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Articles by Alice Crow
3 former international students launched Northbridge to connect global talent with US companies
Founded by: Geert Bijl, Mats Douma and Maximilian (Maxi) Hopfer Year founded: 2024 Headquarters: Pittsburgh, PA Sector: Workforce technology Funding and valuation: Bootstrapped Key ecosystem partners: Point Park University, Western Carolina University, John Carroll University and Thomas Jefferson University As federal scrutiny of student and work visas intensifies, Pittsburgh startup Northbridge is linking international students with employers ready to hire them.
Why the future of commercial robotics could hinge on how machines handle failure
When robots make mistakes, responding with a simple “oops” can make people see them in a more favorable light, according to new research. Studies presented at IROS 2026 suggest that a range of verbal reactions to failure can make robots seem more competent, socially warm and relatable — a potentially important advantage as roboticists try to move their machines out of the lab and into everyday environments.
Luke Villermin wants to buy a business — and he has $100M to spend
Being a builder and being a founder don’t always go hand in hand. For some entrepreneurs, building means starting with an idea, raising money and creating a company from the ground up. For Luke Villermin, it means something different. The Lafayette entrepreneur is searching for one “exceptional” US business to acquire through his company, Glass Bay Capital. With up to $100 million to spend, Villermin says, he isn’t looking to build a portfolio or become a passive investor.
Pittsburgh startups raised $168M in Q3, but critical mid-stage funding is still hard to find
Early-stage startups can find cash in Pittsburgh, but the ecosystem still struggles with the mid-stage funding needed to scale, according to local investors. Companies in the Pittsburgh metro area raised a combined $168.5 million across 22 deals during Q3, according to the latest Venture Monitor report from PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). Both figures were below average for the region. Some companies still had a great quarter.
Local landlord wins $15k at Allegheny County’s inaugural AI for housing hackathon
Money Moves is a recurring series where we chart the raises, grants, contracts, mergers and other funding news of tech companies across our regions. Have a tip? Email us at . Public funds are being aimed at some of Pittsburgh’s biggest economic challenges, including the housing shortage and the manufacturing base. Allegheny County and a local philanthropic foundation awarded $30,000 at a region-wide hackathon focused on using AI to solve Pittsburgh’s housing supply problem.
Pittsburgh’s tech boom isn’t reaching every neighborhood, and many locals are skeptical of the future
This story was originally published by Technical.ly, a news partner of Public Source. You can sign up for their newsletters at technical.ly/subscribe. Economic gains from Pittsburgh’s tech boom are being felt by some but not all — and a majority of locals aren’t confident in the direction their community is headed. That’s according to new data from market research firm The Harris Poll, focusing on what Americans want from innovation.
Pittsburgh’s tech boom isn’t reaching every neighborhood, and many locals are skeptical of the future
Economic gains from Pittsburgh’s tech boom are being felt by some but not all — and a majority of locals aren’t confident in the direction their community is headed. That’s according to new data from market research firm The Harris Poll, focusing on what Americans want from innovation. Local experts from higher education, workforce development and venture gathered at a Mount Washington restaurant last week to discuss the data and possible ways to bring innovation’s benefits to more Pittsburghers.
Carnegie Mellon expands to Miami to test its university spinout model in a new market
Carnegie Mellon University has spent decades turning Pittsburgh research into startups. Citadel CEO Kenneth Griffin’s $3 billion donation to the school will now bring that opportunity to a second home in Florida. Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) on Wednesday announced a new CMU branch campus in Miami, using $2 billion of Griffin’s gift. The other $1 billion will be evenly split between CMU’s School of Computer Science and the rest of CMU’s Pittsburgh operations.
A $20M Pitt project aims to fill Pittsburgh’s lab space gap for life sciences startups
The University of Pittsburgh is in negotiations to launch a new life sciences incubator in the heart of Oakland. In partnership with Wexford Science and Technology’s Connect Labs, the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) plans to spend $20 million over the next two years to renovate 3343 Forbes Ave., a three-story, 26,000-square-foot building next to the Residence Inn, into a space with wet labs, offices and scientific equipment.
