Pittsburgh is a great place to build a startup, but most of the early-stage entrepreneurs we speak to are not aware of the local resources that are available to help them.

With applications for the Pittsburgh Founder Institute now open, we are excited to release the Pittsburgh Startup Ecosystem Canvas, which has been updated to v4 below! It was developed by the Pittsburgh Founder Institute and local leaders Greg Coticchia and Randy Eager. 

This is just a draft, and while we spent many hours on this research, more input is needed. Please leave your comments on this collaborative Google document to help us complete the list. There are definitely omissions on this current version. 

Are you looking to build a startup in Pittsburgh? Then apply to the Pittsburgh Founder Institute today!

The links are also listed below, for searchability.

Startup Stages

---

There is no one right way to build a technology company, but for the sake of simplicity we have outlined a basic, common, sequential framework.

1. Idea Stage

This is where new entrepreneurs get inspired, learn best practices, develop skills, validate ideas, and begin to build their team and product.

A. Inspire

• Startup Media: Centralized local information, listings, and news. (i.e. startup blogs/ publications/ lists/ FB groups/ newsletters, Startup Digest)

1. Awesomecast
2. Built in Pitt
3. Launch Collective Mastermind
4. NEXTPittsburgh
5. Pitchwerks
6. StartNow Pittsburgh

• Inspirational Events: Open, inclusive, beginner startup events (i.e. Startup Weekend, idea fairs, and inspirational meetups) 

1. #UnstuckPgh
2. Black Tech Nation
3. Carnegie STEM Girls
4. Entrepreneur, Start up and Small Business Monthly Q and A
5. Events at Work Hard Pittsburgh
6. Freedom-Obsessed Female Entrepreneurs of Pittsburgh!
7. From Startup to Success
8. Girl Develop It Pittsburgh
9. Girls Who Code
10. Global Entrepreneurship Week
11. Going Deep Summit
12. Hustle HER Way Summit
13. Inclusive Innovation Week
14. Invest In Her
15. Lesbians Who Tech Pittsburgh
16. Open Coffee Club at AlphaLab
17. PGH Tech Meetup
18. Pittsburgh Entrepreneurs Forum
19. Pittsburgh VR Meetup
20. Product Development Management Association - Pittsburgh Chapter
21. Startup Weekend Pittsburgh
22. Thrival Festival
23. Young Entrepreneur's Society of Pittsburgh (YESpgh)

B. Educate

• Best Practices: Beginner knowledge-sharing events. (i.e. beginner events that serve to educate more than inspire, like 1 Million Cups, Startup Grind, Startup Found 101, etc).

1. Ascender Starter & Builder Series
2. Bagels and Bytes
3. Cafe Innovation
4. EdTech PGH
5. General Assembly Pittsburgh
6. Google Developer Group (GDG) Pittsburgh
7. Keiretsu Forum
8. ngPittsburgh
9. Pittsburgh ProductCamp
10. Pittsburgh Startup Founder 101
11. Pittsburgh Technology Council
12. Pittsburgh Technology Innovation Group
13. Start Smart Legal Seminars and Workshop (IPI/Pitt Law School and Project Olympus)
14. Startup Grind Pittsburgh

• Training & Feedback: Skill & Idea development. (Ex. bootcamps and comprehensive training programs, like Founder Institute, General Assembly, Lean Startup Machine, code camps, etc)

1. Academy Pittsburgh
2. Alice Bootcamp
3. All Star Code
4. Ascender Bootcamp
5. Big Data (Next Gen Hadoop) Ingest & Transform
6. Concept to Launch
7. Connects
8. Dale Carnegie Training (leadership, communications, presentations, sales skills)
9. Founder Institute
10. Lean Startup Machine Pittsburgh
11. Next Gen Native Hadoop Big Data Apex Users Group
12. ONLC Training Centers
13. PGH Lab
14. Pittsburgh Agile
15. Pittsburgh Code & Supply
16. Pittsburgh Startup: Idea to IPO
17. Praxis
18. ProductTank Pittsburgh
19. Startable Pittsburgh
20. Startup Ideation Bootcamp
21. Startup Pitch Bootcamp: Learn How to Pitch from Top Entrepreneurs

C. Validate

• Team Formation: Resources for teaming up. (i.e. events or other resources that facilitate early-stage recruitment and cofounder matching )

1. CoFoundersLab
2. Ellevate
3. Entrepreneurs' Organization
4. FounderDating
5. LaunchPGH
6. Network After Work Pittsburgh
7. Pittsburgh Entrepreneurs Forum
8. Startup Job Fair (CMU and Pitt)
9. Tech Happy Hour - Pittsburgh

• Build First Product: Hackathons & resources to build. (i.e. hackathons and other builder-focused events and resources)

1. Code for Good
2. CodeDay
3. Conservation Hackathon 2018
4. FCHacks
5. HackPGH
6. Pittsburgh Hardware Startup Meetup
7. Pittsburgh TechFest
8. Prototype Pittsburgh
9. She Innovates Hackathon
10. Steel City Codefest
11. SteelHacks 2018
12. TartanHacks
13. The Pitt Challenge
14. The XFactory

2. Launch Stage

In this stage, entrepreneurs establish and formalize the company, develop the product, get feedback from customers, and prepare for the next step.

