--- title: The rumors are true 💰 --- Even beyond Skild AI’s billion-dollar raise, Pittsburgh startups raised millions this month. | January 15, 2026 Doesn't look right? View this email on the web. We're so up, folks! This week it's all about money, money, money. đŸ€‘ The big headline, of course, is Skild AI’s billion-dollar raise — yes, billion — which is a first for Pittsburgh. Keep reading for what the company plans to do with the funding. Plus, while most rounds don’t come with nine zeros, several other local startups raised fresh funding recently. Those details are below, too.   — Alice Crow, Pittsburgh lead reporter Image of the Day: The Monday night Steelers game — before we got crushed —at Mario's in Shadyside  (Alice Crow/Technical.ly) Have a photo or chart we should feature here? Hit reply and send in your submission. You're reading this. So are people you want to reach.   As the country’s longest running and most established ecosystem storyteller, Technical.ly is read by an engaged community no one else has. Whether you're looking for in-market awareness or to reach innovation stakeholders outside your region, we are your secret weapon. Work with us to share your message directly with your target audience. Find out more Skild AI lands $1.4B investment   The East Liberty-based AI robotics startup Skild AI finally confirmed yesterday that it raised $1.4 billion in fresh funding. The round was led by SoftBank, with a long list of other big-name investors, and it boosted the startup’s valuation to over $14 billion. The round comes after Skild unveiled its Skild Brain last summer, which is an AI model that can be integrated into any type of robot and can adjust its behavior in real time based on its lived experience.  The company said it became profitable last year, making $30 million in 2025. It plans to deploy Skild Brain robots in commercial or industrial settings at first, but eventually in consumers' homes. Continue reading... More funding wins for PGH-built tech   Multiple local startups scored new capital this past month. For many, the plan is to get their products into the hands of more customers. Sportstech company Diamond Kinetics raised $12 million in growth financing to expand its AI-powered livestreaming platform for youth baseball and softball.  HeadStrait Labs, a medical device startup specializing in a head and neck immobilization device, landed $325,000 from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. It's part of a larger, ongoing fundraising round for the company.  And startup Super Powers Mobility closed a $1.3 million pre-seed round to accelerate the commercialization of its electric off-road vehicle tech. Continue reading for more money moves... Technical.ly Partner Updates How Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs finds promising startup partners Tito Obaisi breaks down how he taps into the innovation ecosystem to fuel the LIFT Labs’ pipeline. For startup leaders: Connect with Ballard Spahr — trusted legal power with startup empathy. For entrepreneurs and innovators: Learn about Arlington Economic Development's resources for startups including the Arlington Innovation Fund. For jobseekers: Explore careers at Clerri, named to the Inc. 5000 list three years in a row. đŸ€– AI x Local  The latest on artificial intelligence in our region A Pittsburgh startup is using AI to read the news — and pick stocks \[Post-Gazette 🔒\] Offense vs. defense: Why neither approach works for AI regulation \[Technical.ly\] ‘A lot of areas’ in rural PA could house data centers for AI growth, Garrity says \[WESA\]  📰 News Incubator: What else to know Stories from our newsroom and around the web     Can you hear me now? Everything we know about the Verizon outage leaving thousands without cell service \[Technical.ly\]  Federal innovation funding in 2026: What ecosystem builders need to know now \[Technical.ly\] Duolingo announces CFO transition \[Press release\] Dina Powell McCormick, wife of US Sen. Dave McCormick, named Meta president \[TribLIVE\] Bakery Square expansion ambitions meet market realities \[Public Source\] I met an undercover billionaire and printed an empire. An interview with Mike Vindler, CEO of startup Tronix3D. \[Thought Liters\]   On the Calendar Want to see your event here? Reply and let me know    🏃 Pitch and Run x NexHacks, Jan. 17, 6 p.m., FREE   đŸ€đŸŸ Black Startups & Tech Meetup, Jan. 19, 6 p.m., FREE   💉 Medical Device Professionals Meetup, Jan. 20, 5:30 p.m., FREE   đŸ» Network for Impact: OneValley, Jan. 21, 5 p.m., FREE   📈 PGHTech Marketing Mash Up, Jan. 22, 5 p.m., FREE đŸ’Œ Job market: Find your place Customer Success Manager, SMB at Clerri At Clerri, we’re a team of builders, believers, and bold thinkers driven by one mission: to remove the barriers between patients and providers through memberships that improve access to care and...Find out more » Customer Success Manager. Enterprise at Clerri At Clerri, we’re a team of builders, believers, and bold thinkers driven by one mission: to remove the barriers between patients and providers through memberships that improve access to care and...Find out more » Customer Integration Consultant at Clerri At Clerri, we believe in big ideas and bold goals. We’re building a team of kind, curious humans who care deeply about people and progress. As a Customer Integration Consultant, you will help our...Find out more » âžĄïž Search all open jobs and hiring companies This email is sent weekly. Want more? Subscribe with one click Regional:  DC \|  Louisiana \|  Maryland \|  Philadelphia \|  Pittsburgh National:  Builders by Chris Wink \|  This Week in Jobs âžĄïž Click to make Technical.ly a preferred source on Google Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we rely on your personal and organizational support. Our Services  \|  Techincal.ly Journalism Fund You received this email because you're subscribed to newsletters from Technical.ly Pittsburgh Technically Media is headquartered at 601 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106 To unsubscribe, update your preferences here. | | --- |