T hrive
MAKING PITTSB
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 held 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.
22 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Mt. Lebanon
“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.”
This year’s Thrival Innovation will be held in Pittsburgh’s East
End on Sept. 27 and 28 at the Ace Hotel, Kelly Strayhorn Theater,
Bakery Square and the Carnegie Museum of Art. Thrival Innovation
will feature two full days of programming and events centered on
“Intelligence: Humans X Tech,” focusing on the relationship between
humans and technology.
Thrival Music will be held at Carrie Furnaces on Sept. 29 and
30. “The Carrie Furnaces site is special for Thrival Music because
the space literally represents the physical and philosophical
transformation of our entire region,” explains Law. “The furnaces no
longer produce hot metal, but the facility now contributes to new
economic growth and creativity. Carrie remains a significant element
of our culture and we’re proud to partner with Rivers of Steel, the
nonprofit dedicated to preserving the site.”