The Pathways Fellowship gives entrepreneurs working in robotics, manufacturing and automation one academic year to build their venture in Pittsburgh. It draws on Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and its Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, and it is managed by InnovatePGH, a public-private partnership working on the city’s innovation economy. Funding comes through the Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative, a regional coalition that received roughly $62.7 million as a Build Back Better Regional Challenge winner. The program was created to elevate entrepreneurs who have faced barriers of entry within robotics, and it accepts professional experience in place of a degree. Dr. Oliver Kroemer, associate professor at the Robotics Institute, is the faculty lead, and Ashlyn Lacovara is the program manager. The 2025 cohort was the third and had five fellows, working on ventures from robotic head and neck stabilization to an IoT platform for secure pickup and drop-off zones.
Benefits & funding
- Monthly living stipend of $3,750 through the academic year
- Academic instruction from Carnegie Mellon University, drawing on topics and concepts from the Robotics Institute and the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurial workshops and networking events
- Mentoring from academic and industry contacts
- A supportive ecosystem with extra-curricular programming tailored to each fellow
- Certificate of completion
Eligibility
- Current or former resident of southwestern Pennsylvania, or someone with a connection to the region
- A Bachelor’s degree in any field, or professional experience in place of one
- A vision for building robotics or automation into your business
- Availability for a full-time commitment of 30 to 40 hours a week, including occasional evening hours
- Full-time students and people in traditional full-time employment are told the hours make participation difficult; such cases are decided one by one during application review
- The program does not sponsor visas, so applicants arrange their own right to live and work in the United States
- Open to all nationalities and all genders; no age limit is published
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Application process
- 1Join the waitlist on the fellowship site to be notified when the next call opens.
- 2Submit the online application inside the announced window. The 2026–2027 cohort applied between 12 December 2025 and 30 March 2026.
- 3Wait through the review period; the 2026–2027 applications were reviewed in April 2026.
- 4Take a virtual interview if selected.
- 5Start onboarding in the summer and run through one academic year in Pittsburgh.
Program timeline
Applications open for the 2026–2027 cohort
Dec 12, 2025
Applications close
Mar 30, 2026
Application reviews, with virtual interviews for selected applicants
April 2026
Welcome and onboarding, and the fellowship year begins
Summer 2026
Next cycle
no date published. The last call ran from December to March, so a similar winter window is the realistic expectation. The site keeps an email waitlist for the announcement.