Nucleate Pittsburgh’s 2024 BioHack
The 3-day event focuses on addressing real-world challenges in biotechnology and healthtech using AI and robotics—October 25-27, 2024
The Nucleate Pittsburgh BioHack event aims to be a showcase of Pittsburgh’s emerging biotech and health tech talent. Hosted in collaboration with Nucleate—a global community for biotech innovation—the hackathon brings together students, researchers, and entrepreneurs from diverse fields to solve cutting-edge challenges using technologies like AI, robotics, and machine learning. The event will be held at Bakery Square’s AI Avenue, highlighting the city’s growing role in biotechnology and life sciences.
Nucleate is a free, trainee-led 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to empowering the next generation of biotech leaders. As a global organization, its mission is to democratize biotech education, spark new intellectual communities, and build bridges within and across ecosystems by providing open-access programming, events and resources. Their flagship program, The Activator, focuses on increasing the quality and quantity of new biotech ventures addressing the world’s most pressing challenges. With chapters in cities around the world—including major hubs like Boston, San Francisco, and now Pittsburgh—Nucleate has been instrumental in helping students and researchers transition their academic ideas into real-world solutions.
The Nucleate Pittsburgh BioHack is designed to foster collaboration among students, postdoctoral fellows and lab technicians who are eager to address real-world problems in biotech and healthcare. With no prerequisites for coding or pre-formed teams, the event encourages participation from a variety of backgrounds including engineering, biology and computer science. The challenges participants will tackle are intended to push the boundaries of current technologies— including the use of machine learning to improve surgical procedures and AI-driven solutions for healthcare diagnostics.
One of the standout challenges in the event involves augmenting surgeon perception with real-time sensor data. Teams will develop mockups or prototypes of systems that deliver critical data to surgeons without disrupting the workflow. This challenge exemplifies the hackathon’s goal of merging cutting-edge technology with practical medical applications, creating solutions that could one day be used in operating rooms around the world.
“For many participants, it’s their first chance to see what startup life is like—to learn, to fail, and to build something concrete. It’s about skill-building in an environment that supports experimentation.”
~Fiona Leng, a managing partner at Xtal Ventures
The event will bring together a diverse group of participants—including both undergraduate and graduate students from institutions like the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, Penn State and Duquesne University— alongside biotech professionals, industry experts and venture capitalists. The hackathon will also feature a keynote address from DJ Kleinbaum from Emerald Cloud Lab and a panel of judges from leading companies in biotech and healthtech.
While the Nucleate Pittsburgh chapter is relatively new, its national presence has been marked by successful events that have led to the formation of impactful startups. Past events hosted by Nucleate in other cities have produced companies that have gone on to raise significant venture capital and create hundreds of jobs. In Pittsburgh, this event is poised to elevate the region’s status as a biotech hub, particularly in areas such as AI-driven healthcare solutions and robotics. The expectation is that the Nucleate Pittsburgh BioHack will lay the foundation for future collaborations between academia and industry, as well as serve as a launchpad for new biotech ventures.
Prognosis:Innovation will be on-site during BioHack and will provide a summary of the 3-day event afterward.
BioHack Pittsburgh
October 25-27, 2024
Competitive teams will compete in the Cloud Lab Challenge or the BioTech and HealthTech tracks. Visit the Nucleate Pittsburgh site for more details on programming, judges, prizes and logistics.
“I expect this hackathon to be a stepping stone for Pittsburgh’s growing biotech ecosystem. Events like these help attract investment, foster innovation, and keep local talent engaged, which is crucial for the city’s continued growth in this sector.”
~Liam Krut, investment partner at Reinforced Ventures
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