Global Entrepreneurship Week PittxCMU 2022

During one week each November thousands of events and competitions in 170 countries inspire millions to engage in entrepreneurial activity while connecting them to potential collaborators, mentors, and even investors.

November 14-18, 2022

Join the Big Idea Center and Carnegie Mellon University’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship as we celebrate entrepreneurship in and around the city of Pittsburgh.

Stay up to date on Global Entrepreneurship Week program and speaker announcements by following the Big Idea Center @pittbigidea on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Events:

Days, times, and location for Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) events are tentative and are subject to change.

The Big Idea Center will follow the University of Pittsburgh’s COVID-19 requirements and thus reserves the right to make any necessary event changes in order to comply with Pitt’s COVID-19 policies.

Steel City Startups PittxCMU – November 14, 5:00 P.M. | Zoom

Join us for this virtual panel to kick off Global Entrepreneurship Week! Hear TEDx style presentations from Pitt and CMU innovators and learn about how they were motivated to pursue commercialization, what path they are taking, and the challenges they’ve faced.

Who Should Attend: Open to all.

watch the Steel City Startups event video recording

Pitt Food Rescues with Food Recovery Heroes – November 15-18, Various Times & Locations

Participate in a hands-on social entrepreneurship activity led by Food Recovery Heroes (FRN), Pitt’s chapter of the Food Recovery Network! FRN unites university students to fight food waste and hunger by recovering surplus food from campus dining locations and redistributing it to local organizations. FRH’s main goal is to give back and help lessen food insecurity in the Oakland community.

During Global Entrepreneurship Week, Pitt students have the opportunity to assist Food Recovery Heroes in their food rescues by either 1) recovering excess food from Forbes Street Market and transporting it to the Pitt Pantry or 2) wrapping surplus food from Einstein’s and Pitt cafes that will be donated to various organizations in Oakland.

The Pitt food recoveries will be taking place at these locations on the following days/times during Global Entrepreneurship Week:

November 16, 4:00 P.M. – Forbes Street Market
November 18, 3:00 P.M. – Posvar Loading Dock

Students must join Food Recovery Heroes’ emailing list to sign up for one of these four recoveries. Additionally, students must watch an assigned food safety video, sign the food safety declaration form, and complete a video comprehension quiz prior to arriving for their scheduled shift.

If you have any questions, please email foodrecoveryheroes@gmail.com.

Join their email list & sign up for food recoveries

Building & Leveraging Your Professional Team (Part of the Start Smart Legal Series) – November 15, 5:00 P.M. | Zoom

In addition to your cofounders and team members, startups need a knowledgeable team of professionals from a variety of fields who are experienced working with startups. This includes your lawyer, accountant, insurer, and banker as well as advisors. This session will start with how to find the lawyer that is the best fit for your startup and then give some advice on rounding out your professional team, recruiting advisors and maximizing the value of the relationship.

Who Should Attend: Open to all.

watch the Start Smart Session video recording

Kuzneski Innovation Cup Finalist Showcase – November 16, 5:00 P.M. | Live Broadcast

Teams from the University of Pittsburgh have worked on and pitched their new ideas to a panel of industry professionals as part of the Big Idea Center’s newest competition opportunity, the Kuzneski Innovation Cup. And now we present the finalist teams to you! Celebrate our student teams and learn about the projects “spinning out” of the Big Idea Center. $25,000 will be awarded in this showcase of Pitt student entrepreneurial talent!

This event will be a live-broadcast to be streamed over Zoom. Attendees will receive access details for the stream upon completion of the event’s registration form.

Who Should Attend: Open to all.

Watch the Kuzneski Innovation Cup Finalist Showcase video recording

Product Management Development Association (PDMA) Pitch Competition – November 17, 5:30 P.M. | CMU Swartz Center

Teams from the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, and Chatham University will pitch their innovative ideas to an expert panel of judges to compete for prizes. The winning teams will receive monetary prizes as well as access to a variety of resources which are generously donated form local sponsoring companies.

Join us for the first time that this event has been presented in-person since 2019! Audience members will have the chance to hear team pitches as well as participate in a live Q&A while our panel of guest judges deliberate.

Who Should Attend: Open to all.

Please note – teams have been selected by the participating schools. All registrants are welcome to attend as part of the general audience.

Intro to CB Insights: Powerhouse for Data on Companies, Industries, and Investors – November 18, 12:00 P.M. | Virtual

Join the Pitt Libraries for an informative workshop on the database CB Insights, a powerhouse for data on companies, industries, and investors. CB Insights, a key resource for market research, contains detailed profiles of startup companies and their funders. Users can access market intelligence for various industries and build a list of companies and competitors by industry, geography, and more. This virtual event is free and open to Pitt affiliates only. Registration is required.

For questions about this event, please email lmw129@pitt.edu

Who Should Attend: Pitt affiliates only.