Calendar of Events
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Major Upcoming Events & Opportunities for the Swartz Center & CMU T&E
Attend a Spring 2024 CONNECTS
Our CONNECTS seminar series enhances the experiential education of any individual interested in innovation and entrepreneurship. Tailored mainly for students to help take their ideas from conception to commercialization, the seminars run throughout the academic year. Teams looking for talent and talent looking for teams can CONNECT at these events.
Join Us for the McGinnis Venture Competition Final Round Celebration on March 19!
Help cheer the final round graduate and undergraduate teams to victory! Attend the final round celebration on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. The event will also be live streamed to allow for international and remote community members to attend.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Schedule of Events:
- 1:00 - 5:00 PM - Final Round Team Presentations
- 5:30 - 7:00 PM - Award Ceremony & Networking Reception
Location:
Carnegie Mellon University Swartz Center, Tepper Quad Bldg., 4765 Forbes Avenue, 3rd Level
Find out more on our final round webpage>
Applications for the 2024-26 Undergraduate Innovation Scholars Program are Open!
The CMU Swartz Center has opened applications for the next cohort of undergraduate Innovation Scholars. This prestigious program fosters innovation and entrepreneurship aimed at increasing the number of successful startups initiated by or involving Carnegie Mellon University’s undergraduate students from across campus. Students in their junior year are eligible to apply.
Innovation Scholars complete a two-year program integrating academic coursework, networking, mentorship—given as well as received—and are required to attend a weekly Proseminar in Entrepreneurial Leadership class. Students with their own startup are eligible to apply for a $6K stipend to work on their startup over the summer.
Applications will be open through April 5, 2024. Early applications are encouraged. Find out more.
Register to attend a virtual info session:
- March 21 | 12:30 PM ET Register
Lab to Climate Venture: Fix the Planet by Solving Problems that Matter
Friday March 22, 2024
12:30 - 1:30 pm EST
Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, 3rd level, Tepper Quad
Presenter: Dr. Christina Chang, Lowercarbon capital
Register
Lunch provided
In a chat over lunch, Dr. Chang will share career lessons learned — from academia and government, to founding a climate tech startup and investing.
Come for answers to questions like:
- How can I aim my research for real-world impact?
- What are the nuts & bolts of founding a startup?
- What’s a day in the life as a startup founder?
- Would I enjoy leading a startup? How do a founder’s skills compare to a researcher’s?
About the speaker:
Dr. Christina Chang is a Partner at Lowercarbon Capital, the VC firm backing kickass companies that make real money unf**king the planet. Most recently, Christina was a Fellow at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) within the U.S. Department of Energy, where she developed new research directions for sustainable manufacturing of commodities. Prior to ARPA-E, Dr. Chang was founder and CEO of the sustainable steel startup Abraze Engineering. Dr. Chang has a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Harvard, an MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures from Imperial College London, an MPhil in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge, and an A.B. in Chemistry from Princeton.
CMU UEA: Venture Challenge Demo Day, March 23!
Saturday, March 23, 2024
10:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST
Carnegie Mellon University Swartz Center, Tepper Quad Bldg., 4765 Forbes Avenue, 3rd Level
Register
Join the UEA for the final round of pitches at the CMU Venture Challenge, the premier annual event of the Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Association. Special guest speakers are: Lucy Guo, co-founder of Scale AI and founder of Passes, and Blake Scholl, founder of Boom Supersonic. See pitches from 12 finalist teams and network with other entrepreneurial-minded people at this can't-miss event. Lunch will be provided!
Apply for the Innovation Commercialization Fellows Program by April 15!
The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship has opened applications for the 2024-2025 Innovation Commercialization Fellows program. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working with faculty investigators and are interested in driving the commercialization efforts for their Carnegie Mellon University research-based startup are eligible to apply.
This is a year-long program that will begin on July 1, 2024. Along with cohort-based educational workshops and expert one-on-one mentoring, Fellows will receive a $50K contribution from the Swartz Center, contingent on a $50K match from another source, to support them while they focus on the commercialization process.
Apply by April 15, 2024 at midnight ET. Send questions to Melanie Simko.
Attend an Info Session
- March 26; 10:00 am ET
Project Olympus Show & Tell
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
3rd Floor, Tepper Quad
In-person only from 4-6 pm (The closest visitor parking is at the CMU East Campus Garage)
Presentations start at 4 pm with networking and light refreshments at 5 pm
Register by April 5th as space is limited for this event!
Project Olympus Show & Tell is back! Show & Tell is a hugely popular venue for connecting CMU startups with the wider business and entrepreneurial community.
Show & Tell showcases university research, innovations, and companies! We are adding more speakers and startups every day, check our website for the latest event agenda.
Find out more about the Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Association (UEA)
and (net)Working Hours!
Swartz Center Patron Office Hours
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Legal Services Weekly Office Hours with Matt Kirmayer
Mondays 1:00-3:00 PM ET (10-12 PT)
To sign up for a 30 minute session with Matt, please contact Sean Mawhinney by the Thursday prior to your desired appointment. If you need to schedule an office hour outside of these regular hours, please contact Daria Stokes.
Swartz Center Patron Office Hours
Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC - Legal Services Office Hours
Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC are holding office hours by appointment for any interested CMU graduate, undergraduate or alumni interested in entrepreneurship or connecting with members of the Swartz Center network.
Appointment only. Contact Michael Mawhinney at michael.mawhinney@steptoe-johnson.com.