AlphaLab, the accelerator of Innovation Works helping entrepreneurs accelerate their path to market, has selected 20 companies to join its 2026 cohort, marking the largest group of startups the program has supported at once.

The companies span artificial intelligence, robotics, health innovation, energy, and advanced manufacturing, reflecting a growing emphasis on technologies that embed intelligence into both digital systems and physical products. Collectively, the cohort is focused on improving how industries operate, from modernizing legacy workflows to building hardware and infrastructure that adapts in real-world environments.

Selected startups will receive up to $100,000 in investment, along with hands-on support focused on customer acquisition, founder-led sales, fundraising preparation, and product-market fit. Founders also participate in an immersive, on-site cohort experience designed to foster collaboration, mentorship, and rapid execution.

“This cohort reflects how quickly technology is moving from experimentation to application,” said Aaron Tainter, Director of Accelerator Programs at Innovation Works. “These founders are embedding intelligence into systems that people and businesses rely on every day, whether that’s health care delivery, energy storage, robotics, or industrial operations.”

While the cohort operates as a single, unified program, companies bring strengths aligned with AlphaLab’s industry tracks, including Software, Health, Gear, and Robotics Factory. The 2026 cohort includes:

AlphaLab Software

• blink commerce: A commerce optimization platform for Shopify brands focused on speed, conversion, and measurable revenue impact
• Carbonara, Inc.: AI-powered CRM for the global hospitality industry with waitlist and reservation services, founded by an AlphaLab alum who also founded NoWait, which sold to Yelp in 2016
• Conopi: An AI intelligence layer for construction that interprets plans, specifications, and project data
• Gratis Intelligence: A platform modernizing consumer product sampling by enabling brands to distribute samples without waste
• Motoria: An AI-powered search engine that aggregates new and used car listings across the U.S.

AlphaLab Health (supported in collaboration with Allegheny Health Network)

• Concordare Trials: An enterprise protocol operating system that standardizes and digitizes clinical research guidelines
• Mandeville Therapeutics: A biotech company developing small-molecule therapies for chronic kidney disease
• Medmiro: A medical device startup focused on reducing postoperative complications associated with surgical tubes
• Precision Neuroscopics: A company developing next-generation EEG technology for brain monitoring
• Visionaire Products, Inc.: A medtech company improving care for ocular disease through advanced diagnostic technology

AlphaLab Gear

• Bedrock Semiconductor: A company leveraging expertise in GaN semiconductor manufacturing to develop next-generation power electronics
• Oya Apparel: A brand creating medically tested activewear designed to manage moisture, regulate temperature and improve comfort
• SeaLion Energy: A hardware company building systems that protect and extend the life of critical battery materials

Robotics Factory

• Clear Solar Corporation: A company developing automated systems to clean solar panels at significantly lower cost and higher frequency
• Inductive Robotics: Autonomous robots that deliver EV charging directly to fleet and commercial vehicles
• Mimetic: A company developing biocompatible 3D printing hardware and materials for biomedical and pharmaceutical research
• Power 3D: A manufacturer combining 3D printing and semiconductor processes to produce high-energy-density microbatteries
• SpoilSafe: A hardware-enabled food intelligence platform using sensors and machine learning to predict spoilage
• TramR Robotics Inc.: A developer of autonomous mobile robots designed for small and midsize businesses
• Vaera: A company creating at-home microneedling devices engineered for safety and performance

“Pittsburgh has created a wonderful, technical community that has made us feel at home,” said Mitch Gilbert, Founder and CEO of Oya Apparel. “The opportunity to work with the AlphaLab team to streamline our manufacturing processes and implement new systems for scale was very attractive to our company and can help us reach a new level.”

“Having experienced several accelerators as a second-time MedTech founder, AlphaLab Health stands apart,” said Tyler Minonuk, CEO of Medmiro. “Its immediate connection to a strategic partner, Allegheny Health Network, accelerates milestones most founders don’t reach until the end of a program. That advantage made moving Medmiro from Denver to Pittsburgh an easy choice, and we’re thrilled to be part of the 2026 AlphaLab cohort.”

Across the cohort, founders are tackling challenges that demand technical depth and market discipline. Many are operating in regulated, capital-intensive sectors such as health care, energy, and advanced manufacturing — areas where AlphaLab has deep experience helping startups advance from pilot to scale.

Learn more about the AlphaLab 2026 cohort.

About AlphaLab

AlphaLab helps startups find customers, capital, and community. Established by Innovation Works in 2008 as its first accelerator, AlphaLab offers six-month programs that include capital investments and customized guidance from a staff of entrepreneurs. Across its industry-specific programs, AlphaLab has invested in more than 250 companies, leading to $1.3 billion in follow-on funding, over 20 exits, and two unicorns. Learn more at alphalab.org.

About Innovation Works

Innovation Works is one of the most active early-stage investors in the country and the most active in Pennsylvania. Since its inception of the seed fund in 1999, Innovation Works has invested in over 780 companies that have gone on to raise $3.3 billion in follow-on funding. Portfolio companies have generated and retained over 20,000 jobs in Pennsylvania. Innovation Works is part of the Ben Franklin Technology Partners network, which has catalyzed economic growth over the last 30 years by providing access to capital and networks that help foster innovation and technology-based economic development in Pennsylvania. Learn more at innovationworks.org.

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