Wharton Entrepreneurship
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| Wharton Entrepreneurship | |
|---|---|
| Name | Wharton Entrepreneurship |
| Parent | University of Pennsylvania |
| School | Wharton School |
| Established | 1973 |
| City | Philadelphia |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| Country | United States |
Wharton Entrepreneurship is the entrepreneurship arm of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, providing curriculum, research, and venture support that connects students, faculty, and alumni with the broader innovation ecosystems of Philadelphia, Silicon Valley, and international markets such as Tel Aviv, London, and Beijing. It partners with institutions and initiatives across finance, technology, and policy including Kauffman Foundation, National Science Foundation, Small Business Administration, and corporate collaborators like Google and Microsoft. The program leverages networks spanning venture capital firms such as Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, and Andreessen Horowitz alongside startup accelerators like Y Combinator and Techstars.
History
Wharton Entrepreneurship traces roots to entrepreneurship curricula developed at the Wharton School during the 1970s, influenced by scholarly work from faculty associated with Joseph Wharton's legacy and institutional developments at the University of Pennsylvania led by administrators connected to initiatives such as the National Bureau of Economic Research and influences from practitioners at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Through the 1980s and 1990s it expanded alongside the rise of Silicon Valley venture ecosystems and collaborations with government programs like the Small Business Innovation Research program and philanthropic support from entities like the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation. In the 2000s it deepened ties with campus-wide transdisciplinary efforts including centers linked to Penn Medicine, School of Engineering and Applied Science (University of Pennsylvania), and global initiatives involving INSEAD and Harvard Business School exchanges.
Programs and Academics
Academic offerings include undergraduate concentrations, MBA electives, and doctoral seminars integrated with the Wharton School curriculum, featuring courses co-taught by faculty affiliated with the Penn Carey Law School, Perelman School of Medicine, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science (University of Pennsylvania). Signature programs draw on scholarship from faculty connected to journals like the Journal of Finance and the Academy of Management Journal, and include experiential modules modeled after programs at Stanford Graduate School of Business, MIT Sloan School of Management, and Columbia Business School. Students engage with practitioner-led seminars featuring speakers from Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, Sheryl Sandberg, and investors from BlackRock and Bain Capital. Courses emphasize venture finance, technology commercialization, and social enterprise topics that intersect with initiatives at institutions such as Harvard Kennedy School and Yale School of Management.
Centers and Initiatives
Wharton Entrepreneurship collaborates with centers and initiatives across the University of Pennsylvania, including partnerships with Penn Center for Innovation, the Morris Arboretum entrepreneurship programs, and joint ventures with the Venture Lab and incubation efforts aligned with Pennovation Works. It coordinates with research centers tied to faculty networks at the Wharton School and collaborates on policy and innovation projects with groups like the Rhodes Trust and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Strategic alliances connect the program to accelerator networks including MassChallenge and corporate innovation labs at IBM and Pfizer.
Student Organizations and Competitions
A wide array of student organizations and competitions work with Wharton Entrepreneurship, including student chapters and clubs that mirror models at Harvard Business School and Stanford, as well as competitions such as the Penn Wharton Startup Challenge, business plan contests modeled after the MIT $100K and the Hult Prize, and pitch events with judges drawn from New Enterprise Associates, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Union Square Ventures. Student groups collaborate with entrepreneurship clubs across campuses like Wharton Undergraduate Finance Club, Penn Engineers for Innovation, and cross-institutional networks including Entrepreneurship Club at Columbia.
Startup Support and Resources
Support services span mentorship from alumni founders from firms like Warby Parker, Uber, and Casper Sleep, seed funding opportunities from angel networks tied to Keiretsu Forum and AngelList, and access to prototyping resources in facilities similar to those at MIT Media Lab and Stanford d.school. The program connects ventures to corporate partnerships with Amazon Web Services credits, legal clinics modeled after Stanford Law School initiatives, and commercialization pathways through the Penn Center for Innovation and links to government funding sources such as the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense research programs.
Notable Alumni and Ventures
Alumni and venture alumni networks include founders and executives associated with ventures such as Warby Parker, Casper, Venmo, Zillow, Uber, Jet.com, Care.com, StubHub, Groupon, and social enterprises connected to Ashoka. Investors and operators in the network include leaders from Sequoia Capital, Benchmark, Greylock Partners, Founders Fund, and corporate innovation executives formerly at Facebook, Apple Inc., and Microsoft. The alumni community is linked to philanthropic and policy impact through figures involved with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, and international entrepreneurship programs with USAID.