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Pittsburgh’s tech and entrepreneurship scene is getting fresh leadership at a pivotal time.
Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Block Center for Technology and Society has a new director stepping in right as nationwide calls to regulate AI grow louder.
Meanwhile, Ascender, a local business incubator, has a new executive director working to reach a wider swath of the Pittsburgh community as the org gears up for its 15th year in operation.
Keep reading to learn what these new leaders are working on, and other recent power moves.
CMU Block Center director Michael Luca talks tech for good
CMU’s Block Center for Technology and Society has a new director, and he’s entering at a complicated time for tech’s role in society.
As Michael Luca, a professor of economics, technology and policy at CMU, takes the helm at the center, he’s paying attention to the growing calls to regulate big tech.
A majority of the public now supports AI regulation. Prominent left-wing politicians have floated tech bans and regulatory agencies, and even some high-profile tech executives are calling for guardrails.
No matter which path policymakers ultimately take, Luca said, society needs a clearer-eyed view of what any given policy actually does once it enters the real world. It’s a job he’s hoping the Block Center can fill.
“My interest, and what I’m hoping for the Block Center to grow its role in, is helping to understand what these consequences are likely to be and what the potential effects of different policies are,” Luca told Technical.ly.
Luca’s past work has examined tech’s impact on society up close. His research includes documenting discrimination and racial disparities in online marketplaces such as Airbnb, which ultimately led to some policy changes at the company.
Digital addictions, hidden fees and algorithmic discrimination are all growing concerns for society, Luca said, and finding solutions to these problems will require organizations like the Block Center to convene thought leaders across disciplines.
Founded in 2019, CMU created the Block Center with the ethos that technological progress should work for the benefit of society. Luca succeeds Steven Wray, who left the position earlier this year to be Pittsburgh’s director of economic development.
Luca’s first initiatives at the center include the Block Public Engagement Fellowship, which will help CMU faculty share their research with the public, and the Block Student Fellowship on AI and Society, which will help students create interdisciplinary projects focused on the societal impact of AI.
On top of connecting CMU students and faculty, industry leaders and policymakers, Luca said he’s excited to work with the broader Pittsburgh community, a hub at the frontier of emerging technology.
“This is a real chance of being a tumultuous time where there are unknown effects of AI,” Luca said, adding that policymakers, tech users, companies and universities need to “all jointly be thinking about what the different potential outcomes are, how much we know about them, what else we need to know and what decisions we can make now to help move toward a more positive place.”
Ascender’s new leader wants to broaden the organization’s reach
Ascender’s new leader is already out in the community, making the case that her organization can help a wider range of entrepreneurs than people might expect.
Some Pittsburghers only know Ascender as a coworking space in East Liberty, Anneliese Martinez, Ascender’s new executive director, told Technical.ly. Her job will be to show people that the organization is also a business incubator and resource convener for everyone from tech startup founders to brick-and-mortar small business owners.
“Starting and running a business — or a great idea for a new piece of technology — has always been hard, and I think with access to capital being so limited, inflation and all the economic hardships we’re confronted with right now, it’s especially hard,” Martinez said. “So, we’re really helping people maximize their resources and opportunities.”
Pittsburgh is often cited as a “Most Livable City”. The claim is often met with the question “for whom?” as reports have found living standards are far worse for marginalized communities, specifically Black residents.
Ascender has a role to play in addressing that disparity, according to Martinez.
“Tech, ed and med is great and we love seeing organizations that are focused on those core areas of our economy at our space in Ascender,” she said, “but in order for us to really be serious about making a ‘Most Livable City’ that also means providing equal weight and rigor to the experience of folks who are investing their time and resources in child care, gyms or entrepreneurial ideas that are more focused on mainstream businesses.”
Martinez is no stranger to this type of work. For more than 15 years she’s been building up local organizations like 412 Food Rescue and the Andy Warhol Museum, helping raise millions for causes like the Warhol’s Pop District initiative. That fundraising skill, she said, will be essential for this new role at Ascender.
Martinez takes over from Nadyli Nunez, Ascender’s former executive director who stepped down in April after seven years in the position. With Ascender turning 15 next year, Martinez said she’s excited to get back into the community to help founders find the best space for them, whether that’s Ascender or another local organization.
“It’s important to rekindle relationships, to reforge trusted partnerships with other entrepreneur-serving organizations in our ecosystem and to help reduce duplicative efforts wherever possible,” Martinez said, adding, “We hope that people keep us in their hearts and minds as we move into such a milestone year in 2027. There’s going to be lots to see from Ascender very soon.”
More power moves:
- Damion Shelton, cofounder of two Pittsburgh startups, Agility Robotics and ThreeRivers 3D, is the new associate vice president and executive director of CMU’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
- Duolingo’s cofounder Severin Hacker left his position as CTO, transitioning into a “builder/member of technical staff” at the company, according to his LinkedIn. Separately, Duolingo appointed Sallie Krawcheck, former Citigroup CFO and founder of wealth management firm Ellevest, to be a board member for its Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee.
- Station Square game studio Schell Games laid off 10% of its workforce in August, citing changes within the industry.
- Lovelace AI, an artificial intelligence and systems engineering startup, formed a Strategic Advisory Board with experts in national security, media communications and industry.
- The Pittsburgh Robotics Network will soon cut an undisclosed number of staff due to a reduction in grant funding.
- University of Pittsburgh appointed Vikas Khanna as its new civil and environmental engineering department chair. Khanna formerly served as interim chair of the department and will now be tasked with integrating AI into the engineering curriculum.
- Fintech firm IRALOGIX appointed Geoff Gohs as its new CTO.
- ElevateBio, a life sciences manufacturing company, named Steven Falcone as its COO.
