From Steel Mills to AI: Why Pittsburgh’s Tech Future Is Built on Its Industrial DNA
10-Minute Tech Talks: Business Insights and Growth Hacks for Time-Crunched Entrepreneurs
Release Date: 03/16/2026
From Idea to Market: How HEBI Robotics Found the Real Business
10-Minute Tech Talks: Business Insights and Growth Hacks for Time-Crunched Entrepreneurs
What happens when a company starts with one cool idea, then realizes the real business is hiding in the pieces they built along the way? In this episode of 10 Minute Tech Talks, Bob Raida and Dabe Rollinson of HEBI Robotics share how it evolved from snake robots to a modular robotics platform designed to help people build faster, test sooner, and get real tools into the real world. Their idea is simple: build, test, learn, repeat. HEBI found value not by clinging to the original idea, but by recognizing what customers could actually use and moving toward it. This is a smart reminder for...
info_outline
How Tech Entrepreneurs Can Grow Companies Without Losing Their Souls
10-Minute Tech Talks: Business Insights and Growth Hacks for Time-Crunched Entrepreneurs
How do you build a business that can stand the test of time and keep your soul intact? In this episode of 10 Minute Tech Talks, Lou Camerlengo of fivestar* shares the kind of hard-earned insight entrepreneurs rarely get from a playbook. Rather than chasing growth for growth’s sake, Lou explains how fivestar* has stayed relevant by building deep client relationships, staying adaptable, and creating a company that is truly “built to evolve.” You’ll hear why long-term partnerships matter more than quick wins, how staying close to customers can shape smarter strategy, and why culture and...
info_outline
How AI and Lidar Are Turning Maps Into Intelligent Machines
10-Minute Tech Talks: Business Insights and Growth Hacks for Time-Crunched Entrepreneurs
AI is transforming everything — but some of the most powerful applications are happening in places most people never see. In our Techvibe interview with Woolpert CEO Neil Churman, he explains how AI, lidar, and geospatial data are turning maps into machines that can detect landslides, monitor infrastructure, and help prevent disasters before they happen. It’s a fascinating look at how real-world AI is changing industries that have existed for more than a century. Woolpert is a global architecture, engineering, and geospatial technology firm that uses advanced tools like AI, lidar, and...
info_outline
From Steel Mills to AI: Why Pittsburgh’s Tech Future Is Built on Its Industrial DNA
10-Minute Tech Talks: Business Insights and Growth Hacks for Time-Crunched Entrepreneurs
Pittsburgh is often called a comeback city. But Woolpert CEO Neil Churman sees something deeper. As discovered in his Techvibe interview, Neil believes the same industrial DNA that built America’s steel industry is now powering the region’s rise in AI, robotics, and infrastructure technology. In this short conversation, Neil shares a personal story about his great-grandfather working in the steel mills — and why that legacy still shapes the future of innovation.” Woolpert is a global architecture, engineering, and geospatial technology firm that uses advanced tools like AI, lidar, and...
info_outline
Hey Tech Entrepreneurs! Here's Why AI Won’t Replace Experts
10-Minute Tech Talks: Business Insights and Growth Hacks for Time-Crunched Entrepreneurs
AI is everywhere right now, and there’s a lot of fear about what it means for jobs. And Woolpert CEO Neil Churman sees it differently. He believes AI won’t replace experts — it will make them better. Woolpert is a global architecture, engineering, and geospatial technology firm that uses advanced tools like AI, lidar, and digital twins to design infrastructure, map the world, and help organizations build and manage everything from airports and pipelines to data centers and smart cities. As part of the Pittsburgh Technology Council's TechVibe Radio deep dive conversation, Neil shares...
