Friday, October 12, 2018

CMU Alumna and Swartz Fellow JJ Xu Wins Top UpPrize

Talk Me Up, an artificial intelligence-based software company focused on providing communication training to marginazlied populations, founded by CMU alumna, Swartz Fellow and NSF I-Corps program participant JJ (Jiaojiao) Xu, took home the first prize of a $150,000 grant from BNY Mellon’s Social Innovation Challenge, UpPrize, Thursday evening.

Sign Track, an automatic sign language recognition system founded by alumnus and Innovation Fellow Brandon Taylor, won third place and earned a $50,000 grant. 

Read more at Bizjournal

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

CMU Spinout Bossa Nova Opens Office in the U.K.

Bossa Nova, a CMU robotics spinout whose largest office is in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, has opened its first international office.
Its new site in Sheffield, United Kingdom, will enable it to meet demand for its autonomous robot and data services and builds on the success of its U.S. deployment in Wal-Mart stores.

Read more at Bizjournals

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

The Swartz Center Grand Opening at the Tepper Quad and LaunchCMU 

The CMU Swartz Center celebrated its grand opening at the Tepper Quad space, in conjunction with its annual LaunchCMU event, The Science @ CMU, on October 2, 2018. The event marked a significant milestone for the Center, showcasing four deep science speakers, 30 startups who exhibited and great remarks from Jim Swartz himself.    

From its new location within the David A. Tepper Quadrangle, the Swartz Center serves the entire CMU community, providing intellectual, technical and financial support for students, faculty and alumni. 

The Swartz Center's new space is highly visible, spanning 8,000 square feet, and is designed to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, attracting innovators from all other disciplines into the Tepper Quad.

Friday, September 14, 2018

CMU Startup Pendo, Raises $50M Series D Funding

Pendo, creator of the leading product cloud for digital products and data-driven product teams founded by CMU alumnus Todd Olson, announced it has raised $50M in new venture capital investment, which will help fund the company’s expansion in Europe and Asia.
The funding was led by Sapphire Ventures.

Total funding to date for Pendo is $106M, the most venture capital raised by any software company in North Carolina’s Research Triangle region in nearly two decades. 

Read more at Pendo