A popular Pittsburgh accelerator just announced a fresh batch of startups for its 2026 cohort, with several moving to the region to participate in the program. 

“Pittsburgh has created a wonderful, technical community that has made us feel at home.”

Mitch Gilbert, Oya Apparel

AlphaLab is adding 20 companies to this year’s cohort, marking it as the largest group of startups the program has supported since it launched in 2008. Five of those startups are moving at least one cofounder to Pittsburgh. 

“Pittsburgh has created a wonderful, technical community that has made us feel at home,” said Mitch Gilbert, founder of the Los Angeles-headquartered activewear startup Oya Apparel. “The opportunity to work with the AlphaLab team to streamline our manufacturing processes and implement new systems for scale was very attractive to our company and can help us reach a new level.”

Established by prominent early-stage investor Innovation Works, AlphaLab offers up to $100,000 of investment for participating startups. Plus, it trains founders on customer acquisition, sales and fundraising. 

Startups may choose Pittsburgh because it’s capital-efficient or for the talent coming out of Carnegie Mellon University or the University of Pittsburgh, particularly in AI, robotics or life sciences. A recent Nasdaq report ranked Pittsburgh among the top five regions for entrepreneur success, meaning entrepreneurs here financially outperform the median. 

A man in a suit speaks into a microphone to an audience seated at tables in a brightly lit room, with a few people standing in the background.
Mayor Corey O’Connor speaking to AlphaLab’s 2026 cohort at the Robotics Factory in Lawrenceville (Innovation Works/LinkedIn)

For Tyler Minonuk, CEO of Medmiro, the advantages the city offers made moving his medical device company from Denver to Pittsburgh “an easy choice,” he said.

“Having experienced several accelerators as a second-time medtech founder, AlphaLab Health stands apart,” Minonuk said in a prepared statement. “Its immediate connection to a strategic partner, Allegheny Health Network, accelerates milestones most founders don’t reach until the end of a program.” 

While the companies that participate in AlphaLab have a wide range of specialties, there’s an overarching theme to this year’s group, according to Aaron Tainter, director of accelerator programs at Innovation Works. 

“This cohort reflects how quickly technology is moving from experimentation to application,” Tainter said in the announcement. “These founders are embedding intelligence into systems that people and businesses rely on every day, whether that’s healthcare delivery, energy storage, robotics or industrial operations.”

Here are the companies chosen for AlphaLab 2026. 

AlphaLab Software

  • Blink Commerce supports brands in selling products online through Shopify. 
  • AI-powered software platform Carbonara, Inc. lets restaurants keep track of and connect with customers. Carbonara is one of the startups moving to Pittsburgh for the program and was founded by an AlphaLab alum who previously founded NoWait, which sold to Yelp in 2016.  
  • Conopi is creating an AI tool that aids construction teams in understanding complicated project data.
  • Gratis Intelligence, also moving to Pittsburgh for AlphaLab, helps beverage brands distribute samples.
  • Motoria is a search engine that uses AI to find new and used cars across the US. The company most recently participated in Pittsburgh’s Anvil Founder Coaching program. 

AlphaLab Health

  • Concordare Trials turns clinical research guidelines into a standardized digital format. The company is moving to Pittsburgh for the program. 
  • Biotech startup Mandeville Therapeutics is developing small-molecule treatments for chronic kidney disease.
  • Medmiro is a medical device startup moving to Pittsburgh to join AlphaLab. It creates tools to reduce surgical tube complications.
  • Precision Neuroscopics is advancing tech to monitor worsening brain conditions.  
  • Medtech firm Visionaire Products, Inc. targets eye diseases with new testing tools. 

AlphaLab Gear

  • Bedrock Semiconductor manufactures computer chips.
  • Hardware company SeaLion Energy builds systems that protect and extend the life of batteries.
  • Activewear startup Oya Apparel makes medically tested clothing designed to prevent issues like yeast infections and skin irritation. Oya is one of the companies moving to Pittsburgh for the program. 

Robotics Factory

  • Clear Solar Corporation is developing automated systems to clean solar panels. 
  • Inductive Robotics is working on autonomous robots that can deliver EV charging directly to commercial vehicles. 
  • 3D printing startup Mimetic creates biocompatible materials and hardware for biomedical and pharmaceutical research.
  • Manufacturer Power 3D combines 3D printing and chip technology to produce tiny batteries.
  • SpoilSafe uses sensors and machine learning to predict when food shipments will spoil.
  • TramR Robotics, Inc. makes autonomous mobile robots to move products for small and mid-size businesses. 
  • Vaera is creating a microneedling device for at-home skincare.