Innovation Works

Innovation Works is a venture capital firm based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, established in 1999. With over 20 years of experience, it has become a key player in Southwestern Pennsylvania's technology economy, focusing on investing in high-potential companies that can significantly impact the regional economy. As the largest investor in seed-stage companies in the region, Innovation Works supports a diverse range of sectors, including robotics, artificial intelligence, medical devices, retail technologies, and enterprise software. In addition to financial investment, the firm offers business expertise and resources to help manufacturers adopt new technologies, further fostering innovation and growth within the local economy.

Sophie Burkholder

Investment Associate

Peter Erin

Senior Investment Associate

Aaron Tainter

Director of Accelerator Programs

Steven Welles

Managing Director of Software

Past deals in Hardware

Advanced Optronics

Seed Round in 2024
Advanced Optronics specializes in the design and manufacture of implantable sensors aimed at enhancing intraoperative monitoring during surgeries. These innovative sensors provide real-time feedback to surgeons, helping to minimize trauma and prevent damage to residual hearing during implant procedures. The company focuses on developing flexible and biocompatible sensor systems that facilitate less invasive surgical techniques across various medical applications. By integrating flexible micro-electromechanical system sensors with cochlear implants, Advanced Optronics aims to improve surgical outcomes and support surgeons in performing procedures with greater precision and care.

HeadStrait Labs

Pre Seed Round in 2024
HeadStrait Labs is a medical equipment manufacturing company that focuses on developing devices for head and neck immobilization in pre-hospital care. The firm offers a specialized head device designed to enhance patient outcomes during ambulance transportation. By enabling healthcare professionals to effectively stabilize the head and neck during critical moments, HeadStrait Labs plays a vital role in improving care for patients in emergency situations.

Humotech

Pre Seed Round in 2024
Humotech is a developer of a wearable robotics platform that focuses on advancing research and development in areas such as prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeletons. The company offers a system known as Caplex, which allows users to explore and innovate with reduced risk and shorter development timelines. Caplex serves as a programmable performance system that emulates real-world physical characteristics, enabling researchers to test their ideas before committing to physical prototypes. This platform provides high-performance, customizable, and expandable hardware and software, thereby facilitating the rapid development, testing, and evaluation of wearable assistive technology concepts with human users.

Sensi Fit

Pre Seed Round in 2024
Sensi Fit is a manufacturer specializing in athletic equipment, primarily developing fitness testing sensors. These sensors are designed to facilitate athletic testing for high-performance athletes, providing real-time quantitative data, biomechanics feedback, and training guidance. This enables athletes to enhance their performance without the need for wearables.

EKTO VR

Convertible Note in 2023
EKTO VR, Inc. is a company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that specializes in the development of wearable robotic boots designed to facilitate movement in virtual reality environments. Founded in 2018, EKTO VR's flagship product, Traverse, features advanced technology that includes rotating plates and a set of wheels. This design allows users to walk naturally while remaining in a fixed location, thereby enhancing the realism of virtual experiences and training simulations. The innovative boots aim to reduce motion sickness, enabling users to engage fully in virtual reality games and experiences without physical discomfort. EKTO VR is focused on improving the quality of immersive experiences for users around the globe.

Adrich

Seed Round in 2023
Adrich, Inc. is a company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that specializes in electronic packaging hardware and customized software. Founded in 2016, Adrich provides a consumer insights platform that connects brands and retailers through detailed product usage data and analytics. The company's innovative smart packaging hardware, combined with its tailored software, facilitates autonomous data collection and transmission via product labels. This smart tracking system captures real-time information on usage patterns, including day, time, geolocation, and volumetric data, allowing brands and retailers to better understand consumer trends and behaviors. In doing so, Adrich aims to enhance customer engagement and retention strategies.

Advanced Optronics

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Advanced Optronics specializes in the design and manufacture of implantable sensors aimed at enhancing intraoperative monitoring during surgeries. These innovative sensors provide real-time feedback to surgeons, helping to minimize trauma and prevent damage to residual hearing during implant procedures. The company focuses on developing flexible and biocompatible sensor systems that facilitate less invasive surgical techniques across various medical applications. By integrating flexible micro-electromechanical system sensors with cochlear implants, Advanced Optronics aims to improve surgical outcomes and support surgeons in performing procedures with greater precision and care.

