Big Idea Center

Today, we wish a very special Big Idea Birthday to our Assistant Director, Jess! 🎉🎂🎁 Jess leads the planning and execution of all of our signature programs and center operations throughout the year, and her hard work never goes unnoticed! We are especially amazed with her passion and attention to detail. Thank you, and have an amazing birthday, Jess! 🥳

NEW: Conduction, an edtech platform focused on enhancing music education, announced today a $265,000 pre-seed investment from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. https://lnkd.in/euy9fvwY Joe Maggiore #EdTech #Education #MusicEducation #EdTechInnovation #DigitalLearning #STEM #MusicPrograms #StudentEngagement #EducationFunding #ClassroomInnovation

🏆Congratulations to our Kuzneski Innovation Cup winners!🏆 These 5 outstanding student teams each earned a part of the $25,000 prize pool to jumpstart their potential and bring their ideas to reality. Each demonstrated exceptional professionalism in their idea development and pitches. Powered by the Kuzneski Insurance Group, this year's Kuzneski Innovation Cup was one of the most exciting and diverse that we've ever seen! This incredible competition would not have been possible without the support from Andy and Laurie Kuzneski. Their excitement and investment in student innovation continues to inspire new generations of entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers! Special thanks to Michael Matesic and Idea Foundry for matching the $5,000 award to Pittsburgh Coastal Energy, bringing their total award to $10,000!

Hard to describe the combination of pride, amazement, assuredness, and excitement. LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOO Special thank you to Bobby Zappala at Richard King Mellon Foundation for believing in a future that is now becoming a reality

🎉 Huge congratulations to Adi Mittal, a med student at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, for his groundbreaking work in medical research and innovation! 🧠 Working in Dr. Friedlander Robert's lab, Adi helped develop a protein-based blood panel to predict aneurysm rupture risk. His startup, Astria Biosciences, has already won top awards, including the $20K Wells Competition and a $275K SBIR grant. 🚀 He’s also making waves in medical devices, recently competing in the Rice Business Plan Competition. Keep an eye on this rising star! 🌟 #PittInnovation #MedTech

🔷🔶Pitt Innovators who have launched companies based on their research discoveries got their day in the limelight at the inaugural Pitt Startup Signing Day, where they donned their Pitt gear and "committed" to continue driving their innovations downfield toward the market. Thanks to Senior Associate Athletic Director Pat Bostick for helping to 📣cheer on our innovation teams.🔶🔷 https://hubs.li/Q02XXbjQ0 Zegenex Inc; Vanish Therapeutics; Astria Biosciences; Parent Heart Inc.; Monarch Therapeutics; Jason Lohmueller; Evan Facher, Ph.D., M.B.A

During yesterday's Career Paths in Startups & Innovation panel discussion, speakers detailed their experiences in emerging companies, sharing both challenges and growth opportunities. Students learned about a plethora of innovation and entrepreneurship roles that exist outside of being a founder such as being a part of a startup team, startup support organization, corporate innovation department, and more! Each speaker provided a unique perspective around starting your career with startups and the importance of networking! Thank you to our partners at LifeX and our speakers John McNamee (Precision Neuroscopics), Charles Mansfield III (InnovatePGH), and Bre Bishop (University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Division of Infectious Disease) for connecting with students and strengthening the innovation community!

👩🏽🔬 🔬 ⚽ 🏈 📣 University of Pittsburgh is looking at a different kind of MVP and considering TAM over 40-yard sprint metrics for this recruiting class. Congrats to Astria Biosciences, Monarch Therapeutics, Parent Heat, Vanish Therapeutics, Zegenex Inc on moving forward on Pitt life sciences starting day. Another part of how University of Pittsburgh Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship has helped Pitt become one of the leading universities for patent awards. Evan Facher, Ph.D., M.B.A https://lnkd.in/eKDWbqT8

Our COO Aditya Mittal and CMO Michael McDowell participated in the Pitt Startup Signing Day and joined other fantastic co-founders in this terrific event! Big thanks to Dan Broderick, Paul J Petrovich, CPA, and Evan Facher, Ph.D., M.B.A. Also, we'd like to recognize the amazing startup environment created by the Big Idea Center, University of Pittsburgh Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and University of Pittsburgh Neurosurgery!

🌟 Inspiration Awaits! 🌟 We’re thrilled to welcome Anna Li, a Pitt/CMU MD-PhD student and Founder of Korion Health, at our Entrepreneur's Roundtable event with the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering on November 18! 🎊 Anna’s incredible story, starting from a Pitt hackathon to winning the $1M Hult Prize, is sure to motivate aspiring entrepreneurs! 💪 Be part of this amazing evening as we celebrate innovation during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2024! Bring your questions and your friends! Student, faculty, and staff from the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and other universities are welcome to attend. 👉 Registration is required by Nov. 15. To register, go to https://hubs.li/Q02WPFnY0 University of Pittsburgh #PittEvents #HultPrize #GlobalEntrepreneurshipWeek #KorionHealth