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.
Individual advising
Dedicated seed funding
Advanced workshops

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.
If you a Penn Alumni interested in mentoring a VIP-X founder, fill out the form here to register.
Spring 2023 VIP-X Cohort
ALL-in Eduspace is an education consulting firm that offers personalized mentoring.

Joseph Han, WG'23
Clédo offers clinically proven skin and hair care products to fight public enemy no.1: aging.
NEPRI pasta is a nutritious pasta for the health-conscious consumer.
Odyssey Notebooks uses special papers to create premium and sustainably crafted paper products for fountain pen users, artists, and every-day writers.

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.
Media Mentions
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
When Shivani Desai (W ‘25) first came to Penn as a freshman studying in the Wharton School of Business, she did not envision herself as an explorer in the entrepreneurship space.
4 Min Read
An interview with Peter Bertone, founder of Expansa and a Engineering Graduate.
3 Min Read
An Interview with Jacob Donnini, founder of Nobo Robotics and an Engineering Freshman.
2 Min Read
An interview with Rohan Parikh, Wharton graduate and one of the three co-founders of Keye.
3 Min Read
Upcoming Events

05
April
Shaz Kahng is a visionary leader, strategist, and game-changing senior executive who has achieved breakthrough results for consumer focused businesses. She is adept at turning around, growing, and expanding businesses globally and has extensive expertise in omni-channel, apparel/footwear, consumer goods, health & beauty, and consumer tech. A serial Board Director and CEO, Shaz excels at devising unique strategies, building brand equity, and delivering outstanding results. One of the most rewarding aspects of her career has been coaching and mentoring others.
Shaz has a wealth of experience running companies and businesses such as Gymboree, Lucy Activewear, Nike and working with brands like Staples, Carters, Sephora, Tiffany, Levi Strauss, Macy's, Quaker Oats, Kraft, and P&G. As the first female to hold a global business P&L at Nike, Shaz led a turnaround of the Nike Cycling business making it profitable for the first time in history. As CEO of Lucy Activewear, Shaz and her team reinvented the company and achieved profitability in 13 months, nearly two years ahead of corporate expectations. She has served on the boards of children’s apparel retailer Gymboree and OMSignal, a smart apparel company.
Register Here
Shaz has a wealth of experience running companies and businesses such as Gymboree, Lucy Activewear, Nike and working with brands like Staples, Carters, Sephora, Tiffany, Levi Strauss, Macy's, Quaker Oats, Kraft, and P&G. As the first female to hold a global business P&L at Nike, Shaz led a turnaround of the Nike Cycling business making it profitable for the first time in history. As CEO of Lucy Activewear, Shaz and her team reinvented the company and achieved profitability in 13 months, nearly two years ahead of corporate expectations. She has served on the boards of children’s apparel retailer Gymboree and OMSignal, a smart apparel company.
Register Here
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

