Thrival Innovation + Music Festival
gears up for an amazing fifth year.
By Nicole Tafe
C
elebrating its fifth year, the Thrival Innovation + Music Festival is gearing up for what
promises to be another year of spectacular events.
The Thrival Innovation + Music Festival is an annual, Pittsburgh-based event
featuring multiple days of innovation-focused programming capped by a two-day outdoor
live music experience.
The festival started in 2013 as an initiative of Ascender (known then as Thrill Mill),
and was founded by CEO Bobby Zappala, Chairman Luke Skurman and a group of their
friends. The original concept started even further back—almost 10 years ago—when
this group started a neighborhood barbecue that served as an informal party for young
Pittsburghers, raising funds for local startup companies.
This yearly block party eventually transformed into a nonprofit, now called Ascender,
a “start/build” hub that offers an incubator program for early-stage entrepreneurs, co-
working space and free community programs—and Thrival. Ascender produces Thrival as
the organization’s flagship initiative that promotes and celebrates Pittsburgh’s innovation
and creative ecosystems. It has two parts: Thrival Innovation and Thrival Music.
“Thrival is a Pittsburgh creation,” says director Dan Law. “It has grown and scaled over
the years with the support of Pittsburghers, and it now welcomes attendees from over 30
states and multiple countries.”
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Bennet and Jean Marie Laskas
Photos by Tony Piscitelli
Women In Bio Crowdshot
Monroeville | Fall 2017 | icmags.com 21