Touchwood Labs

Seed Round in 2022
TouchWood Labs, Inc., founded in 2019 and based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, specializes in the development of innovative technology for office and home furniture. The company creates a unique hardware platform that features proprietary invisible displays, which can be embedded beneath surfaces like wood or plastic. These displays activate when needed, providing interactive touch interfaces for users to control various IoT-connected devices. TouchWood Labs aims to enhance user experience by merging technology with mindful design, ultimately fostering healthier relationships with technology through its product offerings, which include work-from-home desks and coffee tables.

Touchwood Labs

Seed Round in 2021
TouchWood Labs, Inc., founded in 2019 and based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, specializes in the development of innovative technology for office and home furniture. The company creates a unique hardware platform that features proprietary invisible displays, which can be embedded beneath surfaces like wood or plastic. These displays activate when needed, providing interactive touch interfaces for users to control various IoT-connected devices. TouchWood Labs aims to enhance user experience by merging technology with mindful design, ultimately fostering healthier relationships with technology through its product offerings, which include work-from-home desks and coffee tables.

Xogo

Seed Round in 2020
Xogo is a hardware and software platform aimed at empowering individuals, particularly those with disabilities, to effectively engage with technology. It provides a versatile solution by enabling connections between a wide variety of devices, including standard USB, Bluetooth, WiFi, and 3.5mm jack inputs. This compatibility allows users to integrate and control diverse technologies, such as cable boxes, smart home devices, and video game consoles, according to their specific needs and preferences. By addressing issues of device incompatibility and usability, Xogo helps users to maximize the functionality of their technology, fostering a more inclusive and user-friendly experience.

SwifTAG Systems

Seed Round in 2020
SwifTAG Systems concepts and products were conceived by active researchers in the medical field who recognized the dramatic inefficiencies of existing small animal management systems and processes. Their mission is to bring high technology and medical research together to drive down costs and increase the time researchers spend doing actual research. They envision laboratories where animal management systems are functional, low maintenance, efficient, and as easy to use as a well-designed smartphone app. They want to see researchers focusing on medical breakthroughs, not on mindless small animal logistics. Their product lines include small animal tags, handheld and tabletop readers, cage and rack readers, whole laboratory management systems, and support software.

EKTO VR

Seed Round in 2020
EKTO VR, Inc. is a company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that specializes in the development of wearable robotic boots designed to facilitate movement in virtual reality environments. Founded in 2018, EKTO VR's flagship product, Traverse, features advanced technology that includes rotating plates and a set of wheels. This design allows users to walk naturally while remaining in a fixed location, thereby enhancing the realism of virtual experiences and training simulations. The innovative boots aim to reduce motion sickness, enabling users to engage fully in virtual reality games and experiences without physical discomfort. EKTO VR is focused on improving the quality of immersive experiences for users around the globe.

Adrich

Venture Round in 2020
Adrich, Inc. is a company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that specializes in electronic packaging hardware and customized software. Founded in 2016, Adrich provides a consumer insights platform that connects brands and retailers through detailed product usage data and analytics. The company's innovative smart packaging hardware, combined with its tailored software, facilitates autonomous data collection and transmission via product labels. This smart tracking system captures real-time information on usage patterns, including day, time, geolocation, and volumetric data, allowing brands and retailers to better understand consumer trends and behaviors. In doing so, Adrich aims to enhance customer engagement and retention strategies.

ARIN Technologies

Seed Round in 2020
ARIN Technologies, Inc. is a Pittsburgh-based startup founded in 2015 that specializes in high accuracy indoor positioning systems aimed at enhancing productivity and safety in indoor environments. The company develops a two-part product consisting of hardware, known as SpotRight™, and a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution called SpotLight™. These systems enable businesses to accurately determine the location of tags within buildings, facilitating improved situational awareness and cost-effective asset tracking. By offering enhanced localization and alerting capabilities, ARIN Technologies empowers organizations to optimize their operations, increase efficiency, and create safer workspaces.

