Top Resources For Joiners
VIP-C is Penn’s very own incubator. As Joiners, you'll have the opportunity to work with an early-stage venture or attend workshops to learn how to start your own venture.
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.
Joiner Events & Workshops
13
February
While most people’s definition of entrepreneurship only involves starting a venture from scratch, the strategy of buying an existing business, known widely as Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA), is an accessible, potentially lucrative, and often overlooked path for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Join us on Monday, February 13, at 5:15 pm as Venture Lab launches its Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition program with an ETA Fireside Chat. The event will take place at Steinberg-Dietrich Hall 351.
The conversation will be moderated by Professor Richard Perlman (W’68), Co-founder and Executive Chairman of ExamWorks Group, Inc, and Professor of MGMT 2130 – Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition.
Professor Perlman will be joined by Max Francois and Jason Vahn (both C’11, WG’19), Managing Partners and Co-Founders of Fidelity Memorial Group. The pair will share their pathway to ETA and their experiences purchasing their first business. Specifically, they will discuss how they acquired businesses that had already found product market fit, allowing them to flip the startup model on its head and become CEOs of revenue-generating businesses on day one.
The conversation will provide valuable concepts to inspire newcomers to explore acquisitions as an entrepreneurship pathway and tactical insights for those already exploring the space.
Register Here
Join us on Monday, February 13, at 5:15 pm as Venture Lab launches its Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition program with an ETA Fireside Chat. The event will take place at Steinberg-Dietrich Hall 351.
The conversation will be moderated by Professor Richard Perlman (W’68), Co-founder and Executive Chairman of ExamWorks Group, Inc, and Professor of MGMT 2130 – Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition.
Professor Perlman will be joined by Max Francois and Jason Vahn (both C’11, WG’19), Managing Partners and Co-Founders of Fidelity Memorial Group. The pair will share their pathway to ETA and their experiences purchasing their first business. Specifically, they will discuss how they acquired businesses that had already found product market fit, allowing them to flip the startup model on its head and become CEOs of revenue-generating businesses on day one.
The conversation will provide valuable concepts to inspire newcomers to explore acquisitions as an entrepreneurship pathway and tactical insights for those already exploring the space.
Register Here
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
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
15
November
The Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Initiative is thrilled to announce that the Lauren & Bobby Turner Executive Speaker Series will return to Penn’s campus for the first time since the pandemic. This year’s event will feature a fireside chat between social impact entrepreneurs Bobby Turner, W’84, CEO of Turner Impact Capital, and Gregg Renfrew, Founder and Executive Chair of Beautycounter. They will share insights, lessons learned, industry advice, and more.
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
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
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
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.
HILADELPHIA, MAY 3, 2022 – The University of Pennsylvania’s Venture Lab is pleased to announce the winner of the sixth annual Startup Challenge, sponsored by Eric Aroesty, C’92: ToxiSense, co-founded by a team of four University of Pennsylvania freshmen, Aravind Krishnan, C’25, W’25; Udit Garg, ENG’25; Andrew Diep-Tran, W’25; and Aarush Sahni, C’25. The Startup Challenge was held on April 29, 2022 at Tangen Hall, the University of Pennsylvania’s hub for student entrepreneurship and innovation.
1 Min Read
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
EMBAs are no longer the preserve of corporate high-flyers, as alumni go it alone
1 Min Read
Legend, an undergraduate alumnus, was recently honored by Venture Lab, the University’s entrepreneurship center, during a virtual livestream event.
1 Min Read
This article was originally published in 2019.
3 Min Read
News
With a new name and a new home, Venture Lab — formerly known as Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship — is the culmination of a nearly 50-year journey to help aspiring founders at Wharton and across the university realize their visions.
1 Min Read