2026 MRSD Swartz Fellows Abhishek Mathur and Gweneth Ge.
MRSD students have many things in common. Hardworking, intelligent, and driven, students in the program continually stand out in their projects and industry knowledge that they apply both within and after their time in graduate school. However, several MRSD students share another thing in common: obtaining a Swartz Fellowship.
The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University hosts a variety of programs tailored to furthering students’ entrepreneurial education and experiences. The James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows include select students who show unique potential in their technological specialties and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. The two-year program centers around a mentored summer internship with a highly-regarded startup, and also further develops each Fellow’s entrepreneurial skills through networking, hands-on work, and essential courses in entrepreneurship.
By combining instruction on the creation and function of robots with exposure to key business concepts and practices, the MRSD program prepares students to stand out in applications, and they’ve seen great success in the Swartz Fellow program since the MRSD’s inception in 2011. To date, an impressive twelve students have been selected as Swartz Fellows.
“MRSD students continually bring energy and talent to the Swartz Fellowship program,” said Dave Mawhinney, Executive Director of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship. “Their impact always impresses us, and we greatly appreciate our partnership.”
The most recent MRSD Swartz Fellow recipients, Gweneth Ge and Abhishek Mathur, will complete their fellowship in 2026. Ge specializes in the applications of Robotics and AI and aims to build automated labs to accelerate drug development. Mathur hopes to launch a company that provides AI-driven, dexterous manipulation systems for humanoid robots that target industries like healthcare and manufacturing.
“The MRSD students have provided a unique perspective in their approach to entrepreneurship, along with their technical and business skills, which has enriched the Swartz Fellows program,” said Sonya Ford, program manager at the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship. “Their focus in robotics and automation has added to the diversity of the program.”
With help from the Swartz center, MRSD students have been able to leverage a unique combination of entrepreneurial insights and technical expertise that positions them to make impressive contributions in their careers.
“The most memorable part of the Swartz experience was the Bay Area Startup trek. We met many CMU founders making their mark on the world,” said Praveen Venkatesh, 2024 Swartz Fellow. “I left not only with insights into how driven minds approach the art of building, but also with a deep sense of connection and empathy for others on a similar trajectory.”
A full list of MRSD Swartz Fellows is provided below.
2015 – Sahil Shah
2015 – Steven Smith
2017 – Logan Wan
2020 – Jorge Anton Garcia
2023 – Hardik Singh
2023 – Ryan Lee
2024 – Shivam Tripathy
2024 – Praveen Venkatesh
2024 – Zilin Zhang
2025 – Michael Gromis
2026 – Gweneth Ge
2026 – Abhishek Mathur
For More Information: Aaron Aupperlee | 412-268-9068 | aaupperlee@cmu.edu