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| CORE SWARTZ CENTER EVENTS, PROGRAM DEADLINES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
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|  | Participants attending CMU Lab To Market during CMU Startup Week
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CMU Startup Week Returns Bringing Over Fifteen Regional Partners Together For a Full Week of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Across Pittsburgh
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Over 3,000 investors, founders, researchers, students, alumni and corporate and ecosystem partners registered to attend 40+ CMU Startup Week events, which took place September 14-18. Participants gathered on campus for five days of building, pitching and connecting.
This year, CMU Startup Week anchored StartUP PGH, a new city-wide push bringing 15+ regional partners together for a full week of entrepreneurship and innovation across Pittsburgh. The multiday celebration included a lineup highlighting founders from every stage, along with researchers and community partners across the entire CMU ecosystem. Participants witnessed AI and robotics innovations, made research and investor connections and engaged in recruiting opportunities along with a ton of other events across the entire university.
The CMU Startup Week flagship events included: Lab To Market, AI & Robotics Venture Day, CMU SPARK, and the CMU Swartz Startup Showcase (CMU S4).
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|  | Lab To Market Keynote: Martial Hebert, Dean, CMU School of Computer Science with Andrew Moore, CEO, Lovelace AI, former Dean, CMU School of Computer Science
| |  | Lab To Market Panel: Foundation Models for Robotics moderated by Justin Krauss, J.P. Morgan
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|  | 2025-27 Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows
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CMU First-year Graduate Students!
Apply to the 2026-28 Swartz Fellows Program by Sunday, October 4
Are you a CMU first-year graduate student passionate about entrepreneurship with goals to build a successful startup? Interested in joining a strong network of startup-minded students and alumni? Applications for the next cohort of James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows are currently open.
The Swartz Fellows program is a two-year opportunity that fast-tracks the careers of CMU's graduate students who are passionate about entrepreneurship. Students must currently be working on a startup idea to be considered for this highly selective program. The program focuses on hands-on experiences, networking, mentoring and courses in entrepreneurship, as well as a mentored summer internship with a top-tier VC-backed startup, preferably within the high-tech, high-growth environment of California's Silicon Valley and San Francisco (Bay area encouraged but not required).
Applications will be accepted through Sunday, October 4 at 11:59 PM ET.
Virtual Info Session:
Find out more about the program and hear from current Swartz Fellows.
Wednesday, September 9 ~ 12:30 PM ET (Via Zoom)
Register
Students must currently be working on a startup idea to be considered.
Early applications are encouraged.
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2026 Corporate Startup Lab Case Competition
For the fifth year in a row, the Corporate Startup Lab Case Competition is sponsored by PNC Bank, with cash prizes totaling $20,000, including $12,000 for the first place team.
This year’s theme is: Bridging Generational Trust: AI for Asset & Family Transitions
Teams will design AI-driven client platforms and advisor tools that help financial institutions support families through major asset transitions such as inheritances, business sales, and estate settlements. The goal is to strengthen client relationships, retain assets, engage next-generation family members, and help advisors be more proactive.
The competition is open to graduate students at U.S. based universities. Teams of three to four students can register through Saturday, October 17th.
Register for an Information Session:
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Two Builders Have Discovered the Potency of Going Analog: Reflections on the Human Power of CMU’s
Startup Week
Carnegie Mellon University Startup Week brings thousands of people from the startup, research and investment worlds together to learn and swap ideas. Participants from last year’s inaugural event attest that the gathering across campus provided more than valuable information. It delivers invaluable connections through conversations.
Two founders, Pat O'Donnell, Shelfmark and Pradeep Ravikumar, Wood Wide AI—both with CMU ties— explained how that experience helped grow their businesses.
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| DashStrom Partners with Chatham to Train
Student Coaches
Youth enrichment startup DashStrom, co-founded by CMU alumna Dr. Ketaki Desai and Cristina Ramirez, is set to work with Chatham University to train students, specifically younger ones.
DashStrom has developed a program designed to get kids active in the real world and less engaged with screens. A new partnership with Chatham will see DashStrom provide paid training to upwards of 20 university students as student coaches this fall.
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|  | CMU student and Innovation Scholar Arianna Martinelli and Zaina Saif present Caboodl, a platform that connects beauty consumers and brands, in the final round of the 2026 McGinnis Venture Competition.
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CMU Undergraduates Balance Learning, Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Through the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, CMU provides tools and mentorship for students pursuing ventures in entrepreneurship and business development, helping to drive economic growth in the region and beyond. While business ideas at Carnegie Mellon often form after years of research by accomplished faculty and alumni, undergraduates also strive to turn their ideas into reality, learning to pitch and execute their ideas to the market while earning degrees.
Students from across CMU’s seven schools and colleges can bring their ideas to the Swartz Center to potentially make them a reality.
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Astrobotic Co-Founder Kicks Off Innovation Works
Venture Expo with Keynote
Innovation Works kicked off its annual Venture Expo in Oakland with an emphasis on space.
The event, which this year is part of the broader StartUP PGH week, brings together investors and startup founders for a day of pitches, networking and meetings. Leading a keynote session was John Thornton, co-founder of aerospace firm Astrobotic Technology Inc., which was recently acquired by Voyager Technologies for $300M.
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Date: Monday, October 5
Time: 6-8 PM PDT
During SF Tech Week, join fellow CMU founders, entrepreneurs and alumni for an evening of connection and conversation focused on the resources available to help you build, launch and grow. Hear from leaders across CMU’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and Bay Area network, including perspectives on funding, mentorship, community and founder support.
Whether you’re just getting started or scaling your venture, come connect with the people and resources that can help move your entrepreneurial journey forward.
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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!
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| START SMART LEGAL SEMINAR
**All Sessions are Virtual ~ 5:00-6:15 PM ET**
Date: Tuesday, September 29
How to Form Your Startup Company
Learn the basic legal issues involved with new company formation, including choice of entity (LLC, C-Corp, social enterprise options such as non-profit 501c, Benefit Corporation, B Corps certification, and other company structure alternatives), basics of founders’ agreements, splitting equity, and employee vesting.
Participants attending this session will be invited to work with Pitt Law in developing a “legal roadmap” and checklist to guide them in applying the concepts to their startup idea.
Attendance at this workshop is required for this hands-on opportunity with Pitt Law.
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CONNECTS SEMINAR
Date: Thursday, September 24
Meet the Swartz Center's Entrepreneur-In-Residence with Q&A
Meet some of the Swartz Center EIRs, Indrani Halder (left), Laura Ohlund (center) and John Voytko, learn more about their expertise and find out how to get connected.
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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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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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