Joiner

For those who love working in an entrepreneurial environment, but are not the prime movers creating a new venture. They prefer to join with others and contribute in ways that best fit their skills and preferences.

Top Resources For Joiners

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VIP Practicum (VIP-P)
VIP-Practicum invites you to roll up your sleeves and join a startup as an early member of the team. Gain invaluable experience that shapes not only your skills but also the trajectory of ventures on the rise.
The Startup Internship Awards are awarded to select students who will spend the summer interning at a startup and who demonstrate both a commitment to entrepreneurship at Penn and to pursuing an entrepreneurial career.

Embark on your entrepreneurial journey with VIP-C. Whether you're a first-time founder or second-time entrepreneur, VIP-C offers an inclusive space for abundant learning, networking, and community-building.

Joiner Events & Workshops

16
February
Join the Venture Lab team in a session with Marty Rodgers, Senior Managing Director at Accenture, on Feb 16th, 2023 for a discussion surrounding social impact, intrapreneurship, and community engagement as part of the Social Entrepreneurship Initiative Speaker Series. The session will be moderated by Nicolaj Siggelkow, Professor of Management at Wharton.
02
December
Focused only on Intellectual Property (IP) Questions

Josh Slavitt is a Founding Partner at Slavitt IP Law, LLC and he's been a registered patent attorney for almost 20 years.

At his firm Josh helps clients protect and profit from their intellectual property through the use of IP creation/acquisition strategies, the management of IP portfolios, and the development and implementation of patent enforcement/monetization campaigns.

Prior to starting Slavitt IP Law, Josh was a partner in the Philadelphia office of Gordon & Rees, Scully, Mansukhani.

Josh holds a B.A from the University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. from Boston University School of Law.

Register Here for 1-on-1 session
29
November
Arina is a corporate and securities lawyer with extensive experience representing startups and emerging growth companies from formation through initial rounds of financing and beyond, ensuring that the companies are well protected and enabled to grow and succeed. She also advises angel investors and venture capital funds in making investments.

For her clients in the technology space, Arina drafts and negotiates complex software license agreements, master services agreements, support level agreements, software escrow agreements, purchase orders, and terms of use for technology company clients.

In addition, Arina advises on the current legal framework relating to equity crowdfunding and security and utility token issuances in the United States.

As a native Russian speaker, Arina works to enable Russian-speaking founders and investors to conduct and expand their business in the United States or to get venture financing for an exit transaction.

Arina is active in the New York City startup community and is a member of the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance. She is an adjunct professor at Fordham Law School, where she teaches Entrepreneurial Law.

Arina received a BA from Mount Holyoke College and her JD from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.


Register Here for 1-on-1 session
10
November
Join the Venture Lab team in a session with Zofia Wosinska WG'14, Co-Founder ÉSTAINE, to hear about her journey as a socially-conscious entrepreneur as part of the Retail Lab Founder Forum.

Dr. Zofia Wosinska spent much of her career in cancer research and developing tissue dye-based solutions used in cancer diagnosis. Zofia not only studied the effects of cancer from a molecular level but also how emotional well-being impacts prognosis. Zofia imagined the beautiful colors and patterns of the stained cells gracing flowing dresses and fabrics-- telling the story of a survivor. Over the following years, Zofia grew passionate about fashion as a medium for cancer education and patient support. Out of this passion, ÉSTAINE was born. While ÉSTAINE is about extraordinary fashion, it is ultimately so much more — the one-of-a-kind designs tell not only of science but also the stories of survivors, inviting questions that lead to awareness. Educational information about dyes, diagnosis and design accompanies all ÉSTAINE products. Each item sold on the ÉSTAINE website supports a beneficiary focused on fighting the war against cancer.

Register Here

16
November
Improv isn’t just for SNL actors. The same skills that go into making your favorite comedy skits have been used for decades inside of companies and teams to foster creativity, innovation, and resilience. Together, in this one-hour workshop, we will learn the history, rules, and benefits of Improv. Then, we will explore why having a sense of humor is a powerful tool for inclusive teams. Jessica Halem, MBA, trained at Second City Theater in Chicago and went on to lead a successful career as a stand-up comic. She toured nationally opening for Lady Gaga at NYC Pride, sharing the stage with Margaret Cho, and has been featured in Fast Company and The Wall Street Journal for her ability to bring improv skills to the workplace. Today, she deploys her diverse experiences in healthcare, higher ed, and start-ups to her new role as Senior Director of The Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania.

Register Here


Related Articles & Stories

Find out what's happening with founders across the #entrePENNeur community! Want to tell your story? Contact us at venturelab@upenn.edu.
August 17, 2023 11:29 AM
No surprise here, but the University of Pennsylvania has produced a whole bunch of venture-backed companies.
1 Min Read
May 03, 2022 10:33 AM
Left to right: Rob Goergen, WG’00, Founder and Chairman of G5 Capital; Udit Garg, ENG’25; Andrew Diep-Tran, W’25; Aravind Krishnan, C’25, W’25; and Aarush Sahni, C’25.
4 Min Read
December 21, 2021 12:00 PM
Venture Lab is pleased to announce the creation of a new Entrepreneur in Residence program, a marker of the continued growth for the newly-formed entrepreneurship center. The newly-established position is a long-term engagement with the center to provide workshops, office hours, and general advising/mentoring to support early-stage student and alumni ventures in our Venture Initiation Program. Open to all Penn alumni, the role doubles as a meaningful way for former participants of the program to return to their innovative roots and support the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem at the university. After a strict selection process, the center is delighted to announce that Doug Baldasare, CEO and Founder of ChargeItSpot, a world leader in cell phone charging stations, will serve as the inaugural Entrepreneur in Residence. Baldasare developed the concept for ChargeItSpot during his time in the program as an MBA student at the Wharton School and continues to serve as CEO.
5 Min Read
October 12, 2021 04:32 PM
EMBAs are no longer the preserve of corporate high-flyers, as alumni go it alone
1 Min Read
By  Dee Patel
, October 12, 2021 02:29 PM
Legend, an undergraduate alumnus, was recently honored by Venture Lab, the University’s entrepreneurship center, during a virtual livestream event.
1 Min Read
September 23, 2021 01:34 PM
This article was originally published in 2019.
3 Min Read