The Pittsburgh ecosystem at a glance

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By Nate Doughty - Reporter

September 07, 2021, 10:08am EDT Updated 09/22/2022 9:22 am

Inno Guides are designed to serve as an onboarding tool for those new to the city's ecosystem, as well as a refresher for anyone looking to learn more about Pittsburgh's startup and tech communities and the resources available to them. If you think we’re missing anything, email Pittsburgh Inno reporter Nate Doughty at ndoughty@bizjournals.com

Pittsburgh's startup ecosystem is abundant with resources for aspiring entrepreneurs, but navigating it can at times be overwhelming.

With Ecosystem at a Glance, take a quick tour of the region's companies, organizations and higher education resources that are collectively driving Pittsburgh's local innovation economy.

NOTABLE TECH COMPANIES (either based in the region or with a significant tech presence here):

NOTABLE STARTUP ORGANIZATIONS (quotes sourced from each respective organization's website):

412 Venture Fund | "We are a network of successful entrepreneurs who have started, funded, grown and exited multiple companies."
Academy Pittsburgh | "Learn the skills you need to teach yourself to code. Work collaboratively with like-minded individuals and top-tier instructors."
AlphaLab | "We provide early stage technology companies with an extensive mentor network, educational sessions with industry leaders and a rich entrepreneurial work environment."
AlphaLab Health | "Accelerating scientific, clinical and market validation for early stage health care and life science technology companies."
AlphaLab Gear | "AlphaLab Gear provides funding, deep one-on-one engagement, network building and office space to early stage physical product companies."
AscenderPGH | "Ascender is a vibrant community of innovators that helps entrepreneurs start and build their companies by offering free educational programming, mentorship, expert coaching, incubation and a collaborative coworking space."
Big Idea Center | "The Big Idea Center is the hub for student innovation and entrepreneurship at Pitt specializing in developing a unique skillset valuable to those wishing to engage with startup creation or who simply want to boost their resume."
Black Tech Nation | "We’re a digital nation of black coders, innovators, creators, entrepreneurs, educators and nerds. We’re the industry’s Black tech unicorns. But above all, we are a family."
Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Chatham University | "CWE offers aspiring and existing business owners free or low-cost business counseling, training programs, technical support, networking and mentoring focused on business planning and leadership, marketing, financing, access to capital, federal contracting and business expansion through international markets and exporting."
Founders Boost | "Since 2017, FoundersBoost has helped to pre-accelerate 300+ pre-seed startups chosen from over 4,200 applicants globally. Our alumni have gone on to the world's top accelerator programs including YC, Techstars and 500 Startups and they have raised $85m+ to date."
Founder Institute | "As the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator, the Founder Institute helps founders across several early stages."
Innovation Institute | "Wherever you are in the commercialization journey, the Innovation Institute offers the support and connections you need to accelerate on your path to impact."
InnovatePGH | "A next-generation public-private partnership built to accelerate Pittsburgh’s status as a global innovation city."
Innovation Works | "Innovation Works is the largest seed stage investor in the Southwestern Pennsylvania region and one of the most active in the country. We are dedicated to serving growth-focused tech entrepreneurs throughout the Pittsburgh region in order to create jobs, wealth and to see our startup community thrive."
Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence | "Offering a dynamic mix of consulting, education, and networking opportunities, the IEE strives to be an innovative leader in [regional] economic development."
KRNLS | "A boutique firm that focuses on research, implementation and the design of advanced technologies for community relevant placemaking and economic development."
LifeX Labs | "We are a capital growth company that de-risks time, resources and investment for life sciences companies. We focus on the strategic pillars of commercialization, capital, infrastructure and resources to create alignment and achieve the highest probability of success for every company in our portfolio."
MaadLabs | "A do tank, not a think tank, that performs digital experiments, provides executive training, builds our own (largely AI/ML/Data) products and consults with both venture-backed and large, multi-national companies bringing bold, audacious and complex ideas, experiences and technologies to market."
Massey Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation | "The Massey Center’s mission is to drive an integrated entrepreneurial ecosystem for the entire Robert Morris University community in order to advance the entrepreneurial mindset and practice in the professional workplace and via business start-ups."
National Robotics Engineering Center | "NREC develops and matures robotics technologies and solutions from concept to commercialization."
National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) | "NETL aims to be the nation’s premier energy technology laboratory, delivering integrated solutions to enable transformation to a sustainable energy future."
One Valley | "A global entrepreneurship platform for individuals, startups and corporations seeking innovation and accelerated growth."
Pittsburgh Innovation District | "InnovatePGH is convening neighborhood partners, university leaders, and elected officials to collaborate, think big and leverage Pittsburgh’s talent and innovation to capture the next economy."
Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse | "Our domain-experienced staff provide the knowledge, connection and capital needed to navigate a complex health care system – ensuring commercial success."
Pittsburgh Technology Council | "Companies at all growth stages use the Pittsburgh Technology Council to build new business, connect to capital, grow a workforce and make headlines."
Project Olympus | "We encourage and support entrepreneurship on campus by helping faculty and students turn their cutting-edge research and great ideas into startups."
RustBuilt | "RustBuilt is a grassroots initiative with the sole purpose of shedding a light on the collective and valuable innovation and entrepreneurialism of the Rust Belt."
SteelBridge Labs | "SteelBridge Labs will take an idea, put structure around that idea, and help that idea to grow into a successful company. We want to be transparent with what we offer and what we expect from our entrepreneurs and founders, management team, mentors and investors."
Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship | "The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University is a system of programs and activities that offers a unique path of entrepreneurship education, engagement, collaboration and opportunity — for a truly transformative learning experience."
TiE Pittsburgh | "TiE Pittsburgh fosters entrepreneurship through mentoring, networking, education and funding, with a focus on giving back to the community."