Touchwood Labs

Seed Round in 2020
TouchWood Labs, Inc., founded in 2019 and based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, specializes in the development of innovative technology for office and home furniture. The company creates a unique hardware platform that features proprietary invisible displays, which can be embedded beneath surfaces like wood or plastic. These displays activate when needed, providing interactive touch interfaces for users to control various IoT-connected devices. TouchWood Labs aims to enhance user experience by merging technology with mindful design, ultimately fostering healthier relationships with technology through its product offerings, which include work-from-home desks and coffee tables.

HEBI Robotics

Seed Round in 2020
Hebi Robotics specializes in developing modular robotic technologies that streamline the creation of robotic solutions. Their offerings include customizable robot kits, such as robotic arms and mobile bases, as well as modules and sensors equipped with elastic actuators. These components enable precise control over torque, position, and velocity, allowing engineers and researchers to integrate sophisticated robotic systems more efficiently. By providing well-defined interfaces and internet-enabled connectivity, Hebi Robotics empowers users to focus on high-level tasks rather than technical implementation details. This approach not only accelerates development but also reduces costs through customization, ensuring that clients only purchase necessary components. Ultimately, Hebi Robotics aims to deliver faster, better, and more cost-effective robotic solutions tailored to specific applications.

SwifTAG Systems

Seed Round in 2019
SwifTAG Systems concepts and products were conceived by active researchers in the medical field who recognized the dramatic inefficiencies of existing small animal management systems and processes. Their mission is to bring high technology and medical research together to drive down costs and increase the time researchers spend doing actual research. They envision laboratories where animal management systems are functional, low maintenance, efficient, and as easy to use as a well-designed smartphone app. They want to see researchers focusing on medical breakthroughs, not on mindless small animal logistics. Their product lines include small animal tags, handheld and tabletop readers, cage and rack readers, whole laboratory management systems, and support software.

EKTO VR

Pre Seed Round in 2019
EKTO VR, Inc. is a company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that specializes in the development of wearable robotic boots designed to facilitate movement in virtual reality environments. Founded in 2018, EKTO VR's flagship product, Traverse, features advanced technology that includes rotating plates and a set of wheels. This design allows users to walk naturally while remaining in a fixed location, thereby enhancing the realism of virtual experiences and training simulations. The innovative boots aim to reduce motion sickness, enabling users to engage fully in virtual reality games and experiences without physical discomfort. EKTO VR is focused on improving the quality of immersive experiences for users around the globe.

Adrich

Seed Round in 2019
Adrich, Inc. is a company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that specializes in electronic packaging hardware and customized software. Founded in 2016, Adrich provides a consumer insights platform that connects brands and retailers through detailed product usage data and analytics. The company's innovative smart packaging hardware, combined with its tailored software, facilitates autonomous data collection and transmission via product labels. This smart tracking system captures real-time information on usage patterns, including day, time, geolocation, and volumetric data, allowing brands and retailers to better understand consumer trends and behaviors. In doing so, Adrich aims to enhance customer engagement and retention strategies.

ARIN Technologies

Seed Round in 2018
ARIN Technologies, Inc. is a Pittsburgh-based startup founded in 2015 that specializes in high accuracy indoor positioning systems aimed at enhancing productivity and safety in indoor environments. The company develops a two-part product consisting of hardware, known as SpotRight™, and a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution called SpotLight™. These systems enable businesses to accurately determine the location of tags within buildings, facilitating improved situational awareness and cost-effective asset tracking. By offering enhanced localization and alerting capabilities, ARIN Technologies empowers organizations to optimize their operations, increase efficiency, and create safer workspaces.

