Financial downturns can provide opportunity for startups, says CMU professor of entrepreneurship

By Kevin Gavin,

Marylee Williams, Laura Tsutsui, Emma Furry

Published March 20, 2023 at 10:55 AM EDT

Santa Clara Police officers exit Silicon Valley Bank in Santa Clara, Calif., Friday, March 10, 2023. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was seizing the assets of Silicon Valley Bank, marking the largest bank failure since Washington Mutual during the height of the 2008 financial crisis.

On today’s episode of The Confluence:

Silicon Valley Bank, which attracted startup founders and venture capitalists in the tech industry, collapsed on March 10. We talk to Dave Mawhinney, executive director of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University about how tech entrepreneurs can adapt and grow in this financial environment. (0:00 - 8:45)

Casa San Jose is celebrating 10 years of serving Pittsburgh’s Latino community. We speak to founding director Sister Janice Vanderneck about the work accomplished, and what more she would like to see. (8:55 - 17:30)

Despite the city’s many hills and valleys, Downtown Pittsburgh is pretty flat. But it wasn’t always that way. For our Good Question series, 90.5 WESA’s Katie Blackley reports on the history of Grant’s Hill in the Golden Triangle, and what happened to the so-called “Hump.” (17:34 - 22:30)

The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Friday at 9 a.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here for wherever you get your podcasts.