Jennifer Apicella, Executive Director, Pittsburgh Robotics Network

In an interview with Invest:, Jennifer Apicella, executive director of Pittsburgh Robotics Network, highlighted new initiatives to support commercialization, talent development, and corporate innovation within the robotics and AI space. “Pittsburgh has been developing advanced technology for decades, and we sit at the forefront,” said Apicella.

Over the past year, what have been the most significant changes for PRN and the broader robotics ecosystem in Pittsburgh?

We are seeing a tremendous amount of growth here in our regional robotics and artificial intelligence cluster. Our organization has been responding to that growth to help foster it, as our mission is to serve these companies as they grow and succeed. That success is mutually beneficial for all. 

Some key highlights from 2024 include an increase in capital investment for these companies. Robotics has not always been venture capital friendly, but with advanced technology, artificial intelligence, and automation becoming more in demand at businesses than ever, we are seeing our companies grow. Not only are existing companies expanding, but we are also seeing new companies arrive and be spun out, which is very exciting. In response to that growth, as these companies expand, we have launched a professional development program to respond to their teams. Technology professionals who are ascending into leadership as their companies grow need to transition from the lab into the suite more and more. We have launched the Deep Tech Institute to help accelerate their commercial growth by applying technology leadership development to their leaders.

In addition to that, our organization has launched a corporate innovation program. One of the things happening with the growth these companies are experiencing is that many businesses have been expanding their innovation departments. By corporations, we mean multi-industry organizations that are looking to buy, use, adopt, and pilot advanced technologies. As they are on that journey of exploring what is available, it is difficult to navigate the scene to understand what is possible. Technology is moving at a pace that is unprecedented in today’s modern society on a global scale. As large companies are looking to figure out how to adopt what is new now and next versus what needs to be developed in research and development for the future, our corporate innovation program helps those organizations. An example of that would be Duquesne Light, a large electric utility company who approached us for some assistance navigating how to adopt physical artificial intelligence technologies internally because it is difficult to know where we are at with physical artificial intelligence solutions if you are not sitting in that pocket.

How does Robotics & AI Discovery Day and other PRN-led events help advance awareness, collaboration, or commercialization opportunities for member companies?

The Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Discovery Day is our annual gathering, and 2025 will be our fourth year delivering it. It is an opportunity for the world to come in and experience this ecosystem for themselves. 

We display discovery zones as parts of our ecosystem. We have a robotics zone for those looking to explore robotics technologies, with companies demonstrating their products and solutions. We have a technology and artificial intelligence zone, which is new this year, where you can do the same exploration but with companies that go beyond robotics and more in other types of advanced technologies and artificial intelligence applications. We also have a career pathway zone to help people gain the skills and certification needed. Then we also have a community zone for those individuals who want to discover what is available beyond a business or education perspective.

How is PRN building the talent pipeline through training, leadership development, and matchmaking initiatives?

Pittsburgh is well known for our technical talent pipeline. We have, of course, world-class universities like Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and many others. We also have community colleges that are adapting to these in-demand needs for other types of credentialing. So we have a competitive advantage in terms of the talent that we produce. Beyond that, we also have professional development needs that companies inform us about, which led to the launch of our Deep Tech Institute. Whether it is through traditional ways of gaining a degree and becoming skilled or through these new emerging programs for upskilling and reskilling, we are responding to the demands of industry because it is happening here. The demand for jobs means we are able to not only meet that and track that, but we can also proactively find a way to cohesively list it all and push it out to the world for opportunity. We currently host a job board where we take all of our robotics companies and the robotics jobs that they are hiring for and consolidate it into one Pittsburgh Robotics Network job board. We are enhancing that to offer a much more robust user experience for job seekers as well as companies. 

We also partner with our workforce boards and others in the region to make sure that we are able to provide whatever the needs are for the companies and connect them with existing resources. 

In terms of matchmaking, we have a Women in Robotics community, a mentorship initiative, and we work with startups and large companies as they are growing. We try to do everything we can for companies of all sizes because talent is the heart of everything that they are doing. Without brilliant minds, you cannot stay innovative and you cannot succeed.

What robotics or AI trends do you see as particularly aligned with Pittsburgh’s existing strengths in advanced manufacturing, research, and technology?

Right now is the time for advanced technology, and we are seeing the interest in financial markets and venture capital investment. Fortunately, the trends that exist in those spaces are areas where we are in alignment. Companies seeking to stay globally competitive in warehousing and logistics, energy, infrastructure, inspection and maintenance, agriculture, and construction are all looking to apply innovation. These legacy industries are adopting new technology to outpace their competitors and to stay relevant and grow in this very tumultuous and ever-changing world.

The great news is Pittsburgh has been developing advanced technology for decades, and we sit at the forefront. Carnegie Mellon University has the No. 1 artificial intelligence program in the United States. Research and development and advanced engineering is what Pittsburgh is known for. We are a region of builders who are gritty, work hard, and think creatively. That puts us in a fantastic position with many of our companies who are now getting investments and participating in some of these initiatives and public-private partnerships with the state. 

As robotics continues to evolve, what are the biggest hurdles for companies in this space, and how does PRN help members navigate them?

Commercializing these technologies as they come out of the lab and into the real world and are applied to multi-industry uses is a primary hurdle. One challenge is just being found. Our corporate innovation program helps corporations find some of these companies because startups, new companies, or stealth operating advanced technology companies are not often what we would call loud and full of marketing and public relations. They are oftentimes just really heads-down, focused on getting that technology to work. So I would say the process of commercialization is a significant challenge because if everyone could do it then everyone would be successful.

The other challenge is access to capital. While there is increased interest in these technologies from the venture capital and finance community, there is still a lot they do not understand. Trying to get the finance community to understand what is a risky investment and what is a good investment is critical so these companies can grow to meet the demand in the market. When markets change very quickly, investors do not always have the latest reports to guide their decision-making and their due diligence processes. It is important for companies to understand that there is risk in some of these adoption exercises, but you can de-risk that through more efficient commercialization pathways.

Looking ahead, what are PRN’s key goals and priorities for the next two to three years?

We are responding to our mission, which is making sure that these companies grow. We want to see the companies grow into being the most successful they can be. That would include building import and export trade pipelines. Within all of this, there is just a tremendous amount of expansion that these companies can capitalize on, and to see success is just a beautiful thing. So, growing those jobs, growing the companies, and growing access to investment and global relations are key.