Trailblazing Women Powering Pittsburgh’s STEM Scene Part 2

Continuing our series, we are featuring three additional female founders of technology companies in the Pittsburgh region.

JJ Xu, Founder and CEO, TalkMeUp

JJ Xu

As a self-described ”super nerd” growing up in China, JJ Xu’s passion was applying technology to solve real-world problems. Although she attended one of the top universities in China, the entrepreneurial ecosystem there wasn’t mature enough to support her ambitions. So, she quit her job and came to the United States, earning a second graduate degree: an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. It was during her time at CMU that she conceived the idea for TalkMeUp—AI-powered software for communications coaching.

“The traditional way of communications coaching is you pay me handsomely to coach you on how to communicate, and I’d give you feedback based on certain metrics. My job is to help you better articulate and convey your message to be more persuasive,” said Xu, adding that for career advancement, everyone needs to master the art of persuasiveness.

Her product uses AI to fully automate that process and transform behavioral data into structured data. “The AI will analyze your videos, then analyze my performance and reactions to truly understand how effective I am during this interpersonal interaction. Through our system, we can quantify how well I communicated, how engaged I am, and how engaged my audience is. This system gives users tips and feedback to improve. We use AI to reduce costs and make everything measurable and scalable for enterprise clients,” she said. Her primary clients include mid- to large-sized companies, nonprofits, and universities.

Xu and her company have won several venture competitions, and she was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by CMU’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship.

She acknowledged that being a female entrepreneur isn’t without its challenges—especially while balancing motherhood and marriage during the early stages of building her company. But she noted that entrepreneurship helped her navigate difficult situations. “I’m grateful that I’m an entrepreneur because it forced me to grow out of it; I had no time to sit in a situation and feel sad. Being an entrepreneur constantly helped me find resources and solutions to solve problems,” she said.

What Xu loves most about being a businessperson is “the ability to own my own passion and do something about it. The opportunity to exhaust every bit of my potential and see myself grow—that is the most rewarding part.”

Jennifer Honig, Founder and CEO, Techstra Solutions

Jennifer Honig

Jennifer Honig describes her path to the tech world as “windy.” In college, she studied both economics and art history—what she calls her “yin and yang”: creativity and analytical thinking.

After leaving a career in museum development, Honig earned her MBA at Carnegie Mellon University and became intrigued by management consulting. After working at a few firms, she knew she wanted to start her own business. She eventually founded Techstra Solutions, a firm that provides management consulting and technology solutions to companies undergoing digital transformation. Its “special sauce,” as she describes it, is the ability to operationalize strategies.

Honig’s background made her well-suited for her current work. “Our clients need innovative thinking to create and establish solutions that meet future business needs and remain authentic to their goals and culture. To me, that’s all about creativity,” she said.

Founded 13 years ago, the company has grown steadily. “The way I ensure growth is to build new capabilities and services based on market need so that we are always an asset to our clients. Currently, we are investing in our artificial intelligence (AI) practice, as AI is becoming a key business driver for the organizations we serve,” said Honig.

She is equally committed to her team and ensures that employees have the support and tools they need to succeed and deliver results.

For Honig, the best part of her job is learning something new every day. “I love getting up in the morning, excited to see how the day will unfold. I learn things from my clients and from my team. I’m in the greatest discipline in the world right now—technology is constantly changing—so it makes each day dynamic and demanding in the best way,” she said.

To aspiring female tech leaders and entrepreneurs, Honig offers this advice: “You have to believe in yourself and know yourself well enough to recognize that this is what you want to do. Then, you must have the grit and determination to do it. Also, it takes a village. You cannot do it alone. Whether it’s friends, family, or mentors, build your trusted network and lean on it to help you get where you want to go.”

Daniela Osio, Founder and CEO, Kloopify

Daniela Osio

Like many people, Daniela Osio took stock of her life during the pandemic and asked herself whether she was doing what she truly wanted. After graduating from Duquesne University with degrees in supply chain management and systems management—and spending time in corporate America—Osio decided to strike out on her own. She developed a software tool she wished had existed when she was at her former company.

Based on that product, Osio founded Kloopify, an AI-powered business that addresses global supply chain challenges by focusing on sustainable procurement. The software provides predictive analytics on labor, materials, and supplier costs, as well as real-time tariff and trade intelligence—enabling customers to make informed purchasing decisions. Kloopify helps companies save money while building resilience against supply chain disruptions.

Osio believes that a company is only as strong as its team, and she’s focused on empowering hers. “As CEO, I work for the people on my team. If there are any roadblocks or challenges, they have a direct line to me,” she said. She also prioritizes creating value for clients and expanding the company’s customer base.

The most rewarding part of her work, she said, is hearing success stories from clients. “It’s really rewarding to deliver value to Pittsburgh and the greater procurement ecosystem—and to change the face of tech. There aren’t many founders who look like me or have my background, so I feel privileged to do what I do in this industry and to have Pittsburgh support our company and mission the way it has,” said Osio.

She said the key to success—though it may sound cliché—is to “…believe in yourself, show up for yourself, and bet on yourself and your community. If you don’t have all the skills, start anyway—you’ll develop the skills along the way.”

Although being a woman in tech still comes with challenges, Osio is heartened by the growing number of women entering the space. “Women are fueling the next wave of talent. As a woman in tech, I firmly believe that if you have the privilege of learning, you have the responsibility of teaching. As we continue to break ceilings, we bring the next generation with us.”