Adrich

Seed Round in 2018
Adrich, Inc. is a company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that specializes in electronic packaging hardware and customized software. Founded in 2016, Adrich provides a consumer insights platform that connects brands and retailers through detailed product usage data and analytics. The company's innovative smart packaging hardware, combined with its tailored software, facilitates autonomous data collection and transmission via product labels. This smart tracking system captures real-time information on usage patterns, including day, time, geolocation, and volumetric data, allowing brands and retailers to better understand consumer trends and behaviors. In doing so, Adrich aims to enhance customer engagement and retention strategies.

Adrich

Seed Round in 2017
Adrich, Inc. is a company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that specializes in electronic packaging hardware and customized software. Founded in 2016, Adrich provides a consumer insights platform that connects brands and retailers through detailed product usage data and analytics. The company's innovative smart packaging hardware, combined with its tailored software, facilitates autonomous data collection and transmission via product labels. This smart tracking system captures real-time information on usage patterns, including day, time, geolocation, and volumetric data, allowing brands and retailers to better understand consumer trends and behaviors. In doing so, Adrich aims to enhance customer engagement and retention strategies.

ARIN Technologies

Seed Round in 2017
ARIN Technologies, Inc. is a Pittsburgh-based startup founded in 2015 that specializes in high accuracy indoor positioning systems aimed at enhancing productivity and safety in indoor environments. The company develops a two-part product consisting of hardware, known as SpotRight™, and a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution called SpotLight™. These systems enable businesses to accurately determine the location of tags within buildings, facilitating improved situational awareness and cost-effective asset tracking. By offering enhanced localization and alerting capabilities, ARIN Technologies empowers organizations to optimize their operations, increase efficiency, and create safer workspaces.

Adrich

Convertible Note in 2017
Adrich, Inc. is a company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that specializes in electronic packaging hardware and customized software. Founded in 2016, Adrich provides a consumer insights platform that connects brands and retailers through detailed product usage data and analytics. The company's innovative smart packaging hardware, combined with its tailored software, facilitates autonomous data collection and transmission via product labels. This smart tracking system captures real-time information on usage patterns, including day, time, geolocation, and volumetric data, allowing brands and retailers to better understand consumer trends and behaviors. In doing so, Adrich aims to enhance customer engagement and retention strategies.

Xogo

Convertible Note in 2017
Xogo is a hardware and software platform aimed at empowering individuals, particularly those with disabilities, to effectively engage with technology. It provides a versatile solution by enabling connections between a wide variety of devices, including standard USB, Bluetooth, WiFi, and 3.5mm jack inputs. This compatibility allows users to integrate and control diverse technologies, such as cable boxes, smart home devices, and video game consoles, according to their specific needs and preferences. By addressing issues of device incompatibility and usability, Xogo helps users to maximize the functionality of their technology, fostering a more inclusive and user-friendly experience.

ARIN Technologies

Seed Round in 2017
ARIN Technologies, Inc. is a Pittsburgh-based startup founded in 2015 that specializes in high accuracy indoor positioning systems aimed at enhancing productivity and safety in indoor environments. The company develops a two-part product consisting of hardware, known as SpotRight™, and a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution called SpotLight™. These systems enable businesses to accurately determine the location of tags within buildings, facilitating improved situational awareness and cost-effective asset tracking. By offering enhanced localization and alerting capabilities, ARIN Technologies empowers organizations to optimize their operations, increase efficiency, and create safer workspaces.

SolePower

Convertible Note in 2016
SolePower creates a connected work boot that helps industrial workers become safer and more efficient. Industrial worksites are dangerous and dynamic; the costs of small inefficiencies add up quickly, and big mistakes can result in serious incidents or loss of life. SmartBoots aim to lower incident rates, increase work site visibility, and establish metrics from which workflow and safety improvements can be made. At the core of the system is an Army-tested, patented kinetic charger which uses walking motion to sustainably charge sensors embedded inside the boot. (Pilot unit includes GPS, Ultra Wideband, RFID, IMU, Sub-GHz RF, thermocouple, Wifi, altimeter). SolePower's mission is to take the functionality of a variety of standalone wearables and combine them into a single, compact, self-charged platform. The team is partnered with SR Max (a leading safety footwear provider) and the US Army.

