The Hudson Companies, Hermitage, PA, has contributed a donation to the Pitt Blast Furnace, a student accelerator at the University of Pittsburgh comprised of 30 student entrepreneur teams. Founded in 1977 by President and Managing Partner John M. Hudson, The Hudson Companies is an industry leader in real estate development, investment, and general construction. The Hudson Companies’ privately held investment and development portfolio consists of investment grade real estate including credit tenant leased facilities, multi-family apartment communities, medical office, and multiple commercial office facilities located in institutional grade investment markets. As an established general construction company, it specializes in educational, medical, office, and institutional facilities. The Hudson Companies has financed, developed, acquired, invested, and managed properties in six states, including Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas.
The $10,000 donation will support five teams known as the Blast Furnace Fellows. The Blast Furnace Fellows teams must work 30 hours minimum per week at the Blast Furnace office space at the Gardner Steel Conference Center, conduct a minimum of 50 customer discovery meetings, apply to up to five local or national accelerators or angel investors and create a legal entity by the end of the program.
Blast Furnace is a nine week program open to Pitt undergraduate and graduate students at the main campus. It consists of 9 weeks of Lean LaunchPad workshops and 8 evening socials with presentations and Q&A sessions with successful entrepreneurs and early-stage investors. Blast Furnace is a capstone course option in the Swanson School of Engineering’s Innovation, Product Design and Entrepreneurship certificate program and is offered for credit in the College of Business Administration.
“At The Hudson Companies, we pride ourselves on teamwork, innovation, and incorporating an entrepreneurial approach to our business. We are pleased to support the growth of entrepreneurial programs at Pitt, and the Blast Furnace in particular, as it aligns with our company values,” said Jonathan Hudson, second generation vice president.