Robot dogs will soon patrol the Pittsburgh airport to spot spills and monitor air quality
Robot dogs will soon roam the Pittsburgh International Airport to check for cleanliness and air quality, with the possibility of being used for security in the future. Skild AI, a Pittsburgh-based startup building a universal “robot brain”, showed off its quadrupedal bot at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) on Tuesday.
Tech policy is at a crossroads, and CMU’s new Block Center director wants to help shape where it goes
Power Moves is a recurring series where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, gig or promotion? Email us at . Pittsburgh’s tech and entrepreneurship scene is getting fresh leadership at a pivotal time. Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Block Center for Technology and Society has a new director stepping in right as nationwide calls to regulate AI grow louder.
Annoyed by bad app design, Scott Pulkowski remade his favorite airplane card game
This is How I Got Here, a series where we chart the career journeys of technologists, entrepreneurs, tech workers, builders and people in the innovation economy. Want to tell your story? Get in touch. The same AI tools changing the nature of day-to-day tech work are also helping some technologists pursue their passions outside of the typical nine-to-five.
Pittsburgh coworking guide: Where to find desks, perks and local community
Pittsburgh is home to more than a dozen coworking spaces, so which one is right for you? Not all coworking spaces look alike these days. While all locations on this list offer workers a place to set up shop for the day, some spaces were specially designed to host community events or offer unique amenities, like a commercial kitchen, arcade or movie theater. The popularity of coworking spaces has been growing in Pittsburgh since the late 2010s.
Skild AI plans real-world deployment of its S1 general-purpose robot brain by 2027
Skild AI plans to deploy the newest model of its “robot brain” in real-world scenarios by 2027. Earlier this month, the company announced it surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue. Last month, the Pittsburgh-based company announced that its latest AI model, the S1, can learn new, complex tasks from a single video, cutting down on training time significantly.
Top AI leaders traded full-blown optimism for apprehension at Pittsburgh’s premier tech summit
Doom was the topic of discussion on more than one occasion at the AI Horizons Summit on Thursday — a tone shift for the annual conference compared to years past. Gov. Josh Shapiro gives his keynote speech at the AI Horizons Summit (Alice Crow/Technical.ly) That switch-up was on full display when Gov.
CMU, Pitt, and WVU kick off a 10-year effort to support grid-focused entrepreneurs
A $320 million public-private collaboration across Appalachia is looking for innovative energy startups to help make its next move. In July, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a 10-year grant with up to $160 million in funding for a Regional Innovation Engine program spanning western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Data center cooling startup Glacian Technologies wins $10k at Pittsburgh Tech Week pitch competition
A data center cooling software startup took home $10,000 at EXPlore: Pittsburgh Tech Week’s second annual pitch competition. Glacian Technologies won the top prize after pitching alongside four other local startups Monday. The company, founded in January 2026, combines a “digital twin” — a detailed simulation of a data center’s cooling system — with an AI model that proposes ways to run that equipment more efficiently, according to cofounder Jie Zhao.
CMU spinout CorePower reports $14.3M in fresh funding
CorePower Magnetics raised $14.3 million as it works to scale its electric vehicle and power grid tech. The round remains open as the company seeks an additional $220,000 to meet its $14.5 million goal, according to a new Form D filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). CorePower, a 2020 Carnegie Mellon University spinout, aims to develop smaller and more efficient magnetic components, like inductors and transformers, that go into building energy infrastructure.
Come see us at Pittsburgh Discovery Day: Meet the team behind the news
Mark your calendars. We want to meet you! Technical.ly will be at AI & Robotics Discovery Day on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Come find us at Booth 202, right at the front of the Robotics Zone. Now in its fifth year, Discovery Day showcases the region’s strengths in AI, robotics, advanced manufacturing and workforce development. New this year, the event has added a defense zone to highlight Pittsburgh’s growing dual-use defense tech space. It’s a big opportunity.
AI is helping remote and local real estate investors zero in on Pittsburgh’s micro-markets
Founded by: Dror Israel and Ido Helshtock Year founded: 2024 Headquarters: Pittsburgh, PA Sector: Proptech Funding and valuation: Bootstrapped Pittsburgh’s housing market can look very different depending on which neighborhood you’re in. A pair of entrepreneurs from Israel are betting that real estate investors — even those who are living thousands of miles away — will pay for the data that explains those differences.
