, 2025
The Social Enterprise Prize Pitch Competition is new this year and a part of the McGinnis Competition. It will be held on March 17, and the winners will present at the McGinnis final round event on March 18.
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| Inc. Names Alison Alvarez to Its 2025 Female Founders 500 List
Inc.’s eighth annual Female Founders list highlights the nation’s top business leaders who challenge the status quo to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems. The leading media brand for entrepreneurs and business leaders, has named CMU alumnus Alison Alvarez, CEO and Co-founder of BlastPoint, to its eighth annual Female Founders list. This prestigious recognition honors 500 women whose innovative ideas and leadership are shaping industries and driving change.
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Tartans on the Rise Celebrates Several Carnegie Mellon University Founders
Tartans on the Rise celebrates recent alumni who are making an impact in their organizations and in their communities, across the nation and around the world through leadership, innovation and career achievements. The 2025 Tartans on the Rise honorees include several CMU alumni founders such as
Sheyda Demooei and Chelsie Hall, co-founders of 2021 VentureBridge startup ViralMoment, Sasha Cohen Ioannides, sustainability advocate and co-founder of Ecotone Renewables, Gregory Houchins, founder of Chement, Innovation Commercialization Fellow and NSF I-Corps Site team participant, and Barry Rabkin, director of marketing at CMU spinout Near Earth Autonomy.
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|  | Kaitlyn Chow (front row, 4th from left) with AlphaLab's first combined cohort
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| A Closer Look: Two CMU Founders Accepted Into Accelerators
BAM! Founder Kaitlyn Chow Accepted Into AlphaLab's First Combined Cohort
Carnegie Mellon University senior Kaitlyn Chow, founder of BAM! and a 2023-25 Innovation Scholar, was recently accepted into AlphaLab's first combined cohort. The companies will receive up to $100K in investment, along with sector-specific expertise through specialized tracks, intensive training in customer acquisition and founder-led sales and more.
BAM! is a self-heating, lightweight, portable container that keeps your meals warm while you go about
your day.
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Hardly Accepted Into Techstars Workforce Development Accelerator and AlphaLab's First Combined Cohort
Founded by CMU Tepper School of Business alumna Allison Braund-Harris, her company Hardly was recently accepted into Techstars Workforce Development Accelerator and AlphaLab's first combined cohort. Hardly provides consolidated jobseeker tools, assessments and scheduling to boost collaboration between individuals and organizations. Hardly also participated in the VentureBridge 2021 cohort.
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|  | Alicia McGinnis (far right), with her two sons Lochlan and Manus and her
wife Victoria at the 2024 McGinnis Venture Competition
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Thank You to the McGinnis Family Ahead of Next Week's McGinnis Venture Competition!
As the CMU Swartz Center prepares for another amazing McGinnis Venture Competition next week, we would like to thank our beloved Jerry McGinnis and his daughter Alicia McGinnis and her family for their incredible support of this annual event. We are looking forward to another great competition and can't wait to see what this year's teams have in store for the judges.
Thank you to the McGinnis family for your generous support and for continuing to make this possible!
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| Ask Gigascale Anything: Climate Founder Office Hours
w/ Philipp Hoffmann
Date: Monday, March 24, 2025
Time: 12-1:30 PM ET
Location: Swartz Center, 4765 Forbes Avenue, Tepper Quad, 3rd Floor
Gigascale Capital is a trusted partner in scaling scientifically-sound climate solutions for impact. The company backs founders transforming the world's largest sectors and making clean solutions the obvious choice. Join Gigascale's Research & Venture Scout, Philipp Hoffmann, to get your questions answered in a special small, group office hours session over lunch.
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| Register for CMU Energy Week 2025
March 25-27, 2025
CMU Energy Week 2025 will take place March 25-27. The event will bring energy and sustainability leaders, including scholars, investors and entrepreneurs from across the nation to CMU to combine forces and exchange ideas on the intersection of AI + Energy. See the full agenda for Energy Week and register by March 14, 2025.
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| Apply to the VentureBridge 2025 Accelerator by March 31!
Are you a CMU alumni working on a startup? Apply to the CMU VentureBridge 2025 accelerator in Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and New York for funding, 1:1 support, founder roundtables, weekly talks with VCs and introductions to mentors and advisors.
