Ascender

Product Strategy Office Hours with Mike Capsambelis
2025-08-15 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-09-12 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-10-07 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-10-21 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-18 11:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-02 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Ascender, 6401 Penn Ave 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Book a FREE 30-minute session with Mike, Director, Product Management, Google.

Mastering Customer Discovery: Qualifiers & Questions That Drive Sales
2025-08-19 18:00 - 19:30 | PA
Join Ascender and our Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Tammy Szijarto,for a virtual workshop that will level up your customer discovery game. Learn how to better identify, understand, and connect with your target audience through smarter questions and sharper insights.
Who Should Attend:

Early-stage entrepreneurs
Small business owners
Aspring founders
Sales and marketing leads
Founders refining product-market fit
Anyone conducting user research or customer interviews

Anyone interested in learning how to align with the right investors

Our workshop concludes with our monthly Founder’s Circle, where founders answer two questions:

What do you need?
What’s a recent win?

🎟️ 🎟️ GRAB YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

Strategic Planning Office Hours with Coach Donald
2025-08-21 09:00 - 17:00, 2025-10-16 10:30 - 12:30, 2025-10-23 10:30 - 12:30, 2025-10-30 10:30 - 12:30 | Ascender, 6401 Penn Ave 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Whether you’re preparing for a big decision, rethinking your business model, or just trying to get unstuck, these office hours are designed to meet you where you are. Bring your business challenges—big or small—and walk away with clarity, a sharper path forward, and tools you can reuse.
Register Here!

Monthly Workshop Series: Obtaining Warm Introductions to Potential Sales Leads
2025-09-09 18:00 - 19:30 | Ascender, 6401 Penn Ave 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Join Ascender for a hands-on session on how to turn your network into real sales opportunities. Hear from Ascender’s Entrepreneur Success Manager, Donald Robinson.

We’ll cover practical strategies for identifying the right people you need to reach, mapping your current connections, and building a follow-up cadence that works—whether by email, phone, or in person. You’ll also learn how to balance tactics like outreach and lead generation with strategies that position you as a thought leader, attracting prospects through content, consultations, and industry presence.
Finally, we’ll break down the best channels for different types of businesses.

Who Should Attend:

Founders and small business owners looking to grow their customer base
Entrepreneurs ready to refine their sales and networking strategies
Service providers eager to build credibility and attract inbound leads
Startup teams exploring the most effective sales channels for their industry
Professionals wanting to strengthen their business development approach
Business advisors and support organizations assisting client growth

🍢🥂 FREE FOOD & DRINKS
Enjoy refreshing beverages and light bites while learning and connecting with other business owners, coworking members, and community leaders.

💻 🪑SPEND THE WHOLE DAY WITH US!
Join us before the workshop for a Coworking Day from 9:30 AM – 5 PM.
REGISTER HERE

Latine Mini Grant Application Info Session
2025-09-11 18:00 - 19:00 | Ascender, 6401 Penn Ave 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Join Us for our Latine Mini-Grant Info Session!
Are you a Latine entrepreneur ready to access funding and resources to fuel your business? Join us for an info session where we’ll walk you through the details of the Latine Mini-Grant Application. This is your chance to ask questions, learn about eligibility, and understand how this grant can support your growth.

What You’ll Learn:
🔹 How the Latine Mini-Grant works
🔹 Who’s eligible to apply
🔹 Tips for submitting a strong application
🔹 How funding will be distributed to recipients
Register Here

Executive Coaching & Business Strategy Office Hours with Erin Bestic
2025-09-17 10:00 - 13:00 | PA
Bring your toughest business challenges, half-baked ideas, and “we need this done yesterday” problems. In these candid, action-focused sessions, you’ll get practical, no-fluff guidance from Erin Bestic, a strategist who’s led billion-dollar sales portfolios, overhauled operations, and coached leaders at every stage of growth.
Book your Free 30-Minutes

Legal Office Hours with Eryn Correa
2025-09-17 13:00 - 15:00, 2025-10-22 13:00 - 15:00, 2025-11-19 13:00 - 15:00 | Ascender, 6401 Penn Ave 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Got questions about formation, equity, or fundraising? Eryn’s your person. Use this link to schedule a session with Eryn.

Tech & Law Office Hours with Wei Yu
2025-09-18 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-23 13:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-20 13:00 - 16:00 | Ascender, 6401 Penn Ave 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Navigating legal stuff in the AI era Book a FREE 30-minute session with Wei, an Intellectual Property Attorney. Use this link to schedule a session with Wei.

