Full-Time
Operations Consultant
AlphaLab & Venture Platform, Innovation Works
Innovation Works
51-200 employees
Early-stage hardware, software, life sciences investor
No salary listed
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Hybrid
 Business & Strategy (1) |
|---|
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- Experience in program management, operations, startup support, customer success, community management, or related work.
- Experience working with startups, accelerators, venture capital organizations, economic-development organizations, or entrepreneurial ecosystems.
- Experience managing complex projects involving multiple stakeholders and priorities.
- Experience building and improving repeatable processes, systems, and workflows.
- Experience working directly with founders, entrepreneurs, or other external customers.
- Experience using artificial intelligence, automation, and technology to improve operating effectiveness.
- Ability to work independently and translate broad objectives into practical execution.
- Strong judgment, initiative, and collaboration skills.
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving entrepreneurial environment.
- Support the planning, coordination, and execution of AlphaLab and portfolio programming, including program processes, calendars, events, workshops, and founder-facing activities.
- Improve how founders navigate Innovation Works programs, resources, systems, and services across AlphaLab and the broader portfolio.
- Evaluate and improve operating processes, documentation, playbooks, templates, and workflows to create greater consistency and scalability.
- Support the organization and delivery of company-facing resources, community platforms, content, and other services for Innovation Works portfolio companies.
- Support mechanisms for gathering founder feedback, tracking engagement, identifying recurring needs, and translating insights into improvements.
- Use artificial intelligence and automation in day-to-day operations to improve efficiency, simplify workflows, and enhance founder support.
Innovation Works supports early-stage hardware, software, and life sciences startups in southwestern Pennsylvania as a regional investor and accelerator network. It funds and mentors founders through programs like AlphaLab, AlphaLab Gear, AlphaLab Health, and Robotics Factory to turn ideas into commercial companies. It operates within the Ben Franklin Technology Partners, a state-funded effort to diversify Pennsylvania’s economy and keep local innovations from leaving the region. Its goal is to strengthen the regional economy by creating jobs and retaining high-quality innovations that originate in southwest Pennsylvania.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
$564.8M
Headquarters
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Founded
1999
Get referred to Innovation Works
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- In 2025, Innovation Works invested $6.96 million in 50 companies across Southwestern Pennsylvania.
- AlphaLab selected 20 companies in 2026, its largest cohort, spanning health, robotics, AI.
- Venture Expo 2026 and StartUP PGH deepen founder access for investors and strategic partners.
What critics are saying
- Pittsburgh concentration limits deal diversity and ties performance to one regional economy.
- AlphaLab and Venture Expo depend on continuous founder supply; a weak cohort degrades brand quickly.
- If regional capital migrates to coastal AI hubs, Innovation Works loses relevance and flow.
What makes Innovation Works unique
- Innovation Works backs 780+ companies, giving Pittsburgh founders a dense local capital network.
- AlphaLab ranked by TIME and Statista in 2026, validating its accelerator brand.
- Ven Raju succeeded Rich Lunak in 2025, preserving continuity across the seed platform.
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Benefits
Hybrid Work Options
Remote Work Options
Company News
Concordare secures new funding round for ai-powered PDF conversion platform. Concordare, an AI-powered platform, secures funding led by Surface Ventures with participation from Techstars, Innovation Works, and Gaingels. AI-assisted, human-published
Concordare Trials has closed a funding round led by Surface Ventures, with participation from Techstars Innovation Works, Gaingels, and individual investors. The New York-based company converts static clinical trial protocol PDFs into structured, interoperable digital formats. Founded by Zach Sawaged, who previously worked at NYU Langone, Amgen, Johnson & Johnson, Takeda, and Veeva, Concordare addresses inefficiencies in clinical research. Manual configuration against non-standardised protocols costs an estimated $25 million per study. The Concordare Suite uses AI to extract protocol information and creates a Clinical Trial Protocol Model, which is human-reviewed before generating system configurations. The platform accelerates study activation by six to eight weeks. The company's partner network includes Rutgers University and other academic medical centres. The funding will support product development, team expansion, and growth of site partnerships.
