AI Innovation on Display: Swartz Center Hosts 2025 Venture Studio Demo Day

The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship showcased the future of AI innovation at Carnegie Mellon University during the 2025 AI Venture Studio Demo Day, held at the Tepper School. The event brought together 24 AI-driven startups to pitch their ventures and engage with a community of investors from across the region and beyond.

The day kicked off with Citywide Open Coffee: AI Edition, held in partnership with Corkboard Concepts, Pittsburgh Startup News, Innovation Works, PGH.AI, AI@atWorkPgh, and Agents of Change. This informal networking event with more than 300 attendees set the stage for a day of collaboration, energy, and bold ideas at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and entrepreneurship.

“Today’s student, alumni, and faculty entrepreneurs didn’t just network; they sparked more than 250 investor meetings in a single day,” said Adam Paulisick, serial entrepreneur and Professor of AI and Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science. “From decarbonizing supply chains to reimagining mental health care, these founders are already converting research into ventures the market wants. Demo Day proved that Carnegie Mellon’s hands‑on AI legacy still sets the benchmark for the future.”

Following the morning kickoff, attendees gathered for a series of live startup pitches from CMU students and recent alumni. The lineup featured several McGinnis Venture Competition winners, a Hult Prize global finalist, founders already selected by Y Combinator, multiple companies who completed priced venture rounds, and teams accepted into competitive programs such as the NVIDIA Accelerator and Hustle Fund’s Emerging Founder School.

“What makes the AI Venture Studio so powerful is how it connects research-driven innovation with real-world application,” said Sean Ammirati, Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship. “Our students and faculty aren’t just experimenting with AI. They are shipping market‑ready AI that rewrites industry playbooks and delivers measurable gains for real people.”

To close the day, CMU faculty entrepreneurs took the stage to present ventures that harness advanced research and deep tech to deliver transformative, high-impact solutions to real-world challenges. The 2025 AI Venture Studio Demo Day served as both a celebration of CMU’s vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem and a compelling glimpse into the future of AI innovation.