A. Start

• Establish: Law firms & banks for startups 

1. Baer Crossey McDemus
2. BNY Mellon
3. Brentwood Bank
4. Bridgeway Capital
5. Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
6. Cherin Law Offices, P.C.
7. Citizens Bank
8. Cohen & Grigsby, P.C.
9. Cozen O’Connor 
10. Dollar Bank
11. Elliott & Davis
12. FHLBank Pittsburgh
13. First Commonwealth Bank
14. First National Bank
15. Fox Rothschild LLP
16. KeyBank
17. Kisner Law Firm
18. Kraemer Manes & Associates
19. Leech Tishman
20. Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP
21. Morgan Lewis 
22. OGC Law
23. Pepper Hamilton LLP
24. PGH Startup Law
25. PNC Bank
26. Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP
27. Reed Smith LLP
28. S&T Bank
29. Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP
30. SSB Bank
31. Standard Bank
32. Stonecipher Law Firm
33. The Lynch Law Group, LLC
34. Wells Fargo Bank

• Workspace: Co-working and flexible workspaces (note: “official” office space goes in 3.1.a. Infrastructure) 

1. Alloy 26
2. Ascender
3. Avenu
4. Beauty Shoppe
5. Bruno Works
6. CatapultPGH Coworking
7. Club Level CoWorking
8. Cube
9. Factory Unlocked
10. Industrious
11. Innovate28
12. Level
13. Looking for Group Pittsburgh
14. Novel Coworking Golden Triangle
15. One Valley
16. Spaces Bakery Square
17. Stack
18. The Global Switchboard Space
19. Whetstone Workgroup
20. Work Hard Pittsburgh

B. Develop

• Formalize: Accounting, development and HR for early-stage startups.  

1. 2440 Media
2. ANTLR Interactive
3. Blue Archer
4. C-leveled
5. Cintacs
6. CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen)
7. Clark and Chamberlin
8. Cohen & Company
9. Collins & Ganley, P.C.
10. CrawfordEllenbogen, LLC
11. Davis, Davis & Associates
12. Dennis Piper & Associates, CPA
13. Drift2
14. DS Financial Advisors
15. EchoHR Consulting
16. FiveStar Development
17. H2R CPA
18. Holsinger PC Certified Public Accountant
19. Hyperfluid Solutions
20. Imperial
21. Infoshape
22. IQInc
23. Joyce, Inc.
24. Kathy L. Hess & Associates
25. OpenArc
26. Paxton
27. Posti & Associates
28. PrimePay
29. Rivers Agile
30. ROKET
31. Siegel and Company
32. Sisterson
33. Sparkbox
34. Treetop Interactive
35. Truefit
36. W. Cotton Mather CPA
37. Wilke
38. ZAP Solutions

• Prepare for Seed: Incubators and advanced mentorship. (i.e. advanced knowledge sharing, later stage events and resources for startup TEAMS)

1. Ascender Incubation
2. BHiveLab Incubator
3. eCenter
4. IncubateHER
5. Indiana County Small Business Incubator
6. New Sun Rising
7. One Valley
8. PantherlabWorks
9. Project Olympus Incubator Program
10. Riverside Center for Innovation
11. VentureBridge
12. Work Hard Pittsburgh Cooperative Business Incubator

C. Launch

• Seed Accelerators: Seed funding mentor programs (Techstars-style programs that provide funding)

1. AlphaLab
2. AlphaLab Gear
3. Alpha Lab Health
4. Idea Foundry
5. Numo
6. SteelBridge Labs

• Pitch & Demo: Show local startups for investment (i.e. demo days for companies seeking seed investment)

1. Alloy 26 Demo Day
2. AlphaLab & AlphaLab Gear Demo Day
3. AlphaLab Gear Hardware Cup
4. Launch Pad Pitch competition
5. Launch Pad Pitch competitionLaunchCMU
6. LeechTishman LaunchPad
7. McGinnis Venture Competition
8. PGH Tech Council — Tech 50
9. Pitt Innovation Challenge 
10. Project Olympus Show & Tell
11. Randall Family Big Idea Competition
12. Startup Blitz
13. UpPrize Challenge

3. Growth Stage

Here, a startup proves their utility, receives recognition, and scales up. This usually requires funding, angels, VCs, and ways to connect them to startups.