Xogo

Convertible Note in 2016
Xogo is a hardware and software platform aimed at empowering individuals, particularly those with disabilities, to effectively engage with technology. It provides a versatile solution by enabling connections between a wide variety of devices, including standard USB, Bluetooth, WiFi, and 3.5mm jack inputs. This compatibility allows users to integrate and control diverse technologies, such as cable boxes, smart home devices, and video game consoles, according to their specific needs and preferences. By addressing issues of device incompatibility and usability, Xogo helps users to maximize the functionality of their technology, fostering a more inclusive and user-friendly experience.

Adrich

Seed Round in 2016
Adrich, Inc. is a company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that specializes in electronic packaging hardware and customized software. Founded in 2016, Adrich provides a consumer insights platform that connects brands and retailers through detailed product usage data and analytics. The company's innovative smart packaging hardware, combined with its tailored software, facilitates autonomous data collection and transmission via product labels. This smart tracking system captures real-time information on usage patterns, including day, time, geolocation, and volumetric data, allowing brands and retailers to better understand consumer trends and behaviors. In doing so, Adrich aims to enhance customer engagement and retention strategies.

HEBI Robotics

Seed Round in 2015
Hebi Robotics specializes in developing modular robotic technologies that streamline the creation of robotic solutions. Their offerings include customizable robot kits, such as robotic arms and mobile bases, as well as modules and sensors equipped with elastic actuators. These components enable precise control over torque, position, and velocity, allowing engineers and researchers to integrate sophisticated robotic systems more efficiently. By providing well-defined interfaces and internet-enabled connectivity, Hebi Robotics empowers users to focus on high-level tasks rather than technical implementation details. This approach not only accelerates development but also reduces costs through customization, ensuring that clients only purchase necessary components. Ultimately, Hebi Robotics aims to deliver faster, better, and more cost-effective robotic solutions tailored to specific applications.

SolePower

Seed Round in 2015
SolePower creates a connected work boot that helps industrial workers become safer and more efficient. Industrial worksites are dangerous and dynamic; the costs of small inefficiencies add up quickly, and big mistakes can result in serious incidents or loss of life. SmartBoots aim to lower incident rates, increase work site visibility, and establish metrics from which workflow and safety improvements can be made. At the core of the system is an Army-tested, patented kinetic charger which uses walking motion to sustainably charge sensors embedded inside the boot. (Pilot unit includes GPS, Ultra Wideband, RFID, IMU, Sub-GHz RF, thermocouple, Wifi, altimeter). SolePower's mission is to take the functionality of a variety of standalone wearables and combine them into a single, compact, self-charged platform. The team is partnered with SR Max (a leading safety footwear provider) and the US Army.

LifeShel

Seed Round in 2014
LifeShel is a Pittsburgh-based technology company that specializes in manufacturing innovative smartphone cases designed to enhance personal safety. Their flagship product, the Whistl case, is equipped with features that include an alarm system, video and audio recording capabilities, and alerts to police, family, and friends, aimed at preventing sexual assault. Additionally, LifeShel provides satellite communication hardware tailored for industrial applications, ensuring reliable connectivity in challenging environments. The company also offers monthly reports and visualization tools to help businesses analyze their generated data.

SolePower

Seed Round in 2013
SolePower creates a connected work boot that helps industrial workers become safer and more efficient. Industrial worksites are dangerous and dynamic; the costs of small inefficiencies add up quickly, and big mistakes can result in serious incidents or loss of life. SmartBoots aim to lower incident rates, increase work site visibility, and establish metrics from which workflow and safety improvements can be made. At the core of the system is an Army-tested, patented kinetic charger which uses walking motion to sustainably charge sensors embedded inside the boot. (Pilot unit includes GPS, Ultra Wideband, RFID, IMU, Sub-GHz RF, thermocouple, Wifi, altimeter). SolePower's mission is to take the functionality of a variety of standalone wearables and combine them into a single, compact, self-charged platform. The team is partnered with SR Max (a leading safety footwear provider) and the US Army.

25eight

Seed Round in 2010
25eight, an online database for gadgets, allows users to find implementations and combinations of hardware and software.
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