In his third month as vice president of 3-month-old Johnstown-based startup Alternative & Sustainable Energy Solutions LLC, Robert Unger knew something had to change.

He was well aware of the robust market for alternative fuels, but wasn't sure how to break through the ranks of established competitors to steer potential customers and investors to his company.

"We know we have a good concept and a good product, we need to figure out ways to get out there and start winning some contracts," he said.

On Thursday, only a few hours into Duquesne University's Small Business Development Center TCOMM event, a conference designed to help tech startups in figuring out funding and commercialization, Mr. Unger had already picked up tips that could help steer his company in the right direction.

"I fall into the trap of trying to sell the technology [of the business], rather than the benefits," he said. "This can help me to transform from an engineer to an entrepreneur."

TCOMM, which kicked off Thursday, brought dozens of successful tech business owners, government contracting consultants and nonprofits to the Holiday Inn University Center in Oakland in an effort to aid fledgling startups.

Mary McKinney, manager of Duquesne's Small Business Development Center, said the idea for the conference came about after the university received funding from the federal Small Business Administration. The money was targeted to help tech businesses market their concepts and to train them on applying for the federal Small Business Innovation Research program, which supports companies developing technologies that could benefit various government agencies.

Ms. McKinney said Duquesne reached out to university Small Business Development Centers throughout the state to join the conference and invited well-known local tech resource companies such as Innovation Works, the Technology Collaborative and Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Technology Transfer and Enterprise Creation.

She said the collaboration would show emerging business owners just how much help is available locally to assist them in finding core customers and funding sources.