Pittsburgh celebs help sell AI hub ahead of NFL draft
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios. Photo: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
Jerome Bettis, aka "The Bus," billionaire Mark Cuban, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will all be on hand next week for Pittsburgh's next big business pitch.
Why it matters: The NFL Draft is a major opportunity for Pittsburgh to attract some serious business investment, PNC economist Gus Faucher told Axios last week.
The big picture: AI Horizons Pittsburgh is hosting an invite-only Draft Week Showcase on April 22, the day before the draft begins. It will feature celebrities, Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Dave McCormick, and civic and business leaders all focused on selling the Steel City as an emerging tech hub.
- Cuban, a Pittsburgh-area native and host of "Shark Tank," will help judge a contest along with Dick's Sporting Goods founder Ed Stack and others.
- The contest will dole out a $1.75 million prize to an AI company that will move to Pittsburgh if they win, AI Horizons organizer Joanna Doven tells Axios.
Yes, but: That's only a fraction of the investment that leaders hope comes out of the showcase.
- The showcase, organized by Carnegie Mellon University and the AI Strike Team, aims to accelerate connections between investors and the region's growing physical AI, biomedical and tech sectors, according to a press release.
- "This event brings the top global names in Pittsburgh together to show investors, athletes and executives here for Draft Week that the future is once again being built here – we are the Steel and AI City," said Doven.
Zoom in: It takes place at CMU's Robotics Innovation Center at Hazelwood Green.
- Bettis, a Steelers legend, will kick off the event in the morning, and speeches from Shapiro, Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor, former Penguins CEO David Morehouse and others will follow.
Zoom out: Pittsburgh's tech prowess has been growing, but it's still far behind powerhouses like Silicon Valley and New York City, and it's uncertain whether it will reach those heights.
The bottom line: Meredith Meyer Grelli, interim executive director of CMU's Swartz Center of Entrepreneurship, said this is Pittsburgh's moment to show the region's success is about more than winning sports championships.
- "This showcase reflects the spirit of Pittsburgh, a City of Champions where excellence in sport and innovation go hand in hand," she said.