Attend the next information session on March 3!
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CMU Pittsburgh Alumni Founders!
Apply to the Tartan Entrepreneurs Fund by April 11
CMU Alumni Founders based in Pittsburgh building startups with unicorn potential, apply to the CMU Swartz Center's new Tartan Entrepreneurs Fund to receive $100K in funding over 2 years along with mentorship and guidance. Apply by April 11, 2025 to be considered.
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CMU Student Founders!
Apply to the Gebhardt Sandbox Fund by March 31
The CMU Swartz Center is proud to announce the Gebhardt Sandbox Fund. Current Carnegie Mellon University undergraduate and professional master student founders are eligible to apply to this new fund and receive idea stage funding of $1K with opportunities for follow-on funding.
Applications will be open through March 31, 2025.
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Apply to the 2025-2026 Innovation Commercialization Fellows Program by March 31!
The CMU Swartz Center has opened applications for the next cohort of Innovation Commercialization Fellows. This is an exciting opportunity for CMU graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working with faculty investigators who are interested in driving the commercialization efforts for their Carnegie Mellon University research-based startups. Previous Fellows have collectively received nearly $70M in follow-on funding for their ventures.
Innovation Commercialization Fellows is a year-long program beginning July 1, 2025. Along with cohort-based educational opportunities 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 explore the commercialization process.
Register for an upcoming virtual information session on Thursday March 20 at 2:00 PM ET or
Monday, March 24 at 10:00 am ET.
The deadline to apply is midnight ET, Monday, March 31, 2025. Send questions to Melanie Simko.
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|  | 2024-26 Innovation Scholars at Google Vetnures during the 2025 Entrepreneurship Trek
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| CMU Undergraduate Students!
Apply to the Innovation Scholars Program by April 5
The undergraduate Innovation Scholars program, open to rising juniors, fosters innovation and entrepreneurship and seeks to increase the number of successful startup companies initiated by or involving Carnegie Mellon University’s undergraduate students. Innovation Scholars complete a two-year program integrating academic coursework, work experience at a startup company, networking and mentorship—given as well as received. Students are also eligible for a $6K stipend to work on their own startup over the summer of 2025.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until Saturday, April 5 at 11:59 PM ET. Due to the competitive nature of the program, early applications are encouraged.
Open to CMU sophomores going into their junior year.
Virtual Info Session:
Wednesday, March 19 - 12:30 PM ET
Register
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| Applications Open for the NSF I-Corps
AI/Robotics Regional Cohort
This special AI/Robotics focused NSF I-Corps Regional cohort is run by the CMU Swartz Center's Project Olympus and the Mid-Atlantic I-Corps Hub. The program is open to deep tech research and academic based teams/entrepreneurs who are looking into commercializing innovations in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. The cohort will integrate industry specific guidance and expertise for AI/Robotics with traditional I-Corps Training. All sessions are virtual and in eastern time.
Session 1: April 11th, 9am-12pm
Session 2: April 18th, 9am-12pm
Session 3: April 25th, 9am-12pm
The first step is to complete the required online prep course. Two virtual info sessions will be held on Wednesday, February 26; 2-3pm ET and Wednesday, March 12; 11:00am-12:00pm ET.
The deadline to apply is March 31. Apply early, space is limited!
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| CONNECTS/START SMART LAW 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!
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|  4/3
REGISTER
CONNECTS: Digital Health and Healthcare Technology (Nick Shapiro, Principal, UPMC Enterprises)
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START SMART LAW SEMINARS (Virtual)
3/20
REGISTER
How to Structure Your Capital Raise - Part I: The Fundamentals (Virtual)
4/3
REGISTER
Startups vs. Investors: How to Structure your Capital Raise Part II: Negotiating the Term
Sheet Workshop
4/17
REGISTER
The Worst Mistakes Made by Startups
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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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| Click the images to see upcoming Club events!
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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 or Sean Mawhinney for office hours outside of these regular hours.
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Goodwin
Goodwin is a full service law firm with practice areas and expertise specifically tailored to represent startup companies in all of their legal needs including IP, corporate, employment, contracts, transactions, litigation, and much more. The Firm has put in place special startup-friendly pricing packages uniquely designed for Carnegie Mellon University companies.
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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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