Why an ex-CFO is building skincare for people glued to their screens
Founded by: Jiajia Sollers Year founded: 2024 Headquarters: Sonoma, California Sector: Personal care Funding and valuation: $300,000 bootstrapped Key ecosystem partners: Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, Power Beauty Collab With screen time up, our skin may be suffering — but one entrepreneur says she has a fix. Emerging science suggests blue light emitted from screens could damage skin cells, causing signs of aging.
Pittsburgh Tech Week and StartUP PGH: A guide to 9 days of events and how it all came together
Pittsburgh is just weeks away from a big push to show off its tech scene. From Sept. 10 to 18, local leaders across niches have planned more than 25 events to highlight the city’s strengths in technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and culture. The nine-day stretch serves two purposes. Events planned under EXPlore: Pittsburgh Tech Week (Sept. 10-16) primarily engage local technologists and early-stage founders, while StartUP PGH events (Sept.
Efficient Computer reports $93.1M in fresh funding as it aims for a $100M+ raise
Money Moves is a recurring series where we chart the raises, grants, contracts, mergers and other funding news of tech companies across our regions. Have a tip? Email us at . A local computer chip manufacturer is raising millions, and Pittsburgh’s funding spree over the last month doesn’t end there.
RealLIST Innovators 2026: 15 builders behind Pittsburgh’s tech scene
A thriving tech hub requires doers — people who take ideas and make them real. At Technical.ly, we celebrate those people as RealLIST Innovators, an annual list of engineers, developers, scientists, researchers, inventors and technologists working to make Pittsburgh’s ecosystem great. It’s a big tent that includes people who make the planet greener, keep humans more connected or build safer AI systems for everyday users, among many other things.
Pittsburgh’s potholes may finally get a faster fix thanks to Silly Surfacing’s patent-pending robot
There’s a specific, visceral road rage that comes with hitting a pothole, especially one that’s sat unrepaired for months. A Pittsburgh startup thinks its patent-pending, pothole-filling robot can help make those repairs faster by not relying on multiple crew members and a road closure to mend it by hand.
Pennsylvania is turning data center guesswork into real, mandatory impact reports
This is the second story in a two-part series examining what shifting data center regulations in Pennsylvania mean for community transparency. Read the first story, which explores impacts on developers, here. For years, Pennsylvania communities have had to evaluate proposed data centers with limited information about how much electricity, water and other resources the facilities could consume.
PA’s new executive order won’t halt data centers — but it could reshape where they get built
This is the first story in a two-part series examining how shifting data center regulations in Pennsylvania could affect development. Read the second story, which explores what the changes mean for community transparency, here. Pennsylvania’s new data center rules could reshape which sites developers choose, putting a premium on places with existing power infrastructure and access to lower-carbon energy. An executive order on Tuesday signed by Gov.
Hillman Foundation grant backs TiE Pittsburgh’s effort to connect local startups with global VCs
A $25,000 grant from the Hillman Foundation is fueling a new push to address one of Pittsburgh’s thorniest tech challenges: bringing global venture capital to local startups. The Southwestern PA-based philanthropic funder awarded the grant to Alex Dalton, executive director of TiE’s Pittsburgh chapter, who is now compiling a list of promising companies to pitch to the broader organization’s global investor network.
Free IT support is coming to Pittsburgh businesses via a new monthly tech clinic
North Side tech company, XYCOM, is launching a free monthly “technology clinic” for local businesses. Starting on Tuesday, Aug. 25, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., XYCOM’s office at 842 Jacksonia St. will open its doors to Pittsburgh companies and government agencies troubleshooting tech issues. The walk-in service targets organizations that lack dedicated IT staff or can’t afford a consultant, but still need the diagnostics and technical fixes, according to Chad Hill, founder of the company.
Pittsburgh’s new AI venture studio is trading engineering time for equity
Power Moves is a recurring series where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, gig or promotion? Email us at . Pittsburgh’s massive push into the physical AI scene could mean more jobs for locals in the near future. A new venture studio launched last week aims to scale AI ventures and grow jobs, while an AI hardware company says it intends to hire hundreds to fill new roles over the next five years. Plus, a Pittsburgh business school gets a new interim dean.
