So what happens when a whiskey making entrepreneur takes the reins of one of the world's top university startup programs? If you're curious about how Pittsburgh is transforming into one of the best places in the world to launch a tech company, this episode delivers a firsthand look at the bold leadership and innovative programming driving that growth at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).

Meredith Grelli was the founder of Wigle Whiskey and Thread Bear Cider. For her second act, she joined Carnegie Mellon to teach entrepreneurship. Meredith is now the director of Project Olympus, a startup incubator at CMU, focused specifically on tech startups. And if that's not enough, she was also just named the interim director of CMU's Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship.

Whether you're a founder, investor, or ecosystem builder, you'll hear how cutting edge ideas are turning into real world startups right here in our backyard.

Learn how Project Olympus and the Swartz Center are wrapping CMU founders and targeted support talent and capital. Discover how CMU's deep tech commercialization success is setting national benchmarks, and hear why Pittsburgh's future as a startup hub may depend on embracing unorthodox leadership and bold regional collaboration.

Hit PLAY to hear how Meredith Grelli is shaking up the startup scene at CMU and why that's great news for Pittsburgh's innovation economy.

Produced by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, this is a podcast for tech and manufacturing  entrepreneurs exploring the tech ecosystem, from cyber security and AI to SaaS, robotics, and life sciences, featuring insights to satisfy the tech curious.