Two Startups Founded by Pitt Students Selected for AlphaLab’s 2025 Cohort

Each year, AlphaLab, a Pittsburgh-based accelerator organization, selects promising startup companies to invest in and mentor. Their recently announced 2025 cohort includes S&K Cosmetics, founded by University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering alumnus Justin Seth (BS MEMS ’23), and Korion Health, cofounded by Anna Li (MD/PhD student in Pitt’s School of Medicine).

As members of the 2025 cohort, S&K Cosmetics and Korion Health will receive up to $100,000 in investment. Through mentoring and training unique to each of the companies, they will gain experience in areas such as fundraising and building customer bases.

S&K Cosmetics develops and produces microneedling devices that patients can use at home to treat issues such as acne scars, hair loss, and wrinkles. Seth began developing these devices in his Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Senior Design Course, and he worked with the Swanson School of Engineering’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship program to help start his company.

Korion Health produces electric USB stethoscopes that patients can use to track their heart and lung health from home and to more easily share that information with their doctors. Li, CEO of Korion Health, and cofounder and CTO Akshaya Anand, of the University of Maryland, have used the Makerspace at the Swanson School of Engineering for some of her prototyping and marketing efforts. In addition to the recent selection to AlphaLab’s cohort, Korion Health won a $1 million Hult Prize in September 2024. 

“Having had the opportunity to see both of these remarkable individuals in action has been rewarding and inspiring,” said Buddy Clark, professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at the Swanson School of Engineering and Director of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship program. “Through their innovative and entrepreneurial spirit and desire to improve the lives of others, Anna and Justin embody the spirit of the student innovation community that is developing at Pitt, and I’m excited to see how they will continue to grow their companies with the support of AlphaLab.”