Pittsburgh’s 17 biggest tech moments of 2023

In the blink of an eye, it’ll be 2024 — which means now is a great time to take a look back at everything that happened in 2023.

From layoffs and giant raises to new and recurring community events, it’s been a busy year for Pittsburgh tech.

Here are some of the biggest moments for the Steel City. Did we miss any? Let us know: pittsburgh@technical.ly.

Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority furthered its plan to disperse at least $100 million in federal funding (January)

PABDA was created in 2022 to create a statewide broadband plan and distribute federal and state funding for broadband expansion projects in the commonwealth’s most underserved areas. At the end of 2022, Executive Director Ben Carson and co. revealed a plan focused on affordability, literacy and education, access, and devices. The authority also completed a five-year action plan for BEAD, which went up for public review in August.

As Technical.ly reported this summer, groups from Pittsburgh to Philly have been collaborating through the Statewide Digital Equity Coalition to ensure the fair dispersal of these federal digital equity and broadband expansion funds.

XchangePgh hosted the inaugural XchangeInnovation Week (April)

The first-ever XchangeInnovation Week was designed to help entrepreneurs inside and outside of the city make meaningful connections, while boosting inclusivity in the Pittsburgh tech ecosystem. Through happy hours, panel discussions, tours and pitch competitions, participants could teach others about their work while learning about unexplored tech and startup areas.

Partner4Work was named the Pittsburgh anchor for White House Workforce Talent Hub initiative (June)

This spring, the Biden Administration launched the economic program and designated five US cities as “workforce hubs” — Columbus, Baltimore Phoenix, Augusta and Pittsburgh. The designation meant they were regions that would receive resources for apprenticeship programs, tech training and other support to help underrepresented individuals thrive. In June it was revealed that Partner4Work was selected to be the Pittsburgh anchor institution, due to its history of successfully operating workforce development programs in the region.

South Side-based Carmell Therapeutics went public via SPAC (July) and acquired an Arizona biotech company for $65 million (August)

After leaving 2022 with a series of FDA wins and ending the first half of 2023 by closing its SPAC deal, Carmell Therapeutics, a South Side-based biotechnology company went public in July 2023. Later in the summer, the company grew by acquiring Axolotl Biologix, an Arizona-based biotechnology company, for the cool price of $65 million.

After Argo AI shut down in October 2022, the same founders publicly launched their new autonomous trucking company, Stack AV, with backing from SoftBank (September)

Stakeholders throughout the region were shocked when AV company Argo AI was absorbed by Ford and VW, its biggest backers. But the shutdown proved to be a new beginning for Argo AI cofounders Bryan Salesky and Peter Rander, who would launch Stack AV, an AI-powered autonomous trucking company. While the duo were tightlipped about sharing details — including the value of SoftBank’s investment, reported to be around $1 billion — Salesky and Rander let it be known that they’d be running the new company as its CEO and chief technology officer, respectively, along with CTO Brett Browning.

Pitt’s BioForge development was approved, bringing further tech facilities to Hazelwood (September)

Since 2000, the University of Pittsburgh has been cultivating a relationship with the Hazelwood community. Now, the university has the city’s approval to build a 68-foot-tall biomanufacturing facility as a part of the high-tech redevelopment on Hazelwood Green — an area that also includes the neighboring Mill 19, housing Carnegie Mellon University’s Manufacturing Futures Institute. Nearby is a site for which CMU recently received commission approval to build a robotics laboratory. Although Hazelwood residents have raised concerns about being included, Pitt’s expectation is that the construction of the BioForge facility will bring jobs to the area that will benefit residents.

Build Back Better-backed Robotics Factory opened a hub for robotics startups in the Tech Forge building (September)

After months of anticipation, the Robotics Factory finally has a place to call home, with its new HQ in Lawrenceville’s Tech Forge building. Within the facility, the founders participating in the Robotics Factory’s startup accelerator get access to in-house product prototyping, manufacturing, and other services offered by its programs.

Pittsburgh applied for, but got snubbed by, the EDA Tech Hubs program (August/October)

In August, entities such as InnovatePGH and the University of Pittsburgh submitted their collaborative proposal outlining why the region’s biomanufacturing economy was worthy of Tech Hubs designation. Ultimately, in October, the city wasn’t among those chosen by the US Economic Development Administration initiative. Despite feeling disappointed, the 2023 consortium members still believe the future lies in Pittsburgh’s life sciences sector.

Astrobotic completed its first successful flight campaign for its Xodiac rocket ahead of a planned (and now delayed) lunar launch (October)

Back in May, space tech company Astrobotic and Carnegie Mellon University were all set for a “Star Wars”-adjacent lunar launch — until plans changed and Christmas Eve was eyed for a new date. After hiccups during the dress rehearsal launch in December, it was announced that Pittsburghers would have to wait until 2024 to see the Peregrine lunar lander and Iris rover go up. In the meantime, the company did make progress with its first successful flight test campaign for its Xodiac rocket in Mojave, California in October.

Pittsburgh Robotics Network hosted its second annual Discovery Day (November)

Tech pros, startup leaders and STEM educators gathered again in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center for the Pittsburgh Robotics Network’s second-ever Discovery Day, aimed at getting kids and aspiring technologists alike interested in the region’s many robotics companies.

Tech apprenticeships gained attention in the region, from state government support (May) to the Apprenti program expanding to Philly after growing in Pittsburgh (November)

From panel discussions to the governor’s office, several tech organizations in the region have stressed that apprenticeships offer a path into promising fields for nontraditional candidates. In the spring, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis visited program participants during an event at video game development company Schell Games to hear what makes their programs successful, and in the fall, leaders announced that apprenticeship program Apprenti would be expanding from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia in the new year.

Progressive Sara Innamorato is elected as the next Allegheny County executive (November)

Innamorato made history by becoming the first woman to ever be elected as county executive, ending Election Day with 51.1 % of the vote. The former state rep cultivated her base by supporting progressive causes such as unions and encouraging government transparency.

Gecko Robotics added $100M to its previous $73M Series C, making it among the biggest local VC raises in recent years (December)

Throughout 2023, Gecko Robotics has counted wins from expanding its work with the US Navy to launching its Cantilever product. To close the year, the North Side-based robotics company announced it had successfully added $100 million for its Series C, bringing the round to $173 million in total after Gecko initially raised $73 million in March 2022.

Pittsburgh Digital Equity Coalition announced a new strategic plan to boost access by 2030 (December)

One year after the Pittsburgh Digital Equity coalition was founded with the purpose of ensuring all county residents have digital access, the coalition unveiled its strategic plan to boost connectivity for county executives by 2023. The plan includes expanding access to broadband internet, offering access to digital skills training, and providing technical access to residents in need.

Atiya Irvin-Mitchell is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Heinz Endowments.