Founded in 2014, Fourth River Solutions (4RS) is a non-profit consulting organization, registered in the state of Pennsylvania that is led by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Our mission is to provide high-quality and competitive deliverables to our clients, while simultaneously providing graduate students (PhD, MD, JD, Nursing, and MS/MA) & post docs with experiential learning opportunities and greater access to non-academic career opportunities. 

Our origins

While Pittsburgh is often known as the city with three rivers, longstanding urban legend has it that there is a hidden fourth river, running deep below the city that is the source of water for the Point State Park fountain. The mythos now surrounding "the fourth river" has come to represent a metaphorical hidden source with great potential.

We believe we are that untapped resource.

Advanced professional degree students in STEM fields have historically struggled with making the leap from academia into alternative career paths. 4RS was born out of the desire to tap into the potential of such individuals, further enhance their skill sets, and open up a wide array of future career options. In the rich entrepreneurial environment that Pittsburgh provides, we believe that our model provides a recipe for success for both our members and our clients.

Our model

4RS relies on consultancy as a platform to provide our members with valuable real world experience, while efficiently and competently executing client needs. In doing so, we aim to foster entrepreneurialism and facilitate exchange between academia and industry. Our consulting engagements pair teams of accomplished, highly-motivated graduate students and local businesses from the vibrant Pittsburgh startup economy to provide real-world solutions to business problems.   

What we can do for you

Services Offered

We put the deep research expertise of 4RS consultants to work for you. We have successfully delivered on engagements including market research, competitive intelligence, growth strategy, product launch, and regulatory navigation. 

Success Stories

For more information about our project history and the feedback from our clients, please take a look at our Portfolio.

Let's get started

If you have an idea for a project that requires our expertise, do not hesitate to Contact Us about it.