Ascender's Big Burrito Benefit Dinner at Soba
2025-09-23 18:00 - 20:00 | Soba, 5847 Ellsworth Ave, pittsburgh, PA, 15232, United States
Join Ascender at Soba, a cozy neighborhood Asian fusion spot, for an evening of conversation and community as we share dinner and celebrate our mission to empower Pittsburgh’s founders. Guests will enjoy unique dinner and beverage pairings while hearing about the vision of Ascender’s entrepreneur hub and the future of Pittsburgh’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Seating is limited to 25 for this intimate evening.
The restaurant and lounge are located in a richly appointed brick Shadyside rowhouse. With its cascading waterfall, glass staircase, and hand-painted murals, this beautiful space draws guests into plush comfort and a gentle mystery. Please note that dinner takes place in an intimate upstairs dining room, and due to its architecture, Soba does not have an elevator.
RSVP HERE

Monthly Workshop Series: The Art of Pricing Strategies
2025-10-14 18:00 - 19:30 | Ascender, 6401 Penn Ave 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Join Ascender for a deep dive into the art and science of pricing with an all star cast: Ascender’s Board Members, Jim Gibbs, Founder and CEO of Meter Feeder, and Jeanette Thomas, former CTO of Govenda and Ascender’s Entrepreneur Success Manager, Donald Robinson, and Lara Huber, former Chief Revenue Officer at Govenda.
This session will explain how to set the right price for your product or service, navigate discounting and negotiations, and test what works in both B2C and B2B markets. Whether you’re launching something new or refining an existing model, you’ll walk away with practical strategies to boost adoption, revenue, and long-term success.
Who Should Attend:

Startup founders and small business owners setting or revisiting their pricing model
Product leaders preparing to launch new offerings
B2C entrepreneurs exploring competitive pricing approaches
B2B teams navigating complex sales cycles and stakeholder negotiations
Service providers seeking to balance value delivery with profitability
Business advisors or support organizations helping clients strengthen pricing strategies

🍢🥂 FREE FOOD & DRINKS
Enjoy refreshing beverages and bites while learning and connecting with other business owners, coworking members, and community leaders.
REGISTER HERE

Executive Coaching & Business Strategy Office Hours with Erin Bestic
2025-10-15 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-12 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-11 13:00 - 16:00 | Ascender, 6401 Penn Ave 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States

¡Avanza! Pittsburgh: Ascender's Annual Latine Mini-Grant Celebration
2025-10-18 15:00 - 21:00 | Trace Brewing, 4312 Main St, Pittsburgh, PA, 15224, United States
Event Details

Avanza Pittsburgh is Ascender’s annual celebration of Latine entrepreneurship, culture, and community. Hosted at Trace Brewing in Pittsburgh, this vibrant event raises funds for Ascender’s Latine Mini-Grant Program, which awards grants to multiple Latine-owned small businesses each year.
Open to the public, Avanza brings together Latine entrepreneurs, artists, civic leaders, and community members for an unforgettable afternoon of connection and celebration. Guests will enjoy a curated vendor market featuring Latine-owned businesses, a taco bar from El Sabor, and desserts from past grant winner Panadería Jazmín.
The event will be emceed by Melanie Boyer, CEO of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, whose mission is to develop, promote, and advocate on behalf of Hispanic businesses and professionals in our region.
With live music from DJ Bamboo and the inspiring check presentation to this year’s grant recipients, Avanza is more than an event—it’s a movement toward economic equity, powered by community. Trace is generously donating $1 from all drink purchases from 5-9 PM to Ascender. Guests are welcome to come for part of all of this event.

Vendor Market | 3-7 PM
Happy Hour, Networking, Taco Bar, and Dessert Station 4-6 PM
Winner Presentations | 4:30-5 PM
DJ Bamboo | 5 -9 PM

GET YOUR TICKETS

People and Culture Office Hours with Ginny Nemchick
2025-10-21 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-11-11 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-12-16 10:00 - 12:00 | Ascender, 6401 Penn Ave 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Need help with job descriptions, equitable hiring, or management tips? Ginny’s got you. Use this link to schedule a session with Ginny.

Snack & Test with The Mosaic Institute
2025-12-09 18:00 - 20:00 | Ascender, 6401 Penn Ave 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Help Test the CurioCity Play Symposium
Dec. 9th | 6-8 PM
The Mosaic Institute is testing its new program MVP, the CurioCity Play Symposium a creative experience for Teaching Artists and Creatives working with justice-involved youth. Participants will walk through the program and share quick feedback on what’s most valuable.
Incentive:
All participants will receive a thank-you gift for taking part.
REGISTER HERE
