Pittsburgh weekly roundup: Gecko Robotics lands $1M partnership; PA to hire laid off feds; AI tools disrupt local jobs

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This week in Pittsburgh, a new PA-focused house at SXSW, what VCs are looking for in women entrepreneurs and more.

Read on for Technical.ly’s weekly roundup of top news in the region.

📰 News Incubator: What else to know

• Sixteen early-stage companies were named to our 2025 RealLIST Startups, all with promising products that could leave a lasting impact. [Technical.ly] 

• The Trump Administration plans to sell half of Pennsylvania’s federal buildings, including downtown Pittsburgh’s William S. Moorhead skyscraper. However, the list of proposed buildings for sale has since been deleted. [Technical.ly]

• Gecko Robotics, a North Shore-based robotics startup specializing in industrial infrastructure inspections, announced a $100 million partnership with NAES, America’s largest independent power operator, to improve power production facilities. [Gecko Robotics] 

• Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order on Wednesday aimed at improving the hiring process for laid-off federal workers seeking state government jobs. With 5,600 state jobs deemed “critical vacancies,” Shapiro said he wants to fill these roles. [WESA]

• The Duquesne New Venture Challenge has named five finalists, including Clean Plate Innovation and the Reclamation Factory, both honorees on Technical.ly’s 2025 RealLIST Startups. The finalists will compete for a $40,000 prize in April. [Duquesne University/Technical.ly]

• AI tools are expected to significantly disrupt 34.7% of workers in Pittsburgh, slightly higher than the national average of 31.4%, meaning these workers will see at least half of their tasks change in the near future, with highly educated roles most at risk, according to new research from the Brookings Institute. [Pittsburgh Biz Times]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Attend Code & Coffee’s monthly meetup on March 8 at Prototype PGH. The inclusive coding group invites attendees of all skill levels to practice coding, meet new friends and get help if needed. [More info]

• Are you an entrepreneur looking for support, funding and resources to take your business to the next level? Join Ascender on March 12 for an info session on the organization’s incubation program. [Find out more] 

• Join a step-by-step info session on using data to improve the product development process, beginning with discovery and ending with release and product improvements, on March 12 at CoHatch Waterfront. [Details here]

• Kickstart your cleantech venture at the 2025 Cleantech Open kickoff party on March 12. Learn about Cleantech Open’s accelerator program and network at the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship. [Register]

• Learn from Mar Hershenson, a managing partner at Pear VC, about the process of ideation and validation of venture backable ideas on March 13 at the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship. [RSVP]