The Pittsburgh Startup News for the Week of March 30th
a message from our friends at AI Venture Studio
How NVIDIA invested $2Bil in Saxonburg-based Coherent Corp. to help make AI's "five-layer cake" - Pittsburgh Business Time
Abridge Named #3 Among Most Innovative Artificial Intelligence Companies of 2026 - Fast Company
Pitt students built RateYinzLandlord.com to scrutinize landlords — theirs, and maybe yours - Public Source
Near Earth Autonomy Wins U.S. Contract for Maritime Drone Ops - Near Earth Autonomy
NetBeez Releases Its MCP Server - NetBeez
Pack Up+ Go’s Lillian Rafson Named to Inc. Magazine’s 2026 Female Founders 500 list - Inc.
RoadRunner Named One Time Magazine’s Top GreenTech Companies of 2026 -Time
Inside Pittsburgh’s AI meetup scene — and how to find the right fit - Technical.ly
How the Hellbender Stereo Camera Stays Cool on the Edge - Hellender
Here’s where the proposed big data center sites are in the Pittsburgh region.
- Pittsburgh Business TimeThe UX of Virtual Scientists: How we are eliminating the expertise barrier in materials simulation through agentic design. - PHIN Materials
Economic Impacts of Self-Driving Freight in the U.S. - The Steer Group
Pittsburgh area loses population amid nationwide immigration crackdown - Post-Gazette
What The NFL Draft Will Mean For Pittsburgh Traffic - CMU News
Jahanian Says This Moment is Tailor-Made for CMU during his 2026 State of the University - CMU News
I’m Building a Frontier AI Company in Pittsburgh. The City Has Everything It Needs to Compete, Except the Plumbing. - Ajmail Matin
What’s Happening This Week
Monday, March 30th
Networking for Impact
Field Day Lobby | 5:30 PM
Learn More
Code & Supply Build Night
Avenu: Meyran | 6 PM
Learn More
Tuesday, March 31st
BioBreakfast
The Riviera @ PTC | 8 AM
Learn More
Tuesday, March 31st - Wednesday, April 1st
PQI 2026
University Club Pittsburgh | 8 AM
Learn More
Wednesday, April 1st
Forge AI Prize: Draft Week Showcase - Application Deadline
Virtual
Learn More
DisruptHR Pittsburgh
Rivers Casino | 5 PM
Learn More
Thursday, April 2nd
Ai Good Mornings with Steel City AI Innovators & Pittsburgh AI
Nova Place | 8:30 AM
Learn More
Friday, April 3rd
Technically Coffee
Bakery Square | 8 AM
Learn More
Saturday, April 4th
Pitch and Run Pittsburgh
The Strip District Terminal | 9 AM
Learn More
In-Person Game Development Meetup
Looking for Group | 1:30 PM
Learn More
This Week’s Startup Job Opportunities:
Hiring? Reply with your latest startup job opening to be featured here (for free).
BlastPoint
VP of Engineering | East Liberty
Apply Here
HEBI Robotics
Electrical/Embedded Engineer | North Oakland
Apply Here
Musing AI
Software Engineering Tech Lead | Oakland
Apply Here
PHIN Materials
Senior Infrastructure & DevOps Engineer | Remote
Apply Here
Programs Worth Considering:
The $1.275Mil Forge AI Pitch: Draft Edition for pre-Series B startups applying AI, robotics, computer vision, or digital twins to sports. Held during NFL Draft Week on April 22. Apply by Wednesday, April 1st.
The Industrial Base Hackathons are for founders, researchers, and builders with solutions to bottlenecks in U.S. energy, defense, and manufacturing supply chains, working in cross-domain teams alongside DoD, government procurement, and investors actively deploying capital. Next event is held on April 30 in Lewiston, NY.
Support the Dave Mawhinney Founders First Legacy Fund: Pre-Seed and Seed Support for High-Potential CMU Startups.