Startups
Established in 2018 as part of The University of Pittsburgh's Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Big Idea Center is an on-campus, inclusive innovation catalyst that develops the innovative and entrepreneurial skills of the Pitt student community.
The Big Idea Center for student innovation was established in 2018 with a seed gift of $2 million from Pitt alumnus and trustee Bob Randall. Mr. Randall and his family had previously created the Randall Family Big Idea Competition, which has been the region’s largest student pitch competition since its inception in 2008.
The Big Idea Center brings under one roof the numerous educational programs and resources for Pitt students of all levels from across the university who are interested in hands-on entrepreneurship learning opportunities. Entrepreneurship is a skill that can enable students to succeed in launching their own company or nonprofit, in addition to equipping students to lead new initiatives in larger organizations.
Why Should You Care?
Critical thinking and problem solving are at the heart of innovation, and the Big Idea Center’s programming enhances those essential life skills. Through offering acceleration, incubation, mentoring, networking, competitions, and events, students can customize a program to advance innovation efforts. Big Idea Center programs augment students’ personal and professional development whether they ultimately decide to focus on startups, Fortune 500 companies, social enterprises, or academia.
The Big Idea Center for student innovation was established in 2018 with a seed gift of $2 million from Pitt alumnus and trustee Bob Randall. Mr. Randall and his family had previously created the Randall Family Big Idea Competition, which has been the region’s largest student pitch competition since its inception in 2008.
The Big Idea Center brings under one roof the numerous educational programs and resources for Pitt students of all levels from across the university who are interested in hands-on entrepreneurship learning opportunities. Entrepreneurship is a skill that can enable students to succeed in launching their own company or nonprofit, in addition to equipping students to lead new initiatives in larger organizations.
Why Should You Care?
Critical thinking and problem solving are at the heart of innovation, and the Big Idea Center’s programming enhances those essential life skills. Through offering acceleration, incubation, mentoring, networking, competitions, and events, students can customize a program to advance innovation efforts. Big Idea Center programs augment students’ personal and professional development whether they ultimately decide to focus on startups, Fortune 500 companies, social enterprises, or academia.
Overview
Location
United States, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh
Employees
1-10
Phone
412-383-7262
Founded date
2018
Mentions in press and media 6
| Date | Title | Description |
| Sign up to see | Sign up to see | Sign up to see |
| Apr 12, 2022 | Pitt and Duquesne named these finalists in their biggest annual startup competitions | While there are some accelerators available in the Pittsburgh region, resources from universities can make it easier for student entrepreneurs to find success. Carnegie Mellon University, for its part, just showcased some of its recent star... |
| Feb 9, 2022 | Resource Roundup: Ascender and LifeX Labs are looking for startups to accelerate | Resource Roundup is a look at open applications for business and career-building programs around the region. Want to tell us about a program or new opportunity for entrepreneurs and technologists? Email us at [email protected]’s... |
| Dec 17, 2021 | Events Roundup: Refresh your tech or startup career in Pittsburgh with these January programs | Events Roundup is a Technical.ly column where we highlight events happening in the Pittsburgh area each month. Got a submission? Email us the details so we can consider it for our next roundup.Have a tech-related New Year’s Resolution? Thes... |
| Nov 15, 2021 | During Global Entrepreneurship Week, Pittsburgh university students pitched music tech, medical devices and more | As part of this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Week, the Pittsburgh chapter of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) held a pitch competition for undergraduate and graduate students from local universities. PDMA, which a... |
| Jun 21, 2021 | Here’s how Pittsburgh’s accelerators helped startups survive the pandemic, and lessons learned along the way | Accelerators, like almost everything else, took their programming almost completely online last year, doing their best to simulate in-person innovation over video chat. And while some leaders of Pittsburgh’s accelerators and incubators foun... |
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FAQ about Big Idea Center
When was Big Idea Center founded?
Big Idea Center was founded in 2018.
What has the press written about Big Idea Center?
Parsers VC has collected 6 articles mentioning Big Idea Center, among them “Pitt and Duquesne named these finalists in their biggest annual startup competitions” (Apr 12, 2022) and “Resource Roundup: Ascender and LifeX Labs are looking for startups to accelerate” (Feb 9, 2022).
Is Big Idea Center still active?
Yes, Big Idea Center is active; its latest activity on Parsers VC dates from Oct 17, 2023.