Mini-Grants supporting Black-owned startups and small businesses in Allegheny County Ascender has proudly awarded (5) mini-grants, varying from $300 to $5,000, to deserving Black-owned startups and small businesses situated in Allegheny County. Congratulations to the winners! Your dedication and innovation have shone brightly, and we’re… Read more »

FROM THE START: A chat with the founder of Kool Image Dolls Dominique Scaife, founder of Kool Image Dolls. Ascender’s FROM THE START series continues with our 2023–2024 Incubator! Too often, we learn from other founders only after they’ve “already made it,” but there’s a lot to… Read more »

FROM THE START: A chat with the founder of Danceapply.com Jaehee Cho, founder of Dancers Connect and its flagship platform, Danceapply.com. Ascender’s FROM THE START series continues with our 2023–2024 Incubator! Too often, we learn from other founders only after they’ve “already made it,” but… Read more »

FROM THE START: A chat with the founder of Noteful Becky Billock, founder of Noteful. Ascender’s FROM THE START series continues with our 2023–2024 Incubator! Too often, we learn from other founders only after they’ve “already made it,” but there’s a lot to gain from their journeys… Read more »

Mini-Grants supporting Latine-owned startups and small businesses in Allegheny County In a heartwarming celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month on Saturday, October 14th, Ascender proudly unveiled the recipients of seven mini-grants to Latine-owned startups and small businesses in Allegheny County. These grants ranged from $500 to… Read more »

Mini-Becas, Acelera Tu Negocio Con Ascender In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re launching the Mini-Becas, Acelera Tu Negocio Con Ascender Latinx Mini-Grants Program. This initiative aims to support and uplift the vibrant Latinx community in Allegheny County by providing mini-grants of up to $5,000 to… Read more »

Tu Guía para el éxito: Cómo aprovechar recursos educativos locales y nacionales como joven empresario Hola, futuros pioneros, mi nombre es Kenet Espina, y soy un estudiante de secundaria, haciendo una pasantía de verano en Ascender, una incubadora de emprendedores. Si estás leyendo esto, significa… Read more »

Your Guide to Success Hey there, future trailblazers, my name is Kenet Espina, and I’m a high school student interning at Ascender for the summer. If you’re reading this, it means you, like me, have caught the entrepreneurial bug and are excited to explore the possibility of… Read more »

Here are 5 steps for your business to get started Finding and organizing investors is essential for securing the capital and resources to fuel business growth and development, enabling startups and companies to bring their ideas to fruition and achieve their goals. Crunchbase is a powerful… Read more »

Unleashing the next wave of innovation: 11 startups to watch Founders participating in Ascender’s 2023–2024 Incubator Cohort. We’re thrilled to unveil the 11 Pittsburgh-based companies selected for our highly competitive 2023–2024 Incubator. Chosen from a fiercely competitive pool of over 50 startups and micro/small businesses, these… Read more »

The ‘not-so-secret’ code to your entrepreneurial success Up-Up-Down-Down-Left-Right-Left-Right-B-A. The Konami Code is a series of buttons that many kids growing up in the 80s and 90s had burned into their memory because it unlocks a different bonus feature in over 100 video games. Extra lives, added… Read more »

Tips for Early-Stage Startups Are you an early-stage entrepreneur looking to make a splash with your startup? One key aspect that can make a world of difference is demonstrating traction. Traction serves as proof of concept, communicates a path to revenue and profitability, and helps… Read more »