Pittsburgh Startup AvaDynamics Is A Finalist In The US$10 Million ANA AVATAR XPRIZE
AvaDynamics, a 2018-founded Pittsburgh tech startup focused on the development of an avatar system with human-like capabilities, is one of 20 finalists in the ANA AVATAR XPRIZE, a four-year global prize centered on the development of “physical robotic avatar systems that can execute tasks and replicate a human’s senses, actions and presence to a remote location in real-time,” a press release said.
Winning teams will need to have their systems successfully complete a variety of real-world tasks and “convey a sense of presence for both the operator and the recipient in those interactions.” The grand prize winner will win US$5 million, while the second and third place teams will take home US$2 million and US$1 million, respectively. Finals will take place in Los Angeles on Nov. 4 and 5 this year.
DisSolves takes first place at the Duquesne New Venture Challenge
Duquesne University announced the latest winners of its New Venture Challenge, which the university launched in 2019. The competition is open to any entrepreneur in the Pittsburgh community and beyond, and awards five winning teams with a total of US$30,000.
Coming in first place this year was DisSolves, a startup developing an edible, water-soluble packaging material made from all-natural ingredients. DisSolves was awarded US$15,000 in cash. Second place winner Advanced Optronics won US$8,000, third place winner innovatIVe won US$6,000, and fourth place and fifth place winners CAT-7 and SimBox won US$3,000 each. Check out DisSolves’ winning pitch in the video below.
Carmell Therapeutics announces new chief business officer
Local regenerative medicine company Carmell Therapeutics announced that it appointed Sebastian “Sebby” Borriello as chief business officer for the company. Previously, Borriello worked in commercial leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson for 25 years. Most recently, he was the chief commercial officer at SK Life Sciences, where he grew business development efforts and led the launch of its first product.
“I am proud and excited to join the talented team at Carmell,” Borriello said in a statement. “Biologic development of plasma-based material is an important area that could make a significant impact in a variety of therapeutics areas such as bone and wound healing as well as some aesthetic applications.”
HM Health Solutions appoints new executives and launches new brand
HM Health Solutions, a 2014-founded health tech-focused wholly owned subsidiary of Highmark Health, announced that it would rebrand to enGen. In addition to the rebranding, the company also shared that it had added Mike Tracy as the COO and Brian Devine as CFO and SVP of finance and commercialization. Previously, Tracy was the SVP of health plan operations for Highmark, while Devine was the VP of enterprise financial strategy, planning and analysis for Highmark Health.
“enGen’s dynamic healthtech ecosystem works to bring structure, process, and simplicity to complex operational tasks for health plans and their provider partners. From technology, to people, to process, we are the engine that drives results,” commented enterprise technology & operations officer and CEO of enGen, Mick Malec in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with Mike and Brian to bring the vision of enGen and the results we are confident we can deliver for our clients to fruition.”
Carnegie Mellon University announces latest batch of innovation scholars
The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University announced a new cohort of undergraduate Innovation Scholars. The selective two-year program includes academic coursework, work experience at a startup, networking opportunities and mentorship.
The goal of the programme is to increase the number of CMU-founded startups and encourage an entrepreneurial culture at the university. Innovation Scholars have a slew of added benefits, including a US$1,200 grant for the group’s annual Silicon Valley Trek, special invitations to events, a stipend of up to US$6,000 for those with their own startups to support 12 weeks of summer work and more.
Check out the full list of Innovation Scholars.
Sophie Burkholder is a 2021-2022 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.
