STEMup and Connexis Partner to Strengthen Life Science and Tech Workforce Development

STEMup Science and Technology Institute™ and Connexis Search Group announced a strategic national partnership to accelerate workforce readiness, leadership development, and talent innovation across the life-science and technology sectors.

A key feature within the STEMup ecosystem is the STEMup Enablers™—a network of professional service organizations that provide knowledge, access, and operational expertise to participants in STEMup's education-to-enterprise programming. This collaboration will connect STEMup's multi-generational workforce initiatives with Connexis's expertise in executive recruitment and fractional leadership to establish a new model for talent deployment, venture growth, and capital efficiency in early-stage organizations.

Through this partnership, STEMup and Connexis will identify and support STEM executives, emerging leaders, and innovators seeking flexible career and advisory roles within high-growth ventures. The initiative will pilot fractional executive placements within biotechnology and technology companies while expanding STEMup's Pittsburgh Innovators Apprenticeship Program™ (PIAP™)—a workforce pipeline integrating apprenticeship, mentorship, domain-specific education (DSE), and leadership-readiness programs across regional and national networks. By bridging the human-capital gap and promoting cost-efficient growth, the partnership enables STEM-based companies to scale faster and more sustainably.

"Our collaboration with Connexis bridges the gap between education, employment, and enterprise creation," said Dr. Neil J. Campbell, Executive Chairman of STEMup Science and Technology Institute. "By embedding fractional leadership and executive development into our innovation ecosystem, we are building a more agile, inclusive, and capital-efficient STEM workforce that scales to meet the needs of organizations right here in Pittsburgh and across the country."