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CMU Student Founders!
Apply to the Gebhardt Sandbox Fund
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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| Abridge Announces $250M Series D Investment
Abridge, the leading generative AI platform for clinical conversations co-founded by CMU alumnus and CEO Shivdev Rao, has raised a $250M Series D investment, coinciding with the milestone of surpassing 100 deployments at some of the largest and most complex health systems in the U.S.
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| CMU Startup Sabana Invited to Participate in the Rice Business Plan Competition
Sabana (Techstars '24), a data management platform for architects and design engineers aimed at streamlining communication in product selection and construction specifications, has been selected to participate in the 2025 Rice Business Plan Competition. Sabana is co-founded by Tepper MBA and James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellow Ruben Quesada, CEO and CMU Computer Science/AI student Saket Kulkarni, CTO.
This year’s invited startups represent 34 universities from four countries and who will compete for over $1M in prizes.
|  | Ruben Quesada and Saket Kulkarni, Sabana
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The Swartz Center Hosts McGinnis Venture Competition Round Two Mixer at Pins Mechanical Co.
This past weekend, about twenty CMU students who have applied to this year's McGinnis Venture Competition attended the Round 2 mixer held at Pins Mechanical Co. in Pittsburgh and hosted by the CMU Swartz Center. The students enjoyed networking over a few rounds of duckpin bowling and refreshments that were provided. Round two of the competition began on January 30.
The final round pitches will be held at the CMU Swartz Center on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
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Carnegie Mellon Team Takes First Place at Pittsburgh Startup Weekend
Pittsburgh Startup Weekend, an annual event that began in 2012, kicked off last weekend, attracting about eighty participants from different states and a variety of experience levels. By Sunday, members of the final teams were prepared to pitch their startup ideas.
First place went to Carnegie Mellon University team, BehavAI, which is aimed at alleviating burdens on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy professionals to improve patient care. The subscription-based AI software service standardizes and organizes data for providers. The idea was developed by CMU students Jei Park, Lana Farkas and Grisha Bandodkar.
Steven Guo, newly appointed Program Manager at the CMU Swartz Center, is a lead organizer of
Pittsburgh Startup Weekend.
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SWARTZ CENTER SUCCESS STORIES
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The Swartz Center has provided growth and financial resources for hundreds of students, faculty and alumni who have created great companies that positively affect the way people live. To celebrate, the Swartz Center interviewed six startup founders in 2024, as part of its 'Success Stories', who talk about their journey to founding their companies and give advice to CMU Entrepreneurs.
Our last success story for this cycle features Matt Spettel, co-founder and CEO of trainwell, a fitness app focused on redifining fitness one personalized workout at a time.
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|  | Matt Spettel and John LaGue, trainwell, speaking during the CONNECTS at the Swartz Center this past Tuesday
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Job Opportunities at CMU's ESTAT Actuation
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Pegasus Angel Accelerator 'Virtual' Office Hours
Date: Thursday, February 27, 2025
Time: 12:30 PM ET
Pegasus is a venture capital firm based in Santa Monica, CA that invests $100K into startups that are ready to scale. With direct investor access, tactical execution and a war-room approach to growth, Pegasus cuts through the noise and helps founders gain real traction and build sustainable growth.
Our Track Record:
Backed by TCA Ventrure Group - over $300M deployed
$2.2B+ in follow-on funding raised by portfolio companies
6x returns across our investments
Why Join:
Learn how to position your company for venture-scale success
Understand what investors look for beyond the pitch
Sign up below to meet Taissa Maleh, a seasoned entrepreneur, VC and dealmaker behind high-stakes investments and strategic exits and learn more about Pegasus.
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Join the next Funders & Founders Talk on March 13!
Directions to Roberts Hall (pdf)
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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 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.
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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|  2/25
REGISTER
Financial Modeling (Phil Compton, Technology CFO)
| |  2/26
REGISTER
The Hustlenomics Way: The Toyz Story (Damola Idowu, Toyz Electronics)
| |  2/27
REGISTER
Cost Efficient IP Strategies that Lead to Massive Exits (Jason Somma, Attorney/Consultant)
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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 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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