Young Entrepreneurs to Showcase Travel Startups at PIT
Where’s the best place to show off your new travel app? At the airport, of course!
By Alyson Walls
Published October 7, 2018
Read Time: 3 mins
First came steel. Then came eds, meds and tech. But the “next” economic transformation of the Pittsburgh region is innovation, and it’s already underway.
So says Ketaki Desai, director of FortyX80, a new arm of the Pittsburgh Technology Council specifically committed to advancing the growth of entrepreneurs across southwestern Pennsylvania.
Fresh off a trade mission to Seattle on the new nonstop Alaska Airlines flight with some of Pittsburgh’s rising tech stars on board, Fortyx80 took the GeekWire Summit by storm earlier this month, and now the organization is preparing to do the same this week at Pittsburgh International Airport.
The organization’s first ever pitch-and-demo showcase, featuring seven Pittsburgh-based travel startups, will take place on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Airside Terminal Center Core. The event gives companies and young entrepreneurs a chance to connect with key audiences — travel agents, businesses and travelers themselves — to promote new ideas, apps and products.
“The idea is to showcase Pittsburgh’s innovation economy at the airport,” Desai said. “The airport has been making huge strides and everyone sees it as one of the most innovative and forward-