Startups and investment

Shikeith is on his second boomerang to Pittsburgh and we hope he’s here to stay.

Recently, the City of Pittsburgh hosted the Inclusive Innovation Summit which was jam packed with sessions, workshops and events that…

Four new board members bring the expertise of portfolio company entrepreneurs, investors, and academic research to the Innovation Works…

The Pittsburgh Business Times helped introduce the newest AlphaLab cohort earlier this month, and many of you were able to meet the…

I’ve written about general guidelines for financial modeling and specific tactical tips, but I’ve neglected to address an important…

Pittsburgh and the Southwestern PA region have incredible assets, from world-class educational and medical institutions to large…

I often challenge startup founders to set a higher bar for assessing whether they truly have a unique solution that adds value. I often…

For the November 2018 Cafe Innovation event on 11/15, I sat down with moderator, Kelley Benson and asked her some questions on the topic…

The annual Seed Accelerator Ranking Project (SARP) announced its latest rankings today and we are pleased to share that Innovation Works’…

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Innovation Works provides investment, business expertise and hands on support for many of our region’s top technology entrepreneurs. We…

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…