Share this:

Events  | Spotlight |  Resources  |  Programs  | Partners |

June 28, 2024
Due to the Independence Day holiday, the next Weekly Bulletin will be published on Friday, July 12.
IN THE NEWS
Bharandi Rajakumar Receives Entrepreneur of the Year Award in NYC
EY Announces Bharani Rajakumar of Transfr as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 New York Award Winner

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) has announced that CMU Tepper School of Business alumnus Bharani Rajakumar, founder and CEO of Transfr, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 New York Award winner. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive awards program for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. 
Read more
Mehmet Deniz Birlikci Named One of the 2024 Top 25 Turkish Graduates in the U.S.

Mehmet Deniz Birlikci, a recent CMU (BS, Artificial Intelligence) graduate and Innovation Scholar with the CMU Swartz Center, was recently named one of the 2024 top 25 Turkish graduates in the U.S.

Deniz has always had a passion for learning, nurtured by his grandparents who were all teachers. He spent his final year at CMU combining his passion for entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence to co-found ObviousAI, which developed multimodal search for fashion e-commerce companies, and was also selected as a Neo Scholar in 2024 for his high entrepreneurship potential and technical excellence, becoming one of only a handful of Turkish students to ever receive this honor.
Read more
CyLab Venture Network Connects Researchers, Domain Experts to Support Cybersecurity Startups

Carnegie Mellon University is launching the CyLab Venture Network to provide a substantive program for startups looking to disrupt the security and privacy industry by connecting founders with venture investors, corporate partners, academics and government officials. As part of this dynamic ecosystem, partners will receive exclusive invitations to participate in CyLab’s annual partners conference and engage in innovative programming developed in collaboration with CMU’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship.
Read more
Aurora Forms Long-Term Partnership with Uber Freight Through 2030

Self-driving truck company Aurora Innovation Inc. has solidified a long-term partnership with Uber Freight through 2030. Aurora Innovation was started by Sterling Anderson, the former director of Autopilot; Chris Urmson, the former CTO of Google’s self-driving car efforts and Drew Bagnell, who headed autonomy and perception at Uber’s Advanced Technology Center in Pittsburgh. Urmson and Bagnell pioneered work on autonomous vehicles at Carnegie Mellon University. 
Read more
SWARTZ CENTER SPOTLIGHTS
2024-26 Innovation Scholars Summer Internship Updates

Innovation Scholars Timothy Brown (Tepper) and Avalon Sueiro (Tepper) are spending the Summer gaining knowledge and sharing their talent as interns. 

Timothy is working as a private equity summer analyst at IPI Partners in their Chicago office. IPI buys, develops and operates data centers and other connected assets in the digital economy’s core markets. "In today’s world where AI and cloud computing is growing at such a rapid rate, I've had the opportunity to experience first hand history being made. Whether working on a model, creating a presentation or doing general research on the sector, it has been very educational," says Timothy.

Avalon is interning at LIVE by CMU Math Professor and Expii founder Po-Shen Loh. There, Avalon is working on outreach and much more. "Since it’s a start up, I’ve been wearing many hats. I travel with Professor Loh on his tour, helping build relationships with those who attend his talks and document the events for future use. I also work on digital grassroots outreach to help promote the talks. My role has bridged into sales, company communications and ad production," says Avalon.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Don't Forget to Register!

'Wefunder x Sly Fox Founders Networking Event!

Date: Thursday, July 18, 2024
Time: 5-7 PM | EST
Location: Sly Fox PGH Brewery at the Highline


If you're a founder building something cool, interesting, helpful or to make this world a better place, the folks at Wefunder would love to meet you! Wefunder helps founders with a vision raise money for their startups from the broader community. Think Robinhood, but with private companies instead of public.

The entire company is traveling coast-to-coast on a train to spotlight founders who can restore our faith in America. They will be visiting thirteen cities over fourteen days and filming a documentary about the founders they meet. They will also help some raise funding on Wefunder.

Find out more and RSVP!
CONNECTS/START SMART LAW SEMINARS
Can't make a CONNECTS? Watch on our YouTube channel. 

Find out more and see the full schedule.


The CONNECTS seminars have ended for the Spring semester and will return in the Fall.

99 Tartans

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.

CMU ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLUBS
CMU GEC CMU UEA Scottie Ventures CMU Summit



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!
SWARTZ CENTER PATRONS
The following companies help directly support our programming and entrepreneurs.
PATRON OFFICE HOURS
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.
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Pillsbury

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.
PATRON SPOTLIGHT

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. It offers competitive and flexible rates and aims to provide value to its clients.
HOW TO WORK OUT OF THE SWARTZ CENTER


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.


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
COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES/RESOURCES
FIND OUT WHAT OUR PARTNERS ARE DOING
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.
Visit the CMU Swartz Center website. Make a donation.
Twitter Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube
Carnegie Mellon University Swartz Center For Entrepreneurship
5000 Forbes Avenue | Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890


Subscribe to our email list.