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This week in Pittsburgh, the data center gold rush, advice from angel investors on raising capital and more.
Read on for Technical.ly’s weekly roundup of top news in the region.
📰 News Incubator: What else to know
• What happens when a data center comes to town? PA’s Dorrance Township doesn’t want to find out. With real estate developers sniffing around for potential, this rural community is setting up protections before applications start rolling in. [Technical.ly]
• Skild AI is expanding to San Francisco, a controversial move in the Pittsburgh startup scene. When Abridge announced its intention for a similar move in March, it sparked a debate about why the local talent scene isn’t enough for these hypergrowth firms. [Pittsburgh Biz Times/Technical.ly]
• Synopsys finally completed its $35 billion acquisition of Cannonsburg-based Ansys, after more than a year checking all the legal boxes. [Synopsys/Technical.ly]
• Protestors surrounded the Energy and Innovation Summit, as Pittsburghers spoke up against Carnegie Mellon University’s decision to host President Donald Trump and the impact of AI development on climate change. [Technical.ly/Pittsburgh City Paper/WESA]
• Apply by Aug. 8 for a chance to be recognized as one of the region’s top AI startups — and win $50,000 — at the Forge AI Pitch Challenge. [AI Horizons]
• People aren’t moving for jobs, but instead to places they want to live and then finding jobs there, Chris Wink writes in his latest column. In Pittsburgh, telling its unique stories of relative cost of living and quirky culture can be the thing that pulls talent in. [Technical.ly]
• It just got easier for union workers to report employer violations. Allegheny County launched the confidential Right to Organize Incident Report Form to document the errs, but you should still file a formal complaint, too. [Allegheny County]
• ICYMI: Catch up on the top takeaways from local startup CEOs Shiv Rao, John Thornton, Jake Loosararian and more at the AI Horizons kickoff event earlier this week. [Technical.ly’s Pittsburgh Slack channel]
• If your startup exit strategies rely on M&A, start by finding the right advisor to guide you through it. Here are 10 tips to sift through the candidates. [Technical.ly]
🗓️ On the Calendar
• Fix your gaming keyboard and get back to gameplay at a $25 electronics repair class hosted by Hackers Guild PGH on July 19. [Sign up]
• Get access to 3D printers at Prototype PGH at a training session for beginners on July 19. The event costs $10 to attend, but no one will be turned away due to lack of funds. [Register]
• Level up your woodworking skills at HackPGH’s picture frame design class. The July 20 event costs $185 and is recommended for folks with beginner woodworking knowledge. [Attend]
• Head to the University of Pittsburgh for JuliaCon from July 22 to 25. Prices vary, but for an additional fee, you can attend a Pirates game with fellow enthusiasts of the coding language. [Get tickets]
• Learn how to access your Bitcoin on the Solana blockchain, followed by a Federal Galley hangout, with BitDevs Pittsburgh on July 23. [More info]
• Brush up on your sketching skills and meet new people at Ascender’s Pictionary Happy Hour on July 24. [Details here]
• Procrastinate on your latest project by catching up with friends or finally make time for that deadline you’ve been putting off at Avenu: Meyran’s coworking summer Fridays on July 25. [Learn more]
