Farnam Jahanian, President of Carnegie Mellon College, speaks at TechCrunch Metropolis Highlight: Pittsburgh

TechCrunch is proud to announce that Farnam Jahanian, President of Carnegie Mellon University, will speak at our event in Pittsburgh on June 29th. You can sign up here. The interview with President Jahanian is free to attend and listen to.

President Jahanian is an outspoken advocate of science and innovation, which makes him perfect to lead our startup-focused event in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Speaking to a House committee in April, Jahanian identified the latest trends shaping research and development in the United States. These included a widening gap in opportunities and growing economic inequality – topics that also fundamentally shape startups in Silicon Valley, Pittsburgh and elsewhere.

“Carnegie Mellon’s decades of leadership in research and teaching in AI and robotics has sparked an innovation ecosystem in the Pittsburgh area where entrepreneurship, creativity and space intersect,” Jahanian told TechCrunch. “These emerging technologies are changing the way we farm, enabling millions to learn a new language, leading the race to develop self-driving vehicles, and even flying to the moon. We are committed to empowering citizens across Pittsburgh to reap the benefits of these innovations as they continue to change our world. “

Pittsburgh is a fantastic startup ecosystem that is growing rapidly, taking advantage of its incredible universities, welcoming local government, and experienced investors. Despite being thousands of miles away, Pittsburgh has long contributed to Silicon Valley’s success through research and development. For TechCrunch, Pittsburgh represents a city that uses its local resources to build businesses in and out of the region. We recently published an in-depth profile on Duolingo, showing how the local Pittsburgh ecosystem helped turn the startup into a billion dollar company.

TechCrunch Hardware Editor Brian Heater will interview Jahanian. Heater was key to designing and programming TechCrunch’s past events, including TC Sessions: Robotics, a cornerstone discipline at CMU.

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TechCrunch City Spotlight: Pittsburgh features lectures from Jahanian, local startups, and local executives. More names will be announced in the coming weeks.

We are still looking for startups who would like to take part in the event. It’s free to register and network and watch the event (click here to sign up). It’s also free to apply to pitch your startup at the event (click here to apply). We’re looking for early stage companies in the greater Pittsburgh area who can pitch a two-minute pitch in exchange for feedback in front of a panel of local venture capitalists.