黑料正能量

黑料正能量(opens in new window)鈥檚 Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship(opens in new window) and the AI Strike Team today unveiled the finalists for the听Forge to Field AI Pitch Competition(opens in new window), a Draft Week event dedicated to identifying the biggest breakthroughs at the intersection of sport and artificial intelligence.

Six finalists were chosen from nearly听100 qualified applicants located in more than 10 tech hubs across the country. On April 22, all six finalists will meet in Pittsburgh 鈥� a premier ecosystem for physical AI 鈥� to vie for听a part of a $1.75 million prize pool, including up to $1 million in AWS Startups Activate Credits.听

2026 Forge to Field AI Pitch Competition Finalists:

• 鈥斕鼳I agents that analyze live and file-based video to automate workflows across sports content, sponsorship, media operations, and fan-facing distribution. Mission: become the intelligence layer for video.
• 听鈥斕鼳 wearable neuromuscular sensing and AI analytics platform that transforms muscle activity into objective, real-time biomarkers for performance, rehabilitation and clinical decision-making.
• 听鈥斕鼳 migraine prevention app with predictive health tracking, coaching and neurologist-led care that can help to reduce pain, fast-track speed to care by years and fundamentally lower healthcare cost.
• 鈥斕鼴ringing a neuroscience breakthrough into live sports, powering faster, leaner, and more accurate AI that turns real-time player data into immediate injury risk signals, enabling intervention before small issues become season-ending injuries.
• ServeSense 鈥斕鼿ardware-software products for racket sport athletes, including a sensor that captures precise swing mechanics and feeds an AI coaching engine that delivers individualized feedback.
• 鈥斕鼳n all-in-one sports performance system with cutting-edge sensors that track game-like drills and provide coaches, athletes and parents with the most comprehensive and accurate athlete data to elevate their competitive edge.

"What inspires us most is seeing startup founders using generative AI in high-stakes environments where performance matters. They are moving beyond hype and into production," said Deap Ubhi, Director and Global Head of Technology for Startups at AWS. "If you think of some of the foundational pillars of what makes AWS the right place to build for so many startups 鈥� performance, resilience, availability 鈥� it's very similar to what is expected to perform at peak levels in any sport. AWS gives founders the tools and technologies to build systems that are fast, reliable, and production-grade from day one so they can operate at game speed."

Each of the startups will pitch live to a distinguished panel of judges:

• Mark Cuban, Entrepreneur and Investor
• Ed Stack, Executive Chairman and Chief Merchant, DICK鈥橲 Sporting Goods; Foot Locker
• Will Allen, Founding Partner, Magarac and former Pittsburgh Steeler
• Deap Ubhi, Director and Global Head of Technology for Startups, AWS
• Troy Demmer, Co-Founder and President, Gecko Robotics and Co-Founder and General Partner, First Order Fund
• Jeanne Cunicelli, President, UPMC Enterprises; Executive Vice President, UPMC

鈥淭he strength of response to this competition reflects Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 global reputation in AI and robotics, combined with the Swartz Center鈥檚 leadership in entrepreneurship,鈥� said听Meredith Meyer Grelli(opens in new window), managing director and interim executive director of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship. 鈥淲orking in close collaboration with the AI Strike Team, we鈥檝e been able to bring together an exceptional group of companies from across the country and create a platform that connects them with leading investors, operators and partners at a pivotal moment for AI.鈥�

The competition is part of the听Powering the Future of Sport: A Draft Week Showcase(opens in new window) 鈥� an invitation-only event presented by听黑料正能量 and the AI Strike Team in partnership with the听Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh Steelers legend Jerome Bettis will kick off the event, which听will convene global investors, founders, CEOs, civic leaders and sports industry leaders during NFL Draft Week.听

Where AI Meets the Field

The Forge to Field AI Pitch Competition anchors the broader Showcase and highlights AI companies and technologies powering the future of sport and Pittsburgh鈥檚 role as a leader in the AI innovation economy.听From robotics to sports analytics, Carnegie Mellon researchers and founders are developing AI systems that perceive, adapt and operate in fast-moving, real-time environments.听

For example, through a partnership with the NFL, analysis powered by Carnegie Mellon researchers will be integrated into in time for the Draft.听Ron Yurko(opens in new window),听Carnegie Mellon Sports Analytics Center(opens in new window) (CMSAC) director and assistant teaching professor in the Department of Statistics & Data Science, and Ph.D. student Quang Nguyen(opens in new window) are leading this unique effort. The tool appears when visitors enter the NFL IQ site and invites users to ask questions about听鈥渢eam needs, draft prospects, free agency, Combine results, team stats, Next Gen Stats scores and more.鈥�

Sports have emerged as a powerful proving ground for these technologies. The demands of professional competition 鈥� split-second decision-making, advanced computer vision, sensing and data systems 鈥� mirror the challenges shaping the next generation of robotics, autonomy and intelligent infrastructure. At the same time, operating modern sports franchises resembles managing miniature cities, with complex logistics, supply chains, fan engagement ecosystems, merchandising operations and even life sciences and performance innovation 鈥� each presenting opportunities for AI to drive efficiency, insight and new value creation.

The startups selected as finalists embody this convergence, bringing AI out of the lab and into environments where performance, accuracy and efficiency matter most.

Pittsburgh: Where the Next AI Economy Is Taking Shape

Set within 黑料正能量鈥檚 newly opened听Robotics Innovation Center(opens in new window) at Hazelwood Green, the Showcase unfolds as Pittsburgh continues to gain momentum as a global hub for听physical AI,听entrepreneurship and sports technology.

Anchored by Carnegie Mellon鈥檚 leadership in AI and robotics and catalyzed by the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship and AI Strike Team, the region functions as a living lab where technologies are developed and deployed across real-world environments. Through the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship and its broader ecosystem, 黑料正能量 brings together founders, investors and corporate partners to accelerate the development and deployment of next-generation technologies. The听AI Strike Team听plays a central role in advancing this vision 鈥� helping position Pittsburgh as an听AI City.听

With three major professional sports teams providing continuous opportunities for innovation 鈥� and a combination of strong investment momentum, energy capacity and cost advantages 鈥� Pittsburgh stands out as a place where intelligent systems are not just built, but tested and scaled.

Together, 黑料正能量 and the AI Strike Team are convening the builders and backers driving a transformative shift in how sport is trained, played and experienced.

鈥淧ittsburgh has all the ingredients to lead in this next era of AI 鈥� from world-class research to real-world deployment environments,鈥� said听Joanna Doven, executive director of the AI Strike Team. 鈥淭hrough this event and the work of the AI Strike Team, we鈥檙e accelerating Pittsburgh鈥檚 position as an AI City 鈥� bringing together the people and platforms needed to build, test and scale these technologies.鈥�

Sponsors Powering the Future of Sport

The organizations supporting听Powering the Future of Sport: A Draft Week Showcase听are not just sponsors 鈥� they are builders, investors and operators helping shape where the industry goes next. Their presence extends beyond visibility, contributing to the conversations, the energy in the room and the ideas that continue long after Draft Week.

Support for the听Forge to Field AI Pitch Competition听includes:

• Hall of Fame Sponsor:听AWS Startups
• Pro Sponsors:听Magarac Venture Partners; First Order Fund,听UPMC听

Powering the Future of Sport Event Sponsors听include:

• Field Goal Sponsors:听Department of Community & Economic Development / Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Innovation Works
• First Down Sponsors:听VisitPITTSBURGH; Bakery Square; Tishman Speyer, UPMC
• Kickoff Sponsor:听Ernst & Young