Tuesday, April 21, 2009

SMaSh-ing Success in Pittsburgh

Update: The Trib is running an article about SMaSh and Mark Cuban.

I just saw the following
tidbit in the Washington Post:

Pittsburgh-based SMaSh Technologies has raised a $1.35 million round, led by Mark Cuban, the billionaire who owns the Dallas Mavericks and is chairman of HDNet. Also participating in the round was a seed-stage investment group, Innovation Works of Pittsburgh, and Dr. Ihor Lys, who was named 2008 National Inventor of the Year by the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation.

More information available here:

“I am also excited to back SMaSh as a Pittsburgh-based startup, it’s a region with many advantages and I’m excited to help grow the company there,” said Cuban.

And another piece of good news from TECHburgher:

Techburgher absolutley loves getting news of smart people returning back to the region with their companies in tow. After four years in Florida, Alan S. Koch decided to return to western Pennsylvania, and he brought his company ASK Process with him. The Kochs grew up here, and love the four seasons – including winter. So they were eager to leave the heat, humidity and hurricanes of Florida behind.

“My wife and I started out here too many years ago to admit to,” says Alan. “And while family was a strong draw for us personally, this area is a great home base for my business as well!” ASK Process provides consulting and training services to organizations all over the world. But most of their clients are in the Eastern U.S., making Western PA a convenient central location. “Almost any location in Pennsylvania, Ohio or New York is an easy drive from here,” says Alan. “And if I want, I can drive to my most important business centers; Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC.”

That's the kind of boomerang migration the region needs. Two great Burgh Diaspora stories.

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