VIP-X is an intense, 3-month accelerator program for the most dedicated student and alumni entrepreneurs and the most advanced startups.

VIP-X runs three times annually: fall, spring, and summer. Applications for the Fall 2023 semester are live and will remain open until September 14th at 11:59 PM.

What We Offer

When your startup is ready to launch, VIP-X provides the additional resources and mentoring that you need to take your venture to the next level.
1:1 Advising and Group Coaching
Dedicated Seed Funding
Advanced Workshops
Dedicated Venture Workspace
1:1 sessions with EIRs
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Alberto and Gay Peisach Mentoring Initiative

After receiving support during their time in VIP-X, many founders need industry-specific advice to progress ventures and scale. Thanks to the Alberto and Gay Peisach Mentoring Initiative, VIP-X founders can receive additional support and are matched with alumni mentors with industry and/or specific functional expertise.

If you a Penn Alumni interested in mentoring a VIP-X founder, fill out the form here to register.

Summer 2023 VIP-X Cohort

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Lindsay Smith (SEAS'23), Ryan Hosler (SEAS'22)
Technologies enhancing the indoor golf training experience, optimized for accessibility with high-speed video recording, cloud-based remote coaching, and AI powered 3D analysis.
InvenTABLE is a kid-safe power tool that teaches valuable STEM skills by giving kids ages 8-12 the ability to cut through cardboard and build 3D models with ease.
Reimagining a data marketplace where users own and monetize their data, while providing companies robust and ethically-sourced data to better connect with their customers.
Spring is a modern-day matchmaking service that introduces single people to other singles in a more authentic way through a combination of technology and matchmakers who screen each user and suggest matches.
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Joshua Freedman (GEng'23)
inSPIRE Devices is designing the first digital incentive spirometer. The device will consist of a handheld component through which a patient will inhale and an app component, which will record the data and provide other features.
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Joshua Weiner (SEAS'23)
Aimless is a platform allowing retailers and firms to turn their data into revenue-generating machine learning insights. Instead of hiring engineers to navigate the process of building ML infrastructure, Aimless wraps this technology into a platform requiring no-code and no prior knowledge.

Media Mentions

By  Christine Cheng
, September 12, 2023 03:22 PM
Meet The Community Grocer, a scalable non-profit community market, resource, and education center advancing food justice and health equity through EBT accessible meal solutions.
5 Min Read
By  Christine Cheng
, August 28, 2023 08:00 AM
A first-generation Nigerian-American, Jonathan Muruako CAS'17 SPP'24 grew up in a low-income household in Mississippi, where access to educational resources was limited. After Muruako began attending the University of Pennsylvania, he found himself constantly needing to play catch-up in an educational environment different from his upbringing. He recognized that many other first-generation and/or low-income (FGLI) students faced similar challenges as he did. According to his research, only 10% of first-generation students graduate within six years, while close to 45% end up dropping out.
3 Min Read
News
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
News
August 17, 2023 11:15 AM
Highlight, an in-home product testing company, raised $18 million in Series A funding to continue developing its technology already helping hundreds of brands test thousands of products.
1 Min Read
By  Emilee Gu
, November 11, 2022 10:44 AM
In May 2022, Nemu took home the Ashton Family Award for Female Founders in the 2022 Venture Lab Startup Challenge. In this article, Sarah Powers (WG '23), Nemu's founder, unveils the mission and values of Nemu. Follow her journey below!
5 Min Read

Previous Cohorts

    Spring 2023
    • ALL-in Eduspace (Devi Kasih, ENG'10, W'10, GED'23) ALL-in Eduspace is an education consulting firm that offers personalized mentoring.
    • BUILD Nigeria (Claire Utomi W'23) Creating social change through education for Nigerians.
    • Clédo (Joseph Han, WG'23) Clédo offers clinically proven skin and hair care products to fight public enemy no.1: aging.
    • NEPRI Pasta (Jessica Ramses, ENG'22, GEN'23) NEPRI pasta is a nutritious pasta for the health-conscious consumer.
    • Odyssey Notebooks (Rainbow Yeung, WG'24) Odyssey Notebooks uses special papers to create premium and sustainably crafted paper products for fountain pen users, artists, and every-day writers.
    • SecureFlow (Evan Adamo, WG'23; Conor Brown, WG'23; Aayush Garg WG’24) SecureFlow is the first-ever web-based platform that streamlines the workstreams required to exchange cash in mergers and acquisitions.
    Fall 2022
    Summer 2022
    Spring 2022
    Fall 2021

    Spring 2021

    Fall 2020

    Spring 2020

    Fall 2019

    Summer 2019

    • Air23: (Sieva Kozinsky, WG’20; Vishnu Rachakonda, ENG’18, GEN’19) Helping Pharma Companies Recruit For Clinical Trials
    • Avior Analytics: (Ryan Wosick, ENG’19; Joseph Scheidt) Improving Patient Engagement in Physical Therapy
    • BioAlert Technologies: (Marc Rosenberg, C’18, GEN’19; Soleil Carrero, GEN’19) The First Continuous Infection Monitoring System
    • ConnectED Mobile: (Andie Kaplan, WG’20) Cell phone service made easy
    • Frutero Ice Cream: (Mike Weber, WG’20; Vedant Saboo, WG’20) Sweet Treats Straight From The Tropics

    Spring 2019

    • Elix: (Lulu Ge, WG’20) Personalized Plant-Based Healing Formulas
    • Cobare: (Jelece Morris, WG’19) Sustainable Solutions For Feminine Care
    • Keaton: (Melina Flabiano, WG’19) Carefully Crafted Office Workwear For Women
    • Polyview: (Amreeta Gill, WG’19; Tyler MacBroom, WG’18) Enhancing Operational Productivity with Management Software
    • Synovium: (Elston He, L’20, WG’20; Rajiv Patel-O’Connor, C’19; Evan Zou, C’19, W’19) Leveraging Data For Treating Autoimmune Diseases

    Fall 2018


    Summer 2018


    Spring 2018

    Fall 2017


    Summer 2017

    • brEDcrumb: (Scott Elfenbein, WG’17) Getting Low-Income Kids to Great Colleges
    • E-Health Now: (Kelly Xu, WG’17; Vinayak Kumar, C13, G13, M18, WG18; Ram Prasadat) Bringing Hope to Chinese Cancer Patients
    • Eager Academy: (Chris Hanson, C’17)  Teaching Students How To Learn
    • Fellow Hunter: (Parker Barnett, GEN’18A) A Sharing Economy for Hunters
    • Neuroflow: (Chris Molaro, WG’17; Adam Pardes, GR’19)  Curing PTSD with Wearables
    Spring 2017

    Fall 2016

    VIP-X in San Francisco is an accelerator open to Penn alumni and student entrepreneurs in the Bay Area who are founders or leaders of early-stage ventures. This four-month program runs twice per year, in the fall and in the spring. The company must have traction, and the team must be based in the San Francisco Bay Area during their time in the program.
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