A. Recognition 

• Investor Networking:  Connect professional investors with founders. (i.e. events or groups that facilitate connections with professional investors)

1. 3 Rivers Venture Fair
2. 412 Venture Fund
3. Angel Investment Network
4. Black Tech Nation Ventures
5. BlueTree Allied Angels
6. Forty x 80
7. Moss Generation
8. Next Act Fund
9. PA Angel Network
10. Pipeline Angels Angel Investing Bootcamp
11. TiE Pittsburgh

• Major Media: Mainstream local business press. (i.e. major local or regional publications that frequently champion local businesses)

1. ABC Pittsburgh
2. CBS Pittsburgh
3. Crain's Pittsburgh
4. FOX Pittsburgh
5. NBC Pittsburgh
6. Pittsburgh Business Spotlight
7. Pittsburgh Business Times
8. Pittsburgh Current
9. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
10. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
11. Smart Business Magazine

B. Funding

• Angels / Micro-VCs: Seed-stage investors  

1. Andrew Rabin
2. Andrew Williams
3. Arjun Hattiangadi
4. Benjamin J. Garber
5. Brian Jeffrey Gross
6. Catherine Mott
7. Drew Volpe
8. Edward Engler
9. Evan Tahler
10. Ezz-Eldin Moukamal
11. Guillaume Binet
12. Innovation Works
13. Jim Ruiz
14. Joey Rahimi
15. John Hammer
16. John Petote
17. LifeX Seed Fund
18. Matt Newton
19. Mountain State Capital
20. Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse
21. Raffi Krikorian
22. Ryan Walsh
23. Ryusuke Kubo
24. Severin Hacker
25. Taylor Davidson
26. Tim Marman
27. Troy Polamalu
28. Victoria Kulli
29. William Guttman
30. Zach Malone
31. Zachary Marburger

• Venture Capitalists: Series A and beyond

1. 20/20 Capital Group
2. 3 Rivers Capital
3. Adams Capital Management
4. Birchmere Ventures
5. BlueTree Venture Fund
6. Chrysalis Ventures
7. Coal Hill Ventures
8. Draper Triangle
9. Eagle Ventures 
10. Edison Partners
11. FFC Capital
12. Grouse Ridge Capital
13. Incline Equity Partners
14. PGH VC Association
15. Pi Capital Group
16. Pittsburgh Equity Partners
17. PNC Riverarch Capital
18. Riverfront Ventures
19. Rosetta Capital
20. Scottie Ventures
21. Stone Pier Capital
22. Stonewood Capital
23. Tecum Capital
24. Topanga Partners

C. Growth

• Infrastructure: Office space, HR, local business insurance. (i.e. office space/ HR/ insurance providers for capital-rich companies to grow and scale) 

1. 42Floors
2. Acuity HR
3. Boyden Executive Search
4. Compass Business Solutions, Inc.
5. Hurley Insurance Brokers
6. Instant Offices
7. JLL Pittsburgh
8. Kennon Insurance Consultants
9. LoopNet
10. McIlrath Insurance Agency
11. Offices
12. OfficeSpace
13. Regus
14. Rofo
15. Rupp-Fiore Insurance
16. Simpson & McCrady
17. The Bradley Partnerships, Inc.
18. Wagner Agency, Inc.

• Expansion: Growth accelerators/consultants. (i.e. programs and business consultants for capital-rich companies to grow and scale)

1. Accenture
2. ARC Advisory Group
3. Aspirant
4. Cayenne Consulting
5. CEO Boot Camp
6. CGI
7. Chief Outsiders
8. Conduent
9. Confirmed
10. Deloitte
11. Ernst & Young
12. FTI Consulting
13. Full Circle
14. JLL
15. KORYAK Consulting
16. KPMG
17. KRNLS
18. LifeX Labs
19. Manufacturing 360 Consulting
20. McKinsey & Company
21. MMasters Corp
22. Plus Consulting
23. Protiviti
24. PwC
25. Rivers Agile Workshop
26. SCORE 
27. SDLC Partners
28. Synergen
29. Towers Watson

D. Success Stories

Successful homegrown companies that have raised significant institutional funding, employ a large workforce, or have achieved liquidity.

