The Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association is hosting a virtual event on February 15 titled "The Future of Venture Capital in Pittsburgh" featuring representatives from three relatively new investment firms who are seeking to diversify their investment portfolios. As we celebrate Black History Month, we caught up with a few of them to get their perspective on the value of pursuing diversity and what it means for expanding opportunities for women and minority entrepreneurs in Pittsburgh.
When Samira Kiani’s father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer she scoured available clinical trials for cutting edge gene and cell therapies, but came away frustrated at the limitations posed by many of them as a result of their vulnerability to the body’s natural immune response to the therapies.
Four Pitt innovation teams have been selected to receive commercialization grants from the Chancellor’s Gap Fund in order to accelerate on their path from the lab to the market.
If you are new to innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Pittsburgh, or just need a primer on particular parts of the innovation commercialization process, the Innovation Institute has created a new Inventor’s Guide to assist you.
One of the key resources for Pitt innovators who are determined to see their discoveries make an impact on the world are entrepreneurs in residence (EIRs) at the Innovation Institute, part of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. EIRs are available for consultation at every step of the entrepreneurial journey, from initial idea or discovery to licensing or startup formation and beyond. The Innovation Institute’s newest EIR brings decades of experience from a variety of perspectives to offer to Pitt innovators. Previously as the director of the technology licensing department of the renowned Mayo Clinic, and as a partner in several private equity and venture capital firms, Dan Broderick has been at both ends of the negotiating table with academic entrepreneurs.