Pittsburgh weekly roundup: Local startup win $1M prize; Robots making vinyl records; Bloomfield Robotics acquisition

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Local healthtech firms wins global $1M prize

Korion Health, an at-home heart and lung screening company, won the prestigious Hult Prize last week in London. Out of a field of 100,000 teams, founder Anna Li and CTO Akshaya Anand landed in the top six, and then won the final pitch competition. 

Li gave a lot of credit to the vast tech ecosystem in Pittsburgh that made it happen, including partners who’ll help them pursue FDA clearance, something they’ll approach with the new funds.

But when I talked to her, she made sure to thank her community, too. 

“My incredible neighbors in Greenfield, who come from humble roots and may not understand what the heck I do, but are always ready to support me,” Li said. “Whether it’s watching my dog Winston, making me a bowl of chili when I don’t have time to cook for myself, dropping off snacks or just providing a hug.”

➡️ Find out what helped Korion stand out from the competition

Robots take on vintage tech: vinyl records

Hipsters revived the vinyl record a decade ago, so much so that it’s become mainstream. But new ones can still take up to six months to produce. 

Lead-In Record Co. is stepping in with robots to speed that process up. Founder Maximillian Obasiolu says Pittsburgh was the perfect place to do it. In fact, he believes the impressive local hardware scene and its wide-reaching resources — including those in the “CMU bubble” — sped up his launch by almost two years. 

➡️ Meet Maximillian Obasiolu, and find out how local orgs helped launch his startup

One of the industry’s most impactful events

Tens of thousands of women and nonbinary technologists will convene in Philly for the annual Grace Hopper Celebration this October.

Named after Rear Admiral Grace Hopper — one of the first women to receive a doctorate in mathematics — GHC 24 brings together technologists for networking and professional development, and to recognize the work women and nonbinary people are doing in the industry. With a stacked lineup of speakers and sessions, it’s a place to hear from like-minded professionals and uncover insights into the next big trends. 

➡️ Join the community in Philly and virtually, Oct. 8-11

News Incubator: What else to know

• A Japanese farm equipment company acquired Bloomfield Robotics for its plant monitoring software and AI harvest detection tech. It’s not totally clear yet what that’ll mean for the startup’s Pittsburgh presence. [Kubota/Technical.ly]

• GO PA, the Ben Franklin Technology Partners’ venture branch, invested $5 million into North Side-based Rimsys. The medical software company will use the money in its efforts to automate parts of the regulatory process. [Email/Technical.ly]

• Bakery Square will get a $2.8 million grant for further development from the US Economic Development Administration (the same agency behind the Tech Hubs). It’ll be matched with local funds in the hopes of creating or retaining 55 jobs and generating $7 million in private investment. [EDA/Technical.ly]

• The Steelers — or really, the fans — are driving a massive secondary economy this football season. Out of towners attending games, sports bars’ eager clientele, dudes selling merch on the street and more all amount to a whopping $172 million exchanging hands. [Pittsburgh Business Times]

• A Fox Chapel Area High School senior and a Pitt professor teamed up to explain the “glugging effect,” that sound made by chugging water. The father-son duo published a paper in the “Physics of Fluids” tests the different sounds made by different types of containers. [Phys.org]

• Technical.ly announced this week a partnership with the New Economy Collaborative of Southwestern Pennsylvania to tell the stories of robotics and advanced manufacturing workers in the region. [Technical.ly]

• The City Council voted to approve automated red light cameras to, hopefully, curb the number of injuries and fatalities caused by cars. [WESA]

On the Calendar

• Code and Coffee’s next regular meetup at Prototype PGH will be on Sept. 14. [Find out more]

• Help support more kids in STEM at a Weird Science! benefit show on Sept. 15. The 18+ event will be I McKees Rocks. [Learn more]

• Find out how to navigate the ever-changing hiring scene and labor laws at “Winning Talent Together: Evolving HR Employment and Labor Laws” on Sept. 18. [Sign up]

• Partner event: Climate Tech Cocktail’s Electric RV Roadshow will be making a Pittsburgh stop on Sept. 19. The Pittsburgh Innovation District and Third Derivative will host a chance to network and hear from leaders in the space at Avenu Workspaces. [Register]

• Visit Gecko Robotics for happy hour on Sept. 19 to mingle with more than 300 other professionals in the local tech scene. [Details here]