Innovation Works

Aaron Tainter serves as Director of Accelerator Programs at Innovation Works, where he oversees AlphaLab, a four-track accelerator program supporting early-stage startups in software, hardware, life sciences, and robotics. With nearly 20 years of experience in venture capital and innovation strategy, he manages seed-stage investments, portfolio company support, and founder recruitment while teaching startup funding and venture capital at Carnegie Mellon University as an adjunct instructor. AlphaLab portfolio companies have raised over $1.3 billion in follow-on capital and achieved more than 20 successful exits.

Andrew Katon is an electromechanical engineer at Innovation Works with experience in robotics, AI hardware, and manufacturing commercialization. He has advised hardware startups on commercialization strategy and capital formation, contributed to company growth exceeding $25M, and holds multiple patents in additive manufacturing technologies. Previously, he founded Cobbler Technologies to develop novel additive manufacturing applications and played a key role in scaling Ellison Surface Technologies from $35M to $200M in revenue prior to its acquisition.

Brian Dougherty is an Electrical Prototyping Engineer at Innovation Works with experience in robotics, camera systems, and LED lighting. His work includes projects spanning camera SDK development, LED installations, sonar tracking systems, and various robotic platforms.

Listed as a co-author of this Innovation Works article.

Listed as a co-author of this Innovation Works article.

Jane K. Joseph serves as Director of Communications and Community Development at Innovation Works. She has over a decade of experience in communications and stakeholder strategy across the technology, public service, and civic engagement sectors. Her work focuses on communications planning, community engagement, and organizational visibility for mission-driven organizations.

Joshua Sellers is a Marketing Program Manager at Innovation Works with over 8 years of experience in B2B and B2C marketing within the technology sector. He has developed and executed go-to-market strategies, managed digital and event-based campaigns, and led cross-functional teams. His work has focused on demand generation, brand positioning, and content development to support lead generation and business growth objectives.

Karla Karanza is Controller at Innovation Works and holds an MBA in Finance. Her experience spans financial reporting, budgeting, accounting, and operational management across the corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors, including ERP transitions from NetSuite to Business Central. She works with tools such as Excel and Power BI to support financial analysis and reporting.

Kelley Benson is Vice President of Human Resources & Inclusion at Innovation Works. With experience across talent acquisition, workforce planning, organizational development, and operational excellence in professional services and nonprofit sectors, Benson has led teams through organizational change and developed people strategies in areas including total rewards, performance management, learning and development, and succession planning. Her expertise spans talent management, inclusive culture initiatives, change management, and HR technology implementation.

Kelsie LaBarbera is a Program Manager at AlphaLab Health, part of Innovation Works in Pittsburgh. She works with health-focused founders on strategy, execution, and growth, drawing on experience in life sciences and startup development.

Holds a PhD and leads the Robotics Factory and hardware programs.

Kirk Botula is Chief Strategy Operations Officer at Innovation Works. He previously served as CEO of Total Bank Solutions, a fintech firm managing $100B in assets, which he led through a merger with Reich & Tang backed by Estancia Capital Partners, and as CEO of CMMI Institute, where he oversaw the Carnegie Mellon spinout, restructured a DoD-funded research program, and executed its acquisition by ISACA. Earlier, he was President and Chief Operating Officer of Confluence, a fintech company serving investment management that achieved 70% market share in North America before its exit to Polaris Ventures.

Lauren DeDomenic is Partner Engagement Manager at Innovation Works, where she recruits early-stage startups from Pittsburgh and surrounding rural communities into the organization's programs and investment opportunities. She leads the design and delivery of Innovation Works' flagship programs, including UpPrize, AI/Robotics Venture Day, and AlphaLab Demo Day, while overseeing the organization's rural engagement strategy. Previously, she held roles as Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Partnerships in the Office of Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and as a Community Affairs Specialist at Highmark Health, focusing on workforce development and social impact initiatives.

Luca DeGroot is a robotics technician and shop operations manager at Innovation Works in Pittsburgh, PA. He works as a machinist and roboticist.

Matt Verlinich is a PMP-certified Senior Program Manager at Innovation Works who leads manufacturing programs supporting hardware startups through product development and scaled production. He manages a prototyping laboratory with over $1 million in resources and oversees a technical team serving more than 50 companies, connecting them with Pennsylvania-based manufacturers to advance commercialization efforts. His background includes experience in facility launch, team building, and guiding hardware companies from concept through manufacturing scale-up.

Senior Vice Chancellor for Research and professor of computer science and electrical & computer engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.

Distinguished Engineer at Microsoft; former founder and CEO of NetApp (acquired by FORE Systems) and Avere Systems (acquired by Microsoft).

Sara Longo is a Senior Program Manager at AlphaLab, Innovation Works, with over 12 years of experience in program and product development, operations, and strategic planning across AI, robotics, consumer products, EdTech, and FinTech sectors. She holds PMP certification and Six Sigma Black Belt credentials. Longo has served as an advisor and board member for startups ranging from 10 to 120 employees and has contributed to over $12 million in funding and partnerships with Fortune 500 companies.

Shelly Brown is a Program Manager at Startable within Innovation Works, where she has worked for over four years on youth-focused programming in Pittsburgh. Her background includes more than six years as an Academic Counselor at Penn State University and experience in grant writing, educational outreach, and nonprofit board leadership.

MD; Vice Chancellor for Multidisciplinary Innovations in Health Sciences and Director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Tony Garcia is a Manufacturing Program Associate at Innovation Works with over six years of experience in electro-mechanical design, rapid prototyping, and scalable manufacturing. His background includes cross-functional work to support business objectives beyond his primary role.

Victoria Ewing is Director of Business Development at Innovation Works, where she focuses on fostering connections among industry, academic, and government stakeholders. Her work involves identifying gaps and opportunities across sectors to facilitate resource sharing and expand collaborative networks.

Sophie Burkholder is a Senior Investment Associate at Innovation Works, where she focuses on early-stage investments in AI, SaaS, and deep tech companies. Her work spans strategy and operations analysis, with particular emphasis on go-to-market assessment and early-stage business model evaluation.

Kuoloon Chong is co-founder of Omaru, an AI product being prepared for private alpha that converts a person's skills into a sellable service business. Over the past year he built Akarii, an AI teammate with cloud code sandboxes and filesystem memory, and carbon, a minimal agent harness. He previously spent three years leading product design at Genopets, where he shipped production work in React, Three.js, and GLSL, with side projects recognized by Awwwards, FWA, and the GSAP Showcase.