Startups and investment

A key part of any financial model is the hiring plan. Your team is your most important asset and often your largest expense, so it’s…

In the startup ecosystem I frequently hear about companies or products that can be aligned with social innovation and impact. Often, I hear…

We are excited to introduce you to the seven companies in the Spring 2018 AlphaLab cohort — our 19th cycle!

We are thrilled to introduce you to the newest AlphaLab Gear cohort, Cycle 5. This cohort joined us two weeks ago, and they’ve already…

If you’re reading this post, I’m guessing your company is facing a cash crunch (let’s be honest, nobody reads about this stuff otherwise…

Reposted from the NVCA VentureForward Blog. February 16th, 2018 by Jessica Strong & Terri Glueck & filed under NVCA Blog, VentureForward.

You may already know that AlphaLab and AlphaLab Gear were among the first accelerators of their kinds, recognized as leaders and pioneers…

Thank you to everyone who came out earlier this month to AlphaLab Demo Day and Pittsburgh New Product Launches! We’re thrilled you got to…

Confirmation bias can derail even the most well intentioned customer discovery process.

Cap table math is confusing. Determining the post-money cap table for an equity round with an option pool refresh and one or more…

Innovation Works recently crossed a significant milestone: our seed fund and accelerator companies have now attracted more than $2 billion…

Over the past year, it seems like every major news organization from TechCrunch and Wired to the New York Times and NPR have covered…

“What do investors want to see?” It’s a simple question I hear frequently when helping Founders develop business models or prepare for…

For the first time since the 1970s, more manufacturing jobs returned to the US in 2016 than left our shores. Surprised? As the managing…

M25 Group, a Chicago-based VC, recently released its “Best of the Midwest Report”, ranking the 50+ startup cities in the Midwest. Spoiler…

In “This is why you should keep venture capital away from your startup as long as possible”, the author, Jack Goodman, offers some very…

Helping Pittsburgh startups and businesses deliver on diversity and inclusion in their HR strategy.

Most pitch decks include a “Use of Funds” slide. Typically, the slide describes exactly how the company will spend the money. “We’ll hire…

Our first full 2-module cycle will begin in 2018, with applications opening in December 2017.

Human resources is a set of strategic tools among many others that founders need to adopt early in the company’s formation for ongoing…

The panelists revealed how they find deal flow. Most replied that “networking” is important! Pittsburgh’s early stage community is very…

Angel investing is a large part of fundraising activity in the US and Pittsburgh. In 2015, the Angel Capital Association (ACA) counts that…

AlphaLab Executive Director, Jim Jen recently typed up some thoughts on product-market fit to share with the founders in the current…

In 2016, Forbes told us the force was with female founders. Riding on that tailwind, we predict 2017’s force will be stronger than ever.

Last week, Innovation Works officially launched the Scalable Innovation program to help regional manufacturers partner successfully with…

That’s why Innovation Works developed a pilot program three years ago to teach a diverse group of high school students the skills to design…