Programs for Founders
The Startup Challenge is Venture Lab at The University of Pennsylvania’s flagship event, which brings together successful entrepreneurial alumni and Penn student entrepreneurs to showcase the best student-founded ventures from across Penn’s campus. This comprehensive platform helps Penn student entrepreneurs and their teams progress their businesses, and competing teams have the opportunity to pitch to a live audience at the Startup Showcase to win cash and in-kind prizes from an award pool of over $150,000.
The Penn Emerging Leaders in Health Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (ELITE) Fellowship offers MD, PhD, and MBA graduates- or those with equivalent experience- a paid opportunity to serve as the entrepreneurial leader of a team working to develop and commercialize a university-based technology. Fellows gain unparalleled exposure to the intersection of health, technology, and business and are equipped with the skills and mentorship needed to lead cutting-edge technology development and bring transformative solutions to the healthcare market.
The 2024 Penn Wharton China Entrepreneur Award. is given by Venture Lab and recognizes entrepreneurial achievement in China and worldwide.
VIP-X is an intense, 3-month accelerator program for the most dedicated student entrepreneurs and the most advanced startups.
The Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship Alumni Achievement Award is given by Venture Lab and recognizes excellence in the Wharton and University of Pennsylvania startup community. Recipients are chosen by the Venture Lab Advisory Board.
The Penn Wharton Innovation Fund exists to fund creative and meaningfully innovative ventures from the Penn student community while giving students on the investment team the opportunity to develop skills that will benefit them when pursuing a career in early-stage investing.
The Venture Initiation Program (VIP) is where Penn’s boldest founders turn ideas into impact. Whether you're just starting out or scaling fast, VIP is your launchpad—a high-energy, founder-first ecosystem designed to help you build, test, and grow.
Open to all of the Penn community, inclusive of undergraduate students, graduate students, and alumni. Financial award opportunities are open to all students who are enrolled full time in a University of Pennsylvania academic program.
This program is made possible via
This program is made possible via
Latest Founders Events
27
March
Navigating the legal world while launching or growing your startup can be a labyrinth. Whether you're exploring venture formation, creating founders' agreements, drafting your first contracts, or considering taking VC money, understanding the legal aspects can be complicated and confusing.
Have all of these questions or more, especially around technology, security, and corporations? Gain some clarity with an AMA and 1:1 meeting with Venture Lab’s Legal Visiting Expert, Arina Shulga, Fox Rothschild.
For questions, email Margaret Chen (margchen@wharton.upenn.edu)
Have all of these questions or more, especially around technology, security, and corporations? Gain some clarity with an AMA and 1:1 meeting with Venture Lab’s Legal Visiting Expert, Arina Shulga, Fox Rothschild.
For questions, email Margaret Chen (margchen@wharton.upenn.edu)
27
March
Breanna and Jared are the co-founders of Kokada; they are former Division I athletes + Accenture consultants turned food entrepreneurs, who built Kokada, a coconut-based alternative to nut-free spreads. Breanna and Jared won a notable pitch competition, Nosh Pitch Slam, and afterwards, they took a leave of absence from their Wharton MBA to expand Kokada to the rapidly growing, national food brand it is today!
01
April
Seth Berkowitz founded Insomnia Cookies in 2003 while at Penn, turning a late-night craving into a nationally recognized brand. What started as baking and delivering cookies to classmates quickly became a cult-favorite business, now with hundreds of locations and late-night delivery. Over 20 years, Seth has scaled Insomnia into an industry leader, redefining convenience and customer engagement in food service.
25
March
Register Here for a 1:1meeting: https://go.oncehub.com/ThiruArunachalam
26
March
Join Venture Lab for a virtual panel on March26th from 5:00pm - 6:00pm ET to hear from the founding team of Lilu and the operating partner of Chloe Capital to learn how Chloe came to invest in Lilu, and Lilu's path to launch.
Latest Founders News
Joseph Kemp, JD, MBA, MSEd (GSE '21), has been recognized on Forbes' 2025 30 Under 30 list in the Games category for his company, Games That Matter, a testament to his innovative approach to gamified education. As the creator of DISBARRED: The Card Game™, Kemp has successfully leveraged his education and the resources at Penn’s Venture Lab to transform how people engage with essential legal knowledge.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Penn Center for Health, Devices, and Technology (Penn Health-Tech) and Venture Lab are excited to announce the launch of the Emerging Leaders in Health Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn ELITE Fellowship). This new initiative will prepare the next generation of health-tech innovators and support the commercialization of university-developed technologies, bridging academia and the healthcare industry.
via Daily Pennsylvanian
Alumni entrepreneurs who launched successful startups through Venture Lab return to guide a new wave of student innovators.
Jochi, founded by Yash Dhir, SEAS'24, and Rahul Nambiar, SEAS'24, has been making waves in the Penn startup scene, securing multiple awards and recognition, including Venture Lab's 2024 Startup Challenge's Launch Award, The AI at Wharton Award, The Audience Choice Award, the Draper Bridge Fund Award and has also taken home the prestigious President's Innovation Prize!
PHILADELPHIA, APRIL 16, 2024–The University of Pennsylvania’s Venture Lab is pleased to announce the winner of its annual Startup Challenge: Nirby, founded by Piotr Lazarek SEAS'25 W'25. Nirby is a real-time soil analytics and farmland management tool for large agricultural enterprises, leveraging satellite data and proprietary drone systems to deliver actionable insights within minutes. The tool enables up to 40% savings on fertilizer expenses and up to 15% increase in crop yields.
news provided by Kasa Living
by Jeff Schmitt, Poets&Quants
