Over 500 startups and scaleups call the Pittsburgh region home, estimated to be worth a combined $35.6 billion. Pittsburgh’s startups raised more than $534 million in 2022, an increase from 2021.

The Pittsburgh region was awarded $62.7 billion in a first-of-its-kind federal funding grant from the EDA to expand Pittsburgh's world-leading Robotics and autonomy ecosystem. Innovation Works, along with the Pittsburgh Robotics Network and other partners, have launched the Robotics Factory, a set of programs to create, accelerate, and scale Robotics startups in the region. Innovation Works has invested $120 million in over 730 companies that have brought in an additional $3.5 billion in outside funding. The Build Back Better grant will fund five regional projects designed to provide long-term opportunities in the Robotics and autonomy industry. The growing sector already includes more than 14,500 workers and over 750 companies, and contributes approximately $575 million in regional GDP. The Pittsburgh Robotics Network includes 130+ Robotics organizations.

The Keystone Innovation Zone Tax Credit Program, with an annual budget of $15 million, provides credits to businesses less than eight years old operating within targeted industries. Carnegie Mellon University and the Norman and Ruth Rales Foundation broaden the pipeline of STEM talent by offering tuition-free graduate study for nearly 90 students a year in perpetuity. Kloopify, a sustainable procurement startup, landed its first major investment in a $1.5 million November 2022 seed round. It was also the first local startup to score a deal from Pittsburgh-based Black Tech Nation Ventures, which led the round.