Blast Furnace

Dates for the Summer 2024 Blast Furnace cohort will be made available in the coming weeks. For questions, please email jmalandro@innovation.pitt.edu.


The Blast Furnace is Pitt’s student accelerator providing access to a deep mentor network, inspirational co-working space, and a rich curriculum preparing student startups for creating and growing their businesses.

The Blast Furnace was created by the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s Big Idea Center to work with Pitt students at all levels who have a desire to be entrepreneurial, create new companies and receive hands-on learning on how to accomplish these dreams. Students can apply to Blast Furnace if they have completed a Big Idea Center program or other learning opportunity. Students must apply with a vetted idea and a team.

The Blast Furnace runs during the summer for an eight-week intensive period of customer discovery and product-market fit.

Our goal is simple: we want to increase your chance of entrepreneurial success. We want you better prepared. We help you decide if your idea can be successful upon graduation.