What is an Explorer?
Curious Learner
Explorers are driven by curiosity—they’re eager to understand the entrepreneurial world, even if they haven’t defined a specific idea or goal yet.
Opportunity Seeker
They actively engage with new topics, people, and experiences to discover where their passions and strengths align within the innovation landscape.
Path Finder
Explorers use experimentation and reflection to clarify their direction—whether that leads to founding, joining, investing, or something entirely their own.
Programs for Explorers
Get focused, one-on-one feedback on a brand, design, content, product-marketing, or production-planning question through Digital Design Studio office hours.
Build practical skills in branding, marketing, content, design, and multimedia production through Digital Design Studio workshops and events.
The Digital Design Studio at Venture Lab is an educational resource to support current Penn student startups of all stages with their branding and marketing, featuring a state-of-the-art audiovisual production studio.
The Penn ELITE Fellowship is a paid, one-year, full-time post-graduate program where Fellows serve as entrepreneurial leads to advance Penn and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia health technologies. Delivered by Venture Lab and Penn Health-Tech, the Fellowship advances healthcare innovations toward translation and market readiness.
Eligible VIP-X & Food Lab ventures can review Digital Design Studio production capabilities, readiness standards, training, equipment, and the process for requesting a guided studio session.
The Food Innovation Lab helps Penn students bring food ideas to life through kitchen access, advising, funding, events, and practical support.
The Bet on Entrepreneurship Program empowers first-generation and/or limited-income students with training, real-world experience, and community to explore entrepreneurship and build skills for any career path.
Founder Programs
The Visiting Experts Program is a Venture Lab program that provides students with the opportunity to meet and learn from alumni founders, entrepreneurs, subject matter experts, and industry experts in one-on-one or small group AMA (Ask Me Anything) sessions.
Our Retail Lab is a flexible retail space to showcase successful alumni and student ventures, inspire Penn students, and provide active learning opportunities.
The Engineering Studios @ Venture Lab are a collection of fabrication labs open to the
entire University of Pennsylvania community
- powered by the School of Engineering & Applied Science - to make ideas tangible and testable.
entire University of Pennsylvania community
- powered by the School of Engineering & Applied Science - to make ideas tangible and testable.
What is an Explorer in the context of entrepreneurship?
An Explorer is someone who’s curious about innovation and startups but still discovering where they fit in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
I’m curious about entrepreneurship, but I don’t know what I want to do—can I still get involved?
Yes—Explorers are supposed to be uncertain. Programs like Visiting Experts gives you space to learn, ask questions without pressure, and figure out what excites you most in the entrepreneurial world.
What kinds of experiences are available to Explorers?
Explorers can attend workshops, speaker series, and mentoring sessions, and they’re encouraged to engage with different pathways and perspectives to expand their understanding.
Where can the Explorer Pathway lead?
Explorers often go on to become founders, joiners, or investors—or use their entrepreneurial mindset to drive innovation in any career they pursue. Some may already identify with another pathway but use the Explorer experience to expand their perspective and explore new possibilities.
What will I get out of being an Explorer?
You’ll still have the opportunities to gain exposure in entrepreneurial thinking, build confidence in unfamiliar territory, and start connecting ideas, people, and opportunities across Penn’s innovation ecosystem.
How do I know if I’m ready to explore entrepreneurship?
If you’re asking questions, curious about how things are built, or excited by the idea of solving real problems—even without a clear plan—you’re already ready to explore.
Latest Explorer Events
04
November
Join us for an evening of live pitches, peer innovation, and practical insight at the Bijoor Family Pitch Night: Becoming Investor Ready hosted by Venture Lab.
05
November
William is the founder and managing partner of Mucker Capital, the largest seed fund exclusively focused outside of the Bay Area.
11
November
Allison Goldberg is the SVP of Startup Engagement at Comcast, where she oversees Comcast Ventures as Managing Partner.
13
November
Josh Slavitt, a Founding Partner at Slavitt IP Law, LLC a and a registered patent attorney for almost 20 years is available for 1:1 sessions on Intellectual Property (IP) Questions
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