New testing facilities, robotics manufacturing and clean energy headed to Western PA
The Defense and Innovation Summit dropped $10 billion in national investment announcements last week, and Pittsburgh snagged millions. Hosted by Sen. David McCormick and headlined by President Donald Trump, the two-day event at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, focused on the future of defense — from manufacturing and critical resources to AI and robotics. Among the 1,000-plus crowd in Carlisle, Pittsburgh’s tech founders and researchers were out in full force.
2 local startups captured 75% of Pittsburgh’s $70M in venture funding for Q2
AI startups may be dominating venture funding, but that doesn’t mean local investors are chasing AI for AI’s sake. Companies in the Pittsburgh metro area raised approximately $70.2 million across 17 deals during Q2, according to the latest Venture Monitor report from PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA).
New energy rules for data centers, new capital for startups: Inside PA’s $50.8B budget
Two weeks past the deadline, Pennsylvania Democrats and Republicans over the weekend reached a budget compromise. More than $100 million was approved for an innovation investment program and workforce development initiatives totaled $193 million. The $50.8 billion budget, passed relatively quickly compared to last year’s record four-month delay, includes funding for education, workforce development and startup investment.
AI isn’t replacing your lawyer, but it is completely rewriting how they bill for time
In the legal profession, AI upgrades are coming straight for the bottom line. With tech shrinking hours of administrative work into mere minutes, the long-held tradition of “billable hours” no longer measures how much a lawyer does for a client. To keep up with the times, some Pittsburgh firms are starting to charge for the software they’re using, rather than the time tasks used to take. At the legal tech startup Squary AI, cofounder Justin Waltrip is seeing this firsthand.
Community Forge secures $135k to sustain its workforce program through 2029
Money Moves is a recurring series where we chart the raises, grants, contracts, mergers and other funding news of tech companies across our regions. Have a tip? Email us at . Where’s the money flowing? In Pittsburgh’s tech and startup scene, space exploration is having a multimillion-dollar moment. Plus, community programs to boost economic mobility are getting some love. Keep reading for the details.
Pittsburgh’s AI future depends on who controls the changing nature of work
Pittsburgh250 — This story is part of a Pittsburgh Media Partnership collaborative reporting project exploring how Southwestern Pennsylvania communities are marking America’s 250th anniversary — and how local history continues to shape civic life today. Technical.ly, City Cast Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh’s Public Source teamed up to explore the region’s economic horizons. Two hundred and fifty years ago, a new country formed with the idea that ordinary people could shape their own futures.
CMU creates new role for entrepreneurship education ahead of global startup showcase
Power Moves is a recurring series where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, gig or promotion? Email us at . The Pittsburgh startup scene is getting ready to show off to the world. A professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has just been tasked with promoting entrepreneurship to more students as the school preps a major showcase for the region’s startup scene this fall.
‘Five years in AI is an eternity’: Inside Pittsburgh’s work to govern a technology moving too fast to predict
Pittsburgh250 — This story is part of a Pittsburgh Media Partnership collaborative reporting project exploring how Southwestern Pennsylvania communities are marking America’s 250th anniversary — and how local history continues to shape civic life today. Technical.ly, City Cast Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh’s Public Source teamed up to explore the region’s economic horizons.
Meet the early-stage startups scaling up with Pittsburgh’s free founder coaching program
A new cohort of Pittsburgh startup founders just graduated from a free coaching program that they credit with simultaneously accelerating their business growth and combating the isolation of entrepreneurship. The Anvil Founder Coaching Program offers early-stage founders free, tailored mentorship on everything from customer discovery to fundraising to team leadership. Last week, several local founders showcased their progress at a cohort graduation event in Oakland.
What does Agility’s merger and pending $2.5B IPO mean for Pittsburgh?
Agility Robotics, an Oregon-headquartered company that relies on its Pittsburgh outpost to develop humanoid robots, will soon be a publicly traded company. The robotics firm, which has a local office on Lawrenceville’s , announced this week it’s merging with Churchill Capital Corp XI, a special-purpose acquisition company built specifically to take startups like Agility public. The transaction, which values Agility at a $2.5 billion pre-money equity value, is expected to close later this year.
