Under the Peduto administration, the City of Pittsburgh has gone through some really interesting changes. One of them is the creation of the PGH Lab program, which partners startups with municipal agencies and authorities to run pilot programs and tackle real problems. Annia Aleman works in the city’s office of Innovation & Performance. Annia is the manager of the PGH Lab program, and this week, she’s in the studio telling us how a small new company with nothing but a prototype can get access to real users with real problems.
This week’s guest is helping to launch the Washington Area Business Incubator in Washington, Pennsylvania. Max Miller is a JD and an MBA, formerly of HJ Heinz, but now he’s a professor at Washington & Jefferson College, teaching entrepreneurship and related skills. Washington PA is a small town, W&J is a small college, and the strategy that they’ve developed along with other leaders in the area suits the people and opportunities of this small, somewhat rural area rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all approach.
How do you propose a large, complex project with a multitude of possible outcomes? We brought in an expert to answer that very question. That expert is Darrin Grove, the founder and CEO of Truefit, a development firm that has to pitch and plan such projects every day. This week’s show started with Darrin giving Pitchwerks host Scot MacTaggart a tour of his offices and development process, and then the two went to the Epicast studios to record this very special episode, where the two discuss sales qualification, the benefits of an iterative process, and Truefit’s historic headquarters.
Want to meet some of the most interesting and influential people in Pittsburgh, plus Pitchwerks host Scot MacTaggart? Grab a ticket for the PACE Inclusive Voices event at the Fairmont on April 13th. Born of the 1960s civil rights era, PACE empowers non-profits that strengthen the community, and the Inclusive Voices program connects ticket holders with CEOs, museum directors, and community leaders. Victoria Garner, Traci Thomas, and Hilary Ferencak are in the studio this week, pitching us all on PACE, the Inclusive Voices program, and the energy you get from talking to people from completely different backgrounds.