Changes

*The recent opening of a local “Tech Shop” branch.  This “Tech Shop” houses machine shops and electronic labs for design and is posed to become a design hub.

*Thrill Mill- a non-profit organization that hosts business plan competitions an incubator space, and great networking opportunities for budding entrepreneurs.

<div><br/></div><div>Overall, it is evident that Pittsburgh startups are beginning to take off. &nbsp;Companies like Astrobotic (set to be the next to reach the moon with their lunar rover and win the Google XPrize) are budding and national entrepreneurial organizations like Venture for America are taking note. &nbsp;No doubt, Pittsburgh is in the process of becoming a home to innovation and entrepreneurship and will continue to develop over the coming years.</div><div><br/></div>

= The Innovation Institute and the Increase in I&E =

<div>The announcement of the University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute in 2013 began a dramatic increase in innovative and entrepreneurial activities at the University of Pittsburgh. The Innovation Institute serves as the housing entity for the Office of Technology Management, the Office of Enterprise Development, and Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence. The Innovation Institute’s mission is to promote and foster a community of innovation throughout the Pitt campus, and to unite the various Pitt colleges, faculty, and students in entrepreneurial endeavors.</div><div><br/></div><div>The Innovation Institute manages design and business competitions, events, and educational opportunities for aspiring innovators. One of the most prominent competitions is the Randall Family Big Idea competition, a competition focused on start-up creation and exploring the potential of new ideas. The Big Idea competition supports twelve winners with upwards of $25,000 in support of their idea. Student teams learn how to pitch ideas orally and via video media, develop business plans, evaluate intellectual property, and potentially start full-fledged companies. Other competitions include hackathons, such as the brand-new She Innovates! all-womens hackathon as well as the IBM Smart-tag hackathon. &nbsp;Startup Weekends, give students the opportunity to meet like-minded students of different disciplines as they contemplate their own ideas. Long-lasting competitions, such as the Pitt Innovation Challenge (PINCH) and the Pitt Mobile App Challenge provide students the exposure to innovation competitions.</div><div><br/></div><div>The Innovation Institute manages events that allow Pitt students to learn from entrepreneurs at Pitt and in the Pittsburgh area. Last fall, the Innovation Institute hosted the first MIT Enterprise Forum at Pitt, a public event at which students and faculty could learn from local entrepreneurs at various stages in the commercialization process. The Innovation Institute also hosts free seminars so that students may learn about different aspects of entrepreneurship, from general workshops on business model formation, to specific seminars discussing how to start a business on an F-1 Visa. &nbsp;Furthermore, the Innovation Institute provides formal classes, such as the Benchtop-to-Bedside course, to provide faculty and students with the support needed to translate research projects into sustainable businesses. Outside of the University of Pittsburgh, the Innovation Institute promotes Pittsburgh community events including the Thrival Innovation and Music Festival, the Steel City Codefest, and the Three Rivers Venture Fair. The Innovation Institute maintains relationships with investors, business networks, and local accelerators including Innovation Works, the Alphalab and Alphalab Gear Accelerators, the Idea Foundry, and Thrill Mill.</div><div><br/></div><div>The presence of the Innovation Institute is spurring new movements from both students and faculty. Undergraduate and graduate clubs such as Enactus, Launch Pitt, the Pitt Startup Network, and Design Hub, are committed to giving students the exposure to both hard- and soft-skills, innovative practices, and most importantly design thinking mentalities. &nbsp;Faculty at the engineering school are sponsoring the Design Expo, an event that, showcases the design projects of seniors involved in their capstone project. Finally, new undergraduate and graduate course offerings include The Art of Hands-On Systems Design and Engineering; Medical Product Ideation; Technology Innovation, Adoption, and Diffusion; Entrepreneurship and New Venture Initiation; and Client-Centered Rehabilitation Engineering Design.&nbsp;</div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>