1. 4moms
2. Activaided
3. Argo AI
4. ATRP Solutions
5. Avere Systems
6. Bellefield Systems 
7. Black Locus
8. DesignAdvance
9. DiamondKinetics
10. Duolingo
11. Dynamics Inc.
12. ebillinghub
13. EquityNet
14. Expii
15. Forest Devices
16. FOREVER
17. Gridwise
18. Helomics
19. Hibersense
20. Hyliion
21. Interphase Materials 
22. JazzHR
23. Jetpack Workflow
24. LearnBop
25. LegalSifter
26. LendingHome
27. Malcovery Security
28. Matrix Solutions
29. Module Housing
30. Net Health Systems, Inc.
31. Nowait
32. Panopto
33. ReCaptcha
34. Rijuven
35. Seegrid
36. Shoefitr
37. ShowClix
38. Skyword
39. Wombat Security

Supporters

---

To facilitate the steps, every ecosystem needs strong supporters.

1. Evangelists

Successful local founders who lead the ecosystem & frequently mentor newbies.  (i.e. Local leaders who have taken a leadership position, speak at a lot of startup events, mentor all the programs, etc. )

1. Adam Paulisick
2. Andy Chan
3. Andy Hannah
4. Annia Aleman
5. Babs Carryer
6. Barry Rabkin
7. Ben Utter
8. Ben Wilson
9. Bobby Zappala
10. Brad Frost
11. Brian Finamore
12. Catherine Mott
13. Craig Markovitz
14. Dave Nelsen
15. David Cristello
16. Don Charlton
17. Don Morrison
18. Dr. Rasu Shrestha
19. Greg Coticchia
20. Henry Thorne
21. Ilana Diamond
22. Jennifer Wilhelm
23. Jim Jen
24. John Dick
25. John Quayle 
26. Josh Lucas 
27. Justin Reese  
28. Kannu Sahni
29. Kelauni Cook
30. Kenny Chen
31. Ketaki Desai
32. Kevin Dowling
33. Kit Mueller
34. Kit Needham
35. Linda Handley
36. Lynn Banaszak
37. Mark DeSantis
38. Marta Dalton
39. Mary Del Brady
40. Melanie Querry
41. Mike Capsambelis
42. Olga Pogoda
43. Prashant Ambe 
44. Randy Eager
45. Ray Milhem
46. Rich Lunak
47. Robb Myer
48. Ryan Gayman
49. Sean Ammirati
50. Suzy Teele
51. Zachary Swetz

2. Government

Public organizations that facilitate local economic development 

1. Allegheny Conference
2. City of Pittsburgh Department of Innovation & Performance
3. Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce
4. Inclusive Innovation PGH
5. Innovation PGH
6. P4 Pittsburgh
7. PGH Lab
8. Southwestern PA Veteran's Chamber of Commerce
9. Sustainable PittsburghThe Pittsburgh EcoInnovation District: Uptown and Oakland
10. Urban Innovation21

3. Talent

Major local business or tech universities and employers that attract and retain local talent.

• Local Universities (universities with prominent technical or business programs)

1. California University of Pennsylvania
2. Carlow University
3. Carnegie Mellon University
4. Chatham University
5. Duquesne University
6. Indiana University of Pennsylvania
7. Penn State in Pittsburgh
8. Point Park University
9. Robert Morris University
10. Seton Hill University
11. University of Pittsburgh
12. Washington & Jefferson College

• Local Employers (Major technical employers, like Microsoft or Google or large local companies, with large local offices) 

1. Aethon
2. Alcoa
3. Allegheny Technologies
4. Amazon
5. ANSYS
6. Apple
7. Aptiv
8. Argo AI
9. Ariba
10. Astrobotic
11. Aurora Innovation
12. BlackBox
13. Bossa Nova Robotics
14. Carnegie Robotics
15. Cisco
16. Comcast
17. Deeplocal
18. Facebook
19. Ford
20. GE
21. Google
22. IBM
23. Identified Technologies
24. Industrial Scientific
25. Intel
26. Lumos Networks
27. Microsoft
28. Modcloth
29. Near Earth Autonomy
30. Nokia
31. Oculus
32. Oracle
33. Petuum
34. PPG Industries
35. Re2
36. Redzone Robotics
37. SAP
38. Seegrid
39. Siemens
40. TeleTracking
41. Thermo Fisher Scientific
42. Uber
43. Westinghouse Nuclear

 

*  *  *

Learn more about the Startup Ecosystem Canvas here, and leave us your thoughts on the Pittsburgh Canvas on this collaborative Google document (This is just a DRAFT, and more input is needed!)

Are you looking to build a startup in Pittsburgh? Then apply to the Pittsburgh Founder Institute today!