Looking to upskill? Here are the Pittsburgh coding programs you should know
If you’re looking to break into tech, a dedicated upskilling program might be just what you need. Coding bootcamps became popular in the 2010s as a fast track path into high-paying tech jobs. But it can be hard to tell which programs are worth your time and energy, so we bring you this searchable guide. Note: You can also consider checking out a free online resource, or joining a local group like Code & Coffee Pittsburgh, where you can learn to code at your own pace.
Pittsburgh life sciences startups tell Harrisburg: PA is leaving billions on the table
Two bills moving through the Pennsylvania Legislature could reshape how the state supports its life sciences sector. Executives from three Pittsburgh-based companies joined regional leaders from industry and economic development organizations to testify last month before the Pennsylvania Senate’s Institutional Sustainability and Innovation Committee.
Inside Wood Wide AI, the Pittsburgh startup taking on one of LLMs’ biggest blind spots
Founded by: Pradeep Ravikumar and Varsha Raj Year founded: 2025 Headquarters: Pittsburgh, PA Sector: AI/ML Funding and valuation: $3 million raised, according to the company, at an undisclosed valuation Key ecosystem partners: CMU’s VentureBridge, Pear VC’s PearX and Innovation Works’ AlphaLab AI systems aren’t yet reliable enough to be used in high-stakes situations — even if businesses are increasingly turning to LLMs to make business decisions. Wood Wide AI wants to fix that.
Meet Pelliá, the skincare brand representing Pittsburgh in Meta’s PA accelerator
Founded by: Courtney Williamson Year founded: 2024 Headquarters: Pittsburgh, PA Sector: Beauty/skincare/wellness Funding and valuation: Bootstrapped at a $2 million valuation, according to the founder Key ecosystem partners: Gener8tor, Accion Opportunity Fund and the NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Center The lightbulb moment for Courtney Williamson’s latest startup came when she had a migraine for a week straight.
Aerospace startup Astrobotic to be acquired by defense tech company Voyager Technologies
Pittsburgh aerospace company Astrobotic announced today it has agreed to be acquired by defense tech company Voyager Technologies for an undisclosed amount. Founded in 2007, Northside-based Astrobotic spun out of Carnegie Mellon University with an ambitious mission to lead humans back to the moon and build the tech needed to maintain their presence there.
LadderUp expands to Pittsburgh with rent-to-own path for aspiring homeowners
A local foundation’s $250,000 investment is bringing an affordable housing startup to Pittsburgh. LadderUp Housing, an Ohio-based company that creates pathways for renters to become homeowners, announced a quarter of a million dollars in funding from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to support its expansion into Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.
AI security startup Gray Swan raises $40M Series A with plans to grow its team
Gray Swan, a Pittsburgh-based AI security startup, announced today the close of a $40 million Series A. The Carnegie Mellon University spinout builds tools that safety-test AI models and agents for vulnerabilities, and has been cited in safety reports from top tech companies including Anthropic, OpenAI and Meta. The company plans to use this fresh funding to accelerate its go-to-market operations, deepen its partnerships with frontier labs and scale its team, according to the announcement.
FORT Robotics acquires Mapless AI to grow its vehicle and heavy machinery safety platform
Mapless AI, an AV software company, has been acquired by the Philly-based physical AI startup FORT Robotics for an undisclosed amount. Mapless, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is known for delivering driverless vehicles to customers for one-way trips. Through this acquisition, Mapless’ expertise will expand FORT’s Trust Platform, a safety system for autonomous machines. As part of this acquisition, the company will accelerate its expansion into new industries.
Explained: How Pittsburgh’s public-private startup support org really works
Innovation Works’ investment numbers are drawing fresh attention to how startup support is structured in Pittsburgh. The state-backed venture development nonprofit has long been one of the city’s most visible startup support organizations, providing early-stage companies with funding, mentorship and other resources they need in order to build. But now there’s a public debate: How much of IW’s money should go directly to founders?
A longtime technologist’s many jobs share one mission: meaningful use over hype
This is How I Got Here, a series where we chart the career journeys of technologists, entrepreneurs, tech workers, builders and people in the innovation economy. Want to tell your story? Get in touch. Kris Rockwell doesn’t have a job. He has several — and even he’ll admit it’s hard to juggle it all.
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