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Special Tribute: In Honor and Memory of Carnegie Mellon Entrepreneurship Professor Dwight Baumann
Former CMU Professor Dwight M.B. Baumann was a pioneer who was considered the "Dean" of university-based entrepreneurship programs in the nation. In 1970, he moved from MIT to Carnegie Mellon University as a Full professor, and in 1971 began offering the first graduate entrepreneurship course "Design and Entrepreneurship" in the Schools of Engineering, Business, and Public Policy while founding the Center for Entrepreneurial Development, a Joint venture between the schools. After becoming an instructor at MIT in 1957, he earned his ScD and was promoted to Assistant Professor. In 1963, he began experimenting with teaching entrepreneurship as a "special topics" course. At CMU, his entrepreneurship program was initially funded by Dept. of Transportation grants for development of a dual mode transportation system. He later purchased People’s Cab Company as an additional entrepreneurial outlet where he developed the precursor to GPS. In 2000, he was inducted into the North Dakota Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.
Unfortunately, Professor Baumann died in 2003 at the age of 70 and did not have the opportunity to see his dream fully realized by CMU alumni Dave Mawhinney and Jim Swartz.
Read an article in honor and memory of Professor Baumann written by Alan Letzt, President and CEO, Healthcare Technologies and Methods, LLC, which was published in the CMU Engineering News magazine, Spring 2004 issue.
"When I initially worked in industry as an engineer and as a technology consultant, the lessons from Professor Baumann enabled me to succeed as an ‘intrapreneur’, generating and implementing creative new ideas and projects that ranged from supplementing engineers’ patent training to the design of robots to clean up after the Three Mile Island nuclear accident. The influence of Professor Baumann’s teachings continued when I embarked on my career as a healthcare-IT entrepreneur twenty years after receiving my Master’s degree at CMU in Design & Entrepreneurship. I frequently discarded conventional wisdom with self-confidence, took judicious risks, pioneered and patented new methods and mentored others during the journey. To this day, I continue to be extremely fortunate and proud to be one of Dwight's student-disciples, and I am certain he would be proud of the accomplishments of the Swartz Center over the past fifteen years!" says Letzt.
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Gecko Robotics Announces $100M Deal with NAES
Gecko Robotics, co-founded by CMU alumnus and CPO Troy Demmer, has announced a $100M deal with NAES Corp., the largest independent power operator in America. Gecko will provide NAES with robotics and AI to identify potential dangers and optimization points. Its robotic portfolio includes ones capable of climbing walls, robot dogs, drones and fixed sensors that collect data that can be fed into the company's software platform Cantilever, which identifies the possible issues in infrastructure.
The multi-year contract is said to be in excess of $100M and has the option to grow beyond $250M.
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| Delta Trail Acquires Atlas Crane Service in San Diego
Delta Trail, a search fund founded and led by CMU Tepper School of Business alumnus and James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellow Austen Sybert, recently announced its acquisition of Atlas Crane Service, a leading provider of mobile crane operations serving San Diego's HVAC industry for over thirty years.
Atlas Crane Service specializes in transporting and lifting HVAC equipment onto commercial and residential buildings, utilizing its fleet of mobile cranes and team of licensed operators. The company has built a strong reputation for reliability and safety in the San Diego market. Austen will join Atlas Crane Service to lead operations and drive the company's next phase of growth. The current Atlas team will remain in place to ensure operational continuity.
"This acquisition represents a strategic opportunity to enter the growing commercial services market with an established player," said Austen. "Atlas's experienced team and strong customer relationships provide an excellent foundation for future growth."
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SpotDraft Secures $54M To Lead AI Contract
Lifecycle Management
SpotDraft, the CLM platform that helps in-house legal teams manage their contract ecosystems, has raised $54M in Series B funding. Vertex Growth Singapore and Trident Growth Partners were the lead investors, the existing investors (Xeed VC, Arkam Ventures, and Prosus Ventures) have also participated in this round, with investment bankers Avendus advising on the transaction.
SpotDraft is co-founded by CTO and CMU alumnus Madhav Bhagat.
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James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellow Anthony Edwards Featured in Poets&Quants
Meet the MBA Class of 2026: Anthony Raymond Edwards, Carnegie Mellon (Tepper)
Morehouse graduate and Atlanta, GA native Anthony Edwards, also a 2024-26 James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellow cohort member, was recently featured in Poets&Quants' "Meet the MBA Class of 2026" edition. In the feature, Anthony is asked about his biggest accomplishment and he answered, "My biggest accomplishment has been helping a company successfully launch a product into Walmart and Sam’s Club, where it continues to be sold to this day. The process involved developing a compelling market entry strategy, negotiating with major retailers, and ensuring that the product met the necessary quality and regulatory standards.
Congratulations on being featured, Anthony!
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|  | From left: Avalon Suiero, Simran Jolly, David Hershenson, Evan Pinnix, Timothy Brown, Aaryan Lalwani and Krish Malwalker
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Innovation Scholars Take Over Oakland's Union Grill
Some of the 2024-26 undergraduate Innovation Scholars cohort met for dinner at the Union Grill in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood on Wednesday, February 26. We think the smiles mean they're ready to launch the next big startups of the world!
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Join the next Funders & Founders Talk on March 13!
Directions to Roberts Hall (pdf)
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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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| Apply to the VentureBridge 2025 Accelerator!
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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|  | 2024-26 Innovation Scholars at Google Vetnures during the 2025 Entrepreneurship Trek
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| Applications Open for the 2025-27 Undergraduate
Innovation Scholars Program!
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.
Attend a Virtual Info Session:
Wednesday, March 5 - 12:30 PM ET
Register
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.
Find out more and see the full schedule.
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|  3/13
REGISTER
How to Come Up with Ideas Worth Pursuing (Mar Hershenson, Managing Partner, Pear VC)
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START SMART LAW:
3/20
REGISTER
How to Structure Your Capital Raise - Part I: The Fundamentals (Virtual)
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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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Founders Hub
Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is a digital platform that provides free access to the latest AI tools and 1:1 guidance from experts to help founders solve challenges as they grow their business. We provide the right resources at the right time in a startup’s journey so founders can build faster and dream bigger.
Sign up for Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub!
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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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