Fraction of the cost.
Building a frontier tech company in Pittsburgh costs a fraction of what it costs in San Francisco or New York. The economics are not the problem.
25¢ on the dollar.
In some Pennsylvania innovation programs, the ratio of dollars that actually reach founders versus dollars that sustain the apparatus around them is less than a penny on the dollar. The capital infrastructure is the problem.
World-class research.
CMU. Pitt. Carnegie Mellon's robotics and AI programs rank among the top in the world. The ideas are not the problem.
The Compact
01
Put founders first — by law.
Mandate that a minimum of 60% of every state innovation dollar goes directly to founders. If a program can't clear that bar, consolidate it or sunset it. No exceptions, no waivers.
02
Measure what actually matters.
Tie program funding to founder outcomes: revenue generated, follow-on capital raised, jobs created by portfolio companies. Not workshops. Not reports. Not presence at a conference.
03
Build retention infrastructure.
Attracting founders means nothing if the first thing their coastal investors say is "have you considered relocating?" The ecosystem has to give people a reason to stay after they raise — not just a reason to start. That means capital, legal infrastructure, recruiting networks, and a community dense enough to matter.
04
Concentrate the firepower.
Consolidate the sprawling network of regional intermediaries into a leaner structure with one job: deploy capital to founders and get out of the way.