Pittsburgh startup week: opportunities for healthcare investors. Opportunities in Pittsburgh for healthcare tech investment are on the rise! Healthcare and life sciences investors coming to Pittsburgh for StartUP PGH (September 14-18, 2026) should plan around two anchors: Innovation Works' Venture Expo (September 15-16, The Oaklander Hotel) and the Pittsburgh Bio+Health Track, hosted by the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Alliance, which runs CMU Lab to Market (Sept 15) and the Bio+Health Summit (Sept 16). Together they cover the region's healthcare AI, digital health, and life sciences pipeline in a single trip. Pittsburgh's health innovation story doesn't start with a pitch deck - it starts with proximity. Carnegie Mellon's AI research, the University of Pittsburgh's clinical research engine, and UPMC's health system sit inside the same square mile, and it's producing a startup pipeline that's increasingly hard for healthcare investors to ignore. Why does Pittsburgh matter to healthcare AI and life sciences investors right now? Pittsburgh combines top-ranked AI research with a major academic health system and a growing bio+health startup base: * Carnegie Mellon University holds the #1-ranked AI program in the nation * University of Pittsburgh ranks #7 among NIH-funded research universities, feeding a steady pipeline of clinical and translational research * Pittsburgh-headquartered startups raised $1.48 billion in venture funding in 2025 * The region has produced 7 unicorn startups, including Abridge, which has become a national reference point for clinical AI As the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Alliance puts it: Pittsburgh is where AI, clinical data at scale, and world-class life sciences research share one square mile. The combination of research depth plus a functioning health system as a proving ground is what distinguishes Pittsburgh's healthcare pipeline from cities that have one or the other. What happens at Venture Expo for healthcare investors? Venture Expo runs as two distinct days at The Oaklander Hotel: Day One - Venture Expo (accredited investor pitch day): Startups across the region's high-growth sectors including HealthTech and digital health pitch in a fast two-minute format across two simultaneous tracks, alongside a keynote, fireside chat, networking lunch, panel discussion, and closing remarks. Day Two - Venture Exchange (unstructured deal day): An investor-led day built around the event app, letting investors schedule their own 1:1 meetings with founders - including healthcare and digital health companies - throughout the day. Live deal-flow boards, tech transfer office connections, and a matchmaking support the day, with high-touch meetings available privately through the concierge. What is the Pittsburgh Bio+Health Track? Alongside Venture Expo, the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Alliance hosts a dedicated Bio+Health Track during StartUP PGH - the most direct path for healthcare-focused investors to go deep on the region's life sciences and clinical AI pipeline specifically. Tuesday, September 15 - CMU Lab to Market (9:00 AM - 3:00 PM): An exclusive, curated look at Carnegie Mellon's most promising research-driven startups, spanning AI, robotics, cybersecurity, and healthcare. This session specifically highlights deep collaboration between CMU and the University of Pittsburgh in bio+health, bringing research, clinical, and technology expertise together in one room. Wednesday, September 16 - Bio+Health Summit (9:30 AM - 3:30 PM): A one-day summit putting national investors and strategics in the room with the people driving Pittsburgh's human health innovation. Expect fireside chats with life sciences and healthcare investors, panels with university and health-system leaders, company showcases, a sector-based networking lunch, and an evening reception. Confirmed speakers include representatives from General Catalyst, Redefine Health, Town Hall Ventures, UPMC Enterprises, and Allegheny Health Network, alongside founders leading translation through ARPA-H awards. How should healthcare investors plan their visit? For investors whose thesis centers on healthcare AI, digital health, or life sciences, the most efficient path through the week runs: CMU Lab to Market (Sept 15 morning) | Venture Expo (Sept 15-16) | Bio+Health Summit (Sept 16) - giving exposure to research-stage translation, broad regional deal flow, and a healthcare-specific investor and strategic audience across three days without leaving Pittsburgh. * Venture Expo: register at iwventureexpo.org * CMU Lab to Market and Bio+Health Summit: register through the Pittsburgh Bio+Health Track page, hosted by the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Alliance Frequently asked questions. What is the Pittsburgh Bio+Health Track? It's a set of healthcare- and life sciences-focused events during StartUP PGH, hosted by the Innovation Works, Pittsburgh Life Sciences Alliance, and other partners including CMU Lab to Market and the Bio+Health Summit. When is the Bio+Health Summit? Wednesday, September 16, 2026, from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Who speaks at the Bio+Health Summit? Confirmed speakers include representatives from General Catalyst, Redefine Health, Town Hall Ventures, UPMC Enterprises, and Allegheny Health Network, along with founders who have received ARPA-H awards. Is Venture Expo relevant to healthcare investors specifically? Yes. Venture Expo features startups across the region's high-growth sectors, including HealthTech and digital health, pitching alongside the region's broader tech pipeline. Do I need separate registration for Venture Expo and the Bio+Health Track? Yes. Venture Expo registers through iwventureexpo.org; CMU Lab to Market and the Bio+Health Summit register through the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Alliance event page. What's the most efficient itinerary for a healthcare-focused investor? CMU Lab to Market (Sept 15 morning) for research-stage tech, Venture Expo (Sept 15-16) for broad regional deal flow, and the Bio+Health Summit (Sept 16) for a healthcare-specific investor and strategic audience. Will there be opportunities for 1:1 meetings with founders? Yes. You'll want to be sure to register for Venture Expo, as there will be 7+ hours of space across the two available for investors to meet with founders. Registered investors will be invited to the dealroom platform to pre-schedule meetings and have the opportunity to schedule meetings on-site. What about a hotel? The Venture Expo will be held at The Oaklander Hotel which is within walking distance to CMU campus and the Bio+Health Summit. June 30, 2026 Insights from Cafe IW at TechForge with the Axios Pittsburgh Team By: Gretchen Weaver and Dwayne Tabb Your inbox is a black hole. You spend hours crafting the perfect press [...] May 20, 2026 Jonathan Kersting Has Been Telling Pittsburgh's Tech Story for 29 Years. He's Just Getting Started. The Pittsburgh Technology Council's VP of Communications reflects on nearly three decades inside the ecosystem, [...]
Introducing our largest unified group of founders, the AlphaLab 2026 (AL26) cohort.
Syneron Bio has completed a $150 million Series B funding round led by an international biotech fund, with德诚资本 and Dingxing VGC as co-leads. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's wholly-owned subsidiary, Temasek's Tembusu Capital, Qiming Venture Partners, Boyuan Capital and industry investors participated. Existing investors including AstraZeneca, Lilly Asia Ventures, Sinovation Ventures, 5Y Capital, Biotech Development Fund and Legend Capital continued their support. GL Ventures, which led the Series A round in 2024, also participated. The funding will advance Syneron Bio's proprietary macrocyclic peptide discovery platform Synova™ through intelligent iteration and accelerate its diversified pipeline of innovative drugs towards clinical stages.