Innovation Summit

Highlights from Thrival 2019

September 18–19, 2019 • Carnegie Museum of Art • Pittsburgh, PA

Celebrating Innovators and Entrepreneurs

The 2019 Innovation Summit explored the impact of technology on humans, business and culture. We focused on celebrating and supporting Pittsburgh innovators and entrepreneurs with the theme, “By Pittsburgh. For Pittsburgh. For the World.” and featured innovators in business, research, and the arts.

Guests learned from innovators and top companies in Pittsburgh, and networked with the region’s top talent. After the two-day summit, attendees walked away with:

Best practices and case studies to incorporate innovative thinking into your business.
An expanded network of technologists, innovators, academics, and creatives from the Pittsburgh region and beyond.
Insight into the technology that top companies are incorporating into their products.
Strategies to grow and drive your business and products into the future.

Last Year's Event Tracks

Robotics and AI in Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chain presented by Industrial Scientific

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Manufacturing in the United States produces over 18% of the world's goods and employs over 8% of the US workforce. Data, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics are improving output and employee safety, while driving innovation in the supply chain and manufacturing processes. Some of the leaders driving the technology advancement hit the stage to discuss advancements in manufacturing.

Israel Alguindigue

Vice President of Analytics at Fortive

Raghu Arunachalam

General Manager and Senior Vice President, Industrial Scientific

Jared Glover

CEO and Co-Founder, CapSen Robotics

Jorgen Pedersen

President and CEO, RE2 Robotics

Joel Reed

President, IAM Robotics

Suzy Teele

Head of Marketing and Communications, Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM)

Health Tech Transformation presented by UPMC Enterprises

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Interactions with clinicians, insurance companies, medical devices, medication and health information are transforming. From how people experience a visit to their doctor to medical device IoT to chronic disease management, the health industry is embracing technology. Some of the leading companies who are driving healthcare innovation are right here in Pittsburgh.

Tom Bonnell

Head of Design for Sleep and Respiratory Care, Philips

Dr. Anne Germain

Co-founder and CEO, Noctem LLC

Bill Guassa

Head of Advanced Innovation for Sleep and Respiratory Care, Philips

Dr. Zariel Johnson

Program Manager, UPMC Enterprises

Craig Markovitz

Assistant Teaching Professor of Entrepreneurship, Carnegie Mellon University

Mara McFadden, M.B.A.

VP of Product and Medical Devices, LifeX Ventures

Dr. David Rabin

Chief Innovation Officer, Co-founder, and Co-Inventor, Apollo Neuroscience, Inc

Pete Weeks

Senior Design Researcher, Philips

Smart Cities & Mobility

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

A smart city enhances urban life through information and technology. Self-driving cars, hospitals of the future, public art, community parks, and energy are all aspects of smart cities. Together, they come together to make working and living in an urban area efficient and cost-effective, with an emphasis on citizen experience and well-being.

BC Biermann, PhD

Founder, Heavy Projects

Courtney Ehrlichman

CEO, The Ehrlichman Group

Laura Goossen

Senior Manager - Strategy, NOVA Chemicals Inc.

Francesca Ioffreda

Consulting Manager, SMART Cities, Deloitte

Kevin Kerr

Head of Public Affairs for Pennsylvania, Uber ATG

Jayne Miller

CEO, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

Technology and the Future of Work presented by Dell

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Did you know that your job in ten years may not exist today? Guests joined us as we explored the impact technology has had on the current workforce and how education, training and the relationship between the private and public sectors continue to adapt to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Lenore Blum

Emeritus Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University

Noopur Davis

EVP, Chief Product and Information Security Office, Comcast

Bill Peduto

Mayor, City of Pittsburgh

Matt Stroud

CEO and Executive Director, Postindustrial Media

Cris Turner

Vice President & Head of Office, Americas Government Affairs, Dell

Getting Digital Transformations Right: Lessons from FinTech

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Digital transformation are happening every day in financial services and fintech. From mobile to currency to security, companies are looking at how to adapt and innovate. A strong foundation of trust and security is important to fueling digital growth and transformation. We explored the different approaches and lessons to core modernization and the role of human centered design.

Hans Brown

Global Head of Innovation, BNY Mellon

Mike Degnan

Head of Enterprise Innovation, PNC

Aaron Todd

Core Digitization Leader, BNY Mellon

Using Technology to Turn Customers into Raving Fans

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Remember life before smart phones? What about before Netflix? Technology is changing how we interact with brands, from sports to groceries to TV and internet. Festival-goers heard from some of the people changing the way they live.

Amy Blackman

Founder and CEO, Fruition

Tyler Carpenter

Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, University of Pittsburgh

Matthew Darnell, PhD, RD, SCCC, CSSD

Assistant Professor Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition, University of Pittsburgh

Gary Gonzalez

Founder & Director of Strategy, Convoke

Erik Watts

Senior Vice President of Technology, Pittsburgh Penguins

Chris Hoppe

Executive Associate Athletic Director, University of Pittsburgh

Vaibhav Vohra

Global Vice President & Head of Product, Bossa Nova Robotics

Corporate Innovation: Think Like an Entrepreneur

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Can large corporations be innovative and nimble? The answer is yes! During this track, attendees learned from people who are bringing the entrepreneurial mindset to their company and best practices for introducing an entrepreneurial attitude to your business.

Priscilla Beal

Head of Digital Health Engagement, Bayer

Terri Butler

Corporate Innovation Executive, Innovation Works

Mary Beth Green

Chief Innovation Officer, Sheetz

Matthias Kleinz, DVM, PhD

VP of Translational Programs, UPMC Enterprises

Alka Patel

Deputy Director of the Risk and Regulatory Services Innovation Center, CMU

Laura Ritz

Chief Operating Officer, numo

Mark Anthony Thomas

President, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA)

Alec Wright

Chief Innovation Officer, GSVlabs

Purpose Driven Innovation presented by the BNY Mellon Foundation of SWPA

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Purpose driven innovation (social innovation) creates and implements effective solutions to challenging and often systemic social issues in support of societal progress. We have seen the rise of social entrepreneurs and social enterprises span industries as well as the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Festival-goers heard how they did it and how we can all do our part.

Erin Dalton

Deputy Director for the Office of Analytics, Technology and Planning

Josh Devine

Economic Opportunity Strategist at Fourth Economy

Eliada Wosu Griffin-El, PhD

Director of Massey Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Associate Professor of Management at Robert Morris University

Michelle Figlar

Vice President of Learning, The Heinz Endowments

Leah Lizarondo

CEO and Cofounder, 412 Food Rescue

Shimira Williams

Founder, C.C. Busy

Tom Wlodkowski

Vice President of Accessibility, Comcast

Entrepreneurship Day

Thursday, September 19, 2019

In partnership with Innovation Works and TiE Pittsburgh, Thrival presents Entrepreneurship Day. This day of free programming covered everything from how to raise funds as an entrepreneur to building your team. The event was hosted in the Carnegie Museum of Art Theatre and was split into morning and afternoon sessions.