The Pittsburgh Startup Pod

Episode Description:Manufacturing innovation often happens where the physical world meets the digital one—and few places reveal that intersection better than the surfaces we design around us. In this episode of the Pittsburgh Startup Podcast, Charles Mansfield sits down with Tevis Jacobs, founder of Surface Design Solutions, to explore the surprisingly complex world of surface design and its role in modern manufacturing.From coatings and materials science to performance, durability, and aesthetics, Tevis breaks down why surfaces are far more than a finishing touch—they’re often the difference between a product that works and one that fails. The conversation dives into how startups are innovating in manufacturing, why surface engineering is deceptively difficult, and how Pittsburgh’s deep-tech and industrial roots make it an ideal place to build companies solving real-world problems.Whether you’re a founder, engineer, or just curious about the hidden complexity behind everyday materials, this episode offers a fascinating look at the science—and startups—behind the surfaces we rely on every day.

What actually makes a startup ecosystem work—and what does it take to sustain one over time?In this episode, I’m joined by YJ Lin, a longtime builder and connector in the startup world, to unpack the invisible infrastructure behind strong founder communities. We dig into what separates transactional ecosystems from truly durable ones, the role of trust and long-term stewardship, and how community builders can avoid burnout while still driving momentum.From there, we zoom in on Pittsburgh—where the ecosystem is today, what’s quietly working, and where the next chapter of growth could come from. We talk about talent retention, founder density, the balance between institutions and grassroots efforts, and what it will take for Pittsburgh to fully step into its potential as a top-tier startup city over the next decade.If you’re a founder, investor, community organizer, or just someone rooting for Pittsburgh’s future, this conversation offers both grounded insight and a hopeful, pragmatic vision for what comes next.

In this episode of The Pittsburgh Startup Pod, we sit down with Becca Segel, PhD, founder and CEO of FlowCellutions, a startup on a mission to transform grid-scale energy storage with next-generation diagnostics technology. Becca shares her unconventional path — from cutting-edge lab research at the University of Pittsburgh to launching a hard-tech venture based in Pittsburgh — and she opens up about why she believes flow batteries are the backbone of a resilient energy future.Becca’s background: a PhD in Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, a former NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and years of research experience on flow batteries. Why she chose grid-scale batteries: the problem of renewable energy intermittency, the promise of flow-battery architectures, and how FlowCellutions addresses a major pain point — diagnostics and reliability of large-scale energy storage. Her startup journey in Pittsburgh (and beyond): building in a “non-coastal” ecosystem, navigating research commercialization, and how the Pittsburgh community and entrepreneurship programs supported her. What’s next for FlowCellutions: pilot projects, scaling the hardware + software platform, partnering with grid operators, and advancing the mission of long-duration storage for a cleaner, more resilient electric grid. Becca's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/segel/