It has been a year like few others in Pittsburgh’s startup and innovation scene.
While some tech startups closed their doors or laid off a significant number of employees due to broader economic hardships and fewer investment deals, many of Pittsburgh’s tech firms managed to grow, with some securing funding to expand their operations.
Pittsburgh Inno proudly celebrates the individuals and organizations that have fueled innovation. To do so, it’s once again bringing back the Fire Awards, and they’re hotter than ever.
The Fire Awards are more than just accolades; they are a testament to the spirit that drives Pittsburgh’s tech and innovation community forward. Join us at The Assembly in Bloomfield on Sept. 20 to honor our Fire Awards recipients and celebrate innovation, resilience and the spirit of entrepreneurship.
Below, read all about this year’s honorees.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Career Achievement winner:
William ‘Red’ L. Whittaker, Carnegie Mellon University
Rising Founders:
Founders are the core of any startup community, and Pittsburgh has seen significant growth in the number of entrepreneurs looking to leave behind the traditional benefits of employment in hopes of working for themselves. Here Pittsburgh Inno names a few founders who have started to see the fruits of such efforts. These pioneers are always looking for mileposts that signal more rapid growth, successful funding round raises or expansion of their employee payrolls. The local startup community depends on people like them as they drive innovation in a number of different ways.
Sandesh Sukumaran, Outcome Logix
Trailblazing Innovators:
While an entrepreneurial spirit and a need to take business risks is crucial for startups, every company also needs one thing at its core: An innovative product offering or solution. That’s where Pittsburgh Inno’s Trailblazing Innovators come in. These people are the minds behind the products and services that are changing the region and, in some cases, the world. Whether acting as inventors, technologists or founders themselves, these individuals are putting their ideas into action and creating things that are unique, exciting and beneficial in a variety of ways.
Nat Beuse, Aurora Innovation Inc.
Dr. Douglas Gebhard, RareMed Solutions
Carmel Majidi, Arieca, ESTAT Actuation, Lifeware Labs
Jessica Spradley, Care-Based Leadership and Care-Metrix
Jonathan Steckbeck, Peptilogics
Ecosystem Advocates:
Innovation requires people, their ideas and capital to bring them to life. But it also needs cheerleaders to support the environment in which ventures can thrive. For that reason, Pittsburgh Inno is naming Ecosystem Advocates in this year’s Fire Awards. Ecosystem Advocates are the individuals who are there to help guide founders and their startups along the path to success. The advocates named here are taking their own approaches to mentorship, but they all measure their own success by what their mentees accomplish.
Sreekar Gadde, BlueTree Venture Capital Fund
Jane Joseph, Innovation Works Inc.
Kit Mueller, RustBuilt PGH and Xchange PGH
Patti Rote, Girls of Steel, Carnegie Mellon University
Top Funding Rounds:
Building and launching a tech startup doesn’t come cheap. Many companies pursue outside investment in exchange for equity in their promising firm. That infusion of capital allows them to hire more employees, build prototypes and scale their business to meet the needs of a growing customer base. Tracking funding rounds helps paint a picture of a dynamic startup ecosystem. These are the largest confirmed funding rounds scored by Pittsburgh-based startups between July 2022 and June 2023.
Optimus Technologies raised $17.8M
Carnegie Science Center Student Awards:
Since its inception in 1997, the Carnegie Science Awards have honored more than 600 individuals and organizations whose creativity has built and grown Pittsburgh’s science, technology and education ecosystems. This year’s recipients are students and Science Center champions who have presented award-winning research projects during the Pittsburgh Regional Science & Engineering Fair and participated in other Science Center STEM programs.
Regina Anand, Saint John Paul II Homeschool Co-op
