The State Line Is Not an Innovation Line, Why Pittsburgh and Morgantown Are Better Together

What happens when two major West Virginia technology conferences join forces and invite Pittsburgh to the party? TechVibe Radio talks with Melissa McKenna of Trilogy Solutions and Bill Walker of West Virginia University about the October 28 Mountain State Cyber Summit and Tech Yeah conference in Morgantown, an event expected to bring together hundreds of leaders from industry, academia and government. And this isn't just another cybersecurity gathering. The conference stretches across four major areas including secure and intelligent systems, national security and mission innovation, autonomy and advanced manufacturing, and health and cyber biosecurity. Expect conversations touching AI, aerospace, robotics, healthcare, food security, federal missions and the emerging threats surrounding increasingly connected infrastructure. Walker, a former Chief of Staff at U.S. Cyber Command, explains how WVU has built deep relationships with federal agencies and industry partners to tackle real national security challenges. McKenna details how combining Mountain State Cyber Summit and Tech Yeah! creates new opportunities for companies, entrepreneurs, researchers and students to connect, collaborate and build. But perhaps the biggest takeaway is geographic. Pittsburgh and Morgantown are only about 75 miles apart, with complementary strengths across AI, robotics, energy, manufacturing, cybersecurity, research and federal contracting. As Walker puts it, "The state line's a political boundary. It's not an innovation boundary." Hit play to discover why Pittsburgh companies should be looking south, why West Virginia organizations should be looking north and how one connected technology corridor could create new companies, contracts, investment and jobs across the region. The Pittsburgh Technology Council produces TechVibe to explore Pittsburgh's technology and innovation ecosystem.