info_outline
Why Tech Entrepreneurs Win by Ignoring AI Hype
10-Minute Tech Talks: Business Insights and Growth Hacks for Time-Crunched Entrepreneurs
Are you building technology or are you building results? In this episode, you are going to hear why some leaders believe AI has been massively overhyped and massively undersold all at the same time. And why? The companies that win aren't just chasing trends. They are chasing outcomes. Pittsburgh Technology Council CEO Audrey Russo interviewed Jonathan Jungk of Palantir and Chris Johnson of TeleTracking Technologies at the Pittsburgh Tech Council's 2026 Think!AI Summit to get their insights. So if you care about growth, revenue, and real impact, this one is for you. Hit PLAY and listen...
info_outline
Why Smart Tech Entrepreneurs Don’t Let AI Make the Final Call
10-Minute Tech Talks: Business Insights and Growth Hacks for Time-Crunched Entrepreneurs
Here's a quick question for you. If your software can make decisions for your customers, should it, or should it simply make them smarter? In this episode of 10 Minute Tech Talks, you will get a front-row seat at the Pittsburgh Technology Council's 2026 Think!AI Summit. You're going to hear why some of the most advanced AI leaders in healthcare believe technology should recommend not rule. And by getting this wrong, can cost you trust adoption, possibly even the entire market. The Tech Council's CEO, Audrey Russo interviewed Jonathan Jungk of Palantir and Chris Johnson of TeleTracking...
info_outline
What Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Scaling a Technology Venture
10-Minute Tech Talks: Business Insights and Growth Hacks for Time-Crunched Entrepreneurs
What does it really take to scale a startup when early traction turns into real momentum? In this episode of 10 Minute Tech Talks, Jonathan Kersting of the Pittsburgh Technology Council and TechVibe Radio breaks down a powerful segment from his TechVibe interview with Wendy McSparren and John Mihalik, co-founders of Admirra, a fast-growing mental health technology startup. You’ll learn how they: Scaled from early customers to national growth Built a strong startup team without losing focus Kept their SaaS product simple and competitive Used customer feedback to guide development ...
info_outline
Love, Leadership, and Launching a Technology Startup
10-Minute Tech Talks: Business Insights and Growth Hacks for Time-Crunched Entrepreneurs
Building a startup is hard. Building a startup with your spouse? That’s a whole different level of difficulty. Today on 10 Minute Tech Talks, we’re exploring how Wendy McSparren and John Mihalik built Admirra together, not just as co-founders, but as partners in life. Admirra provides software and service solutions for private mental health practices to help them onboard new clients and efficiently manage business workflows. This is a story about trust, boundaries, leadership, and learning how to win together. Wendy and John remind us that startups aren’t just built on code and...
info_outline
Why Entrepreneurs Should Pay Attention to How Healthcare Uses Technology
10-Minute Tech Talks: Business Insights and Growth Hacks for Time-Crunched Entrepreneurs
What you’re about to hear isn’t just a conversation about healthcare. It’s a masterclass in how modern organizations use technology to scale expertise, reduce friction, and make better decisions at speed. In this episode, we excerpted a segment from the Pittsburgh Technology Council's Health Care Reinvented Podcast featuring Highmark leaders Maria Baker and Mari Vandenburg as they talk about how artificial intelligence and predictive analytics are transforming healthcare by synthesizing massive amounts of data and turning it into clear, actionable insights for clinicians. For...
info_outlinePittsburgh is often called a comeback city. But Woolpert CEO Neil Churman sees something deeper.
As discovered in his Techvibe interview, Neil believes the same industrial DNA that built America’s steel industry is now powering the region’s rise in AI, robotics, and infrastructure technology.
In this short conversation, Neil shares a personal story about his great-grandfather working in the steel mills — and why that legacy still shapes the future of innovation.”
Woolpert is a global architecture, engineering, and geospatial technology firm that uses advanced tools like AI, lidar, and digital twins to design infrastructure, map the world, and help organizations build and manage everything from airports and pipelines to data centers and smart cities.
Be sure to listen to the full TechVibe interview where we dive deeper into AI, infrastructure, and the companies helping build the next generation of technology.
Produced by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, this is a podcast for tech and manufacturing entrepreneurs exploring the tech ecosystem, from cyber security and AI to SaaS, robotics, and life sciences, featuring insights to satisfy the tech curious.