Beyond the Lab: A Happy Hour Hosted By Obvious Ventures, Construct Capital & Alpha Intelligence Capital

How many startups does Pittsburgh have? How much venture capital flowed into Pittsburgh last year — and where did it go? Who's building in Pittsburgh that nobody's talking about yet? Join ecosystem builders and partners in Pittsburgh as we prepare for StartUp PGH 2026. This session will provide an analysis of the startup landscape in Pittsburgh via data provided by Dealroom and roundtables of ecosystem builders. Roundtable participants include Ven Raju, Lindsay Fairman, Megan Shaw, Meredith Grelli, Charles Mansfield, Audrey Russo. Join us during lunch for an overview - leave with stats, talking points you can use throughout the week, and access to Pittsburgh's startup dashboard. Lunch is generously provided in partnership with UPMC Enterprises. StartUp PGH is a multiday celebration of entrepreneurship, innovation, and frontier tech. The diverse line up of events will highlight founders from all stages, researchers, and community partners across our entire ecosystem including AI, Cybersecurity, Energy, Life Sciences, Robotics and more.

Join InnovatePGH and Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP for an in-person informative session about navigating visa pathways as an entrepreneur. This session will feature guidelines on appropriate temporary work visas and permanent-residence pathways for immigrant founders, as well as an explanation of which preliminary startup activities can and cannot take place before you have visa sponsorship in place. It will include both a presentation and a question-and-answer session. Whether you are a current student on an F-1 visa, a recent graduate on OPT, a faculty or staff member advising international students, or otherwise interested in learning about visa options for entrepreneurs, this session is a great opportunity to learn more.

Speed Dating with VCs Two hours, one room, and every founder in the incoming Foundry cohort. The night opens with a short panel on Foundry and what this cohort is building. The full incoming lineup gets introduced up front, so every investor in the room sees everyone before conversations start. At 6:30 the room breaks into 10 to 15 tables across the Swartz Center, each staffed by a VC. Founders rotate table to table with 3 to 5 minutes each to introduce themselves and pitch. Most of the cohort meets most of the room in a single sitting. Run of show 6:00 PM · Panel and cohort introduction 6:30 PM · Speed dating rounds 8:00 PM · Close and matching form What happens after Before anyone leaves the room, founders and investors both fill out a short form naming who they want to meet again. Where the interest runs both ways, Foundry sets up a group dinner around the match and schedules it within the same week, so nothing goes cold.

IP and Funding for University Research Commercialization Join University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University for two practical conversations on what it takes to move university research toward commercialization. Both panels will be moderated by Kelly Collier, Director of Ecosystem Development, LifeX. Doors open at 3:30 PM. Feel free to come, network, and get settled for the panels that will being at 4:00 PM. 4:00–4:30 PM | IP: Is Your Technology Commercially Meaningful? What makes a technology commercially meaningful, not just patentable? How do corporate and VCs evaluate emerging university technologies? What are the biggest gaps between invention disclosure and commercialization? Hear from experts who evaluate university technologies from licensing, investment, and industry partnership perspectives. Jacob P. Greenberg, Senior Manager, Business Development & Licensing, Carnegie Mellon University Maximilian von Poelnitz, GP, Foothill Ventures Scott Morley, Senior Director, Office of Industry & Economic Partnerships, University of Pittsburgh 4:30–5:00 PM | Funding: What Will Fund the Next Milestone? What types of funding are available to researchers? What evidence, validation, or milestones make a technology more fundable? How should researchers decide between grants, translational funding, and private capital? Hear from researchers who have raised funding and the decision-makers who evaluate and allocate funding: Dr. Carl Snyderman, Professor of Otolaryngology and Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Otolaryngology Director of the UPMC Center for Cranial Base Surgery Cindy Chepanoske, Director, Center for Technology and Enterprise Creation at Carnegie Mellon University Lauren Cantor Wright, Principal, Yosemite The discussion will include practical examples of what helped technologies move forward, what caused them to stall, and what researchers can do next.

We have a lot to celebrate at this year’s member picnic. Not only is it during StartUp PGH Week, it’s also the first event with our new Executive Director, Anneliese Martinez, and the release of our collab beer with East End Brewing, “Founder’s Club Kolsch.” So we’ve done a little rebranding and created the Founder’s Flex Happy Hour! Open to all members, alumni, and family - plus anyone visiting for StartUp PGH Week! Join us at East End Brewing on Tuesday, September 15, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm to mingle with fellow members and innovators from across the country, welcome our new Executive Director, and try our beer! No pitches, no pressure, just new connections and celebrations! Date: Tuesday, September 15th, 2026 Time: 5:30 - 8:30 PM Location: East End Brewing Company, 147 Julius Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 RSVP today, and we look forward to seeing you there! If you can’t make it, please consider supporting Ascender by donating to the event here. Every dollar goes toward supporting entrepreneurs. Learn more at startuppgh.com and ascenderpgh.com #StartUPPGH