Previous Cohorts
Fall 2022
- EmployAI (Amelia Cohen, WG'23; Tara Balakrishnan, WG'23 ): We believe everyone should be able to harness the power of predictive analytics and machine learning. EmployAI is an organization’s automated data scientist that interprets data in an easy-to-understand format to provide actionable insights.
- Flagler Health (Albert Katz, WG'23; Will Hu, GEN'19): Flagler Health aims to be the leading treatment recommendation tool in the musculoskeletal space.
- Groov (Dan Cataldi, WG'23): At its core a tech-enabled (i.e. mobile 3D computer vision) strategic repositioning play, Groov presents an evolution in how we fit footwear to our feet, and introduces a new category in athleisure: custom-molded insoles that make every pair of shoes a customer’s most comfortable pair.
- Jochi (Yash Dhir ENG'24): Jochi is an integrated, personal management platform for high school & middle school students that caters to their school-related needs outside the classroom.
- ProBook (George Eliadis, ENG'24, W'24): ProBook saves home-service professionals (Pros) 25% in driving time and operational costs by automating route optimization. ProBook’s simple UI and trade-specific workflow replaces complex, generic CRMs also lacking intelligence.
- TrueValuaHub (Gautam Pasari, WG'20): TrueValueHub is a B2B SaaS solution for manufacturers that drives up to 40 % sustainable savings on direct material purchases through data-driven lean sourcing processes, supply chain resilience, optimization engine, supplier digital twin, and collaboration.
Summer 2022
- bia (David Levine GR'23; Gokulanand Iyer GR'24): bia builds smart wearables to improve wellness and performance in the office workplace by teaching healthy ergonomics and alleviating the effects of repetitive-use wrist pain.
- ensemble (Michael Contreras, WG'22): Space weather causes at least $10 billion in damage to global infrastructure both on Earth and in orbit. Flux software empowers analysts with actionable intelligence for the complex threats caused by the space environment.
- FirstWork (Patrick Faga, LPS'22): FirstWork uses proprietary adaptive digital reinforcement learning technology to enable instructor free therapeutic learning on smart devices.
- High Performance Aviation (Brandon Ray, WG'22): Aircraft brokerage firm dedicated to helping aircraft owners buy and sell private aircraft. In addition we are an aircraft dealer reselling actively buying and selling inventory aircraft in coordination with our secondary venture "Quick Turn Aircraft", a service of High Performance Aviation, LLC.
- Nemu (Sarah Powers, WG'23): Nemu is developing an application to help estate representatives manage personal property transfers efficiently, fairly, and transparently, while preserving emotional and financial capital.
- Paytus (Himza Jivani, WG'23): Paytus is a plug-and-play instant payments solution that credit unions can offer its members (retail and business) to enhance the members’ digital banking experience, including reducing transactional times and fees, lowering late payment fees, and expediting direct deposits time to provide faster access to earned income.
- Thrive Hair Bar (Ajia Maximillian Minnis, GED'22): Thrive Hair Bar is a natural hair brand that provides express hair styling services, hair care products, hair care guidance, and local events for Thrive Hair Bar members and non-members. Our mission is to empower more people to embrace their natural kinks, coils, and curls more often.
Spring 2022
- Flock (Manvitha Mallela, WG'23; Malavika Reddy, WG'23): Gamifying Beauty, Personal Care, and Wellness
- Keye (Rohan Parikh, G'22, WG'22; Paolo Fornasini, G'23; Niha Gottiparthy, WG'23; Ruthwick Patthireddy, WG'23): Subscriptions, unlocked.
- Kfans (Louis Chung, C'24; Wenxuan Chen, C'22): Connect with U.S. based KPop and KDrama Fans!
- Life Skills For Soldiers (Brendan Duebner, WG'22): Educate. Empower. Excel.
- Lyvely (Bryan Cai, WG'22; Kevin Anthony, WG'22): Premium, High-Quality Cocktails For Every Occasion
- NuMarra(Connie Jao, WG'22): Holistic Symptom Management For Menopause
- Recuperet Health (Sanjeev Suratwala, WG'22; Gary Agora, WG'22): Integrating The Recovery Process with Community Support
Fall 2021
- Career Propulsion: (Jeremy Gartner, WG’22) Helping Under-Appreciated Directors Get VP Level Interviews in 2 Months or Less.
- Clarifi: (Bryan Dinner, L’22, WG’22; Elizabeth Chou, ENG’24) Clarifi is a distraction-free digital workspace with automated coaching tools where teens do digital homework more efficiently and independently.
- Parfait: (Isoken Igbinedion, WG’21; Simone Kendle, WG’21) The first-ever computer vision powered custom hair products.
- Miren: (Gabriela Ariana Campoverde, GEN’22, WG’22) Funding small businesses with a unique approach.
- roura: (Vlasta Schutzenhofer, ENG’20; Abi Szabo, ENG’20) A better way to soothe period pain.
- Shinkei Systems: (Saif Khawaja, W’21, G’23) Shinkei Systems builds robotics that minimizes fish waste and multiplies shelf-life.
- Slate: (Zachary Johnson, WG’22) Simplified, habitual skincare for men.
Summer 2021
- Breed Science: (Trey Steidle, WG’21) D2C meal plan subscription tailored by your vet, for your pet.
- coBlossom: (David Klippel, WG’22; Luke Fraker, WG’22) Relationshipwellness app that uses fun mini-games to help couples build the habit of creating quality time for their relationship each day.
- Levo: (Jason Yu, WG’22) Levo is the first solution to focus on the caregiver.
- Lex Analytics: (Michelle Xiong, W’22; Pranav Pillai, ENG’20, GEN’20, W’20) Dataplatform that helps teachers measure and understand student attendance and participation to improve engagement and equity in online classes.
- MedVision: (Raghu Arghal, GR’26) Real-time healthcare inventory management, made simple.
- OnHouse: (Yoojin Jang, WG’21) Marketplace and platform for property managers. Finally, property management is easy.
- Tiffin: (Sagar Chopra, G’22, WG’22) Cloud-based software platform built specifically for independent chefs to help them start, manage, and grow their businesses.
Spring 2021
- Altrui Foundation: (Sourish Jasti, W’24; Justin Zhang, ENG’24; Joe Kakkis, C’21) Giving medication a second life.
- ArtsWrk: (Nick Silvero, W’18; Ramita Ravi, C’17, W’17): A professional network for artists and creatives.
- Calicosol: (Douglas Williams, WG’22) Conveniently Sustainable
- Card Curator: (John Garner, WG’22) Credit Cards at your service.
- Everdura: (Liz Nunez, C’17, W’17) Bring your roots home.
- Felix: (Manuel Godoy, WG’21; Bernardo Garcia, G’21, WG’21) Empowering Latinos in the US to send money abroad.
- Chiyo: (Irene Liu, WG’22) Eastern food therapy meets Western nutrition.
- VRB Labs: (Chase Hobby, WG’20; Evan Seale, WG’20) Optimal living
Fall 2020
- Candr: (Anna Li, WG’20) Build authentic relationships with Candr.
- Prophet Models: (Craig Thompson, WG’21; GEN’22, Austin Kipp, WG’21) A no-code solution to create, analyze, and roll-forward financial forecasts easily and collaboratively.
- CoverForce: (Cyrus Karai, WG’21) The ultimate online shopfront for insurance agents.
- Lumify Care: (Anthony Scarpone-Lambert, N’21; Louisa Qiu, N’23, W’23; Joshua Baek, C’23; Gerardo Ballestros, W’23) The digital home for healthcare workers.
- TallGrass Tailor: (Garrison Haning, WG’21) We deliver the fit that everybody deserves.
- Recovery Box: (Andrew Hotsko, WG’21) Recovery made easy.
- Underdogstuff: (Gregory Nesmith, W’20) Culture X Capital
Summer 2020
- Ascend: (Montgomery Ngan, C’20, W’20) The Easiest Way to Find Residential Rental Pricing
- OPEN Laboratories: (Tim Marsh, W’21) Immunotherapy delivered to your doorstep.
- Highlight: (Dana Kim, WG’20; Ethan Kellough, GEN’21) Next-gen in-home product testing via mailer boxes. Leveraging tech to offer agile, targeted, robust product insights.
Spring 2020
- Fulton: (Libie Motchan, WG’21; Daniel Nelson, WG’21) Fulton is modernizing arch support by developing an orthopedic insole.
- Aureum: (Yunhan (Derek) Gao, WG’20; Xufei (Renee) Yu , WG’20) Aureum provides family-style primary care services to Chinese white-collar professionals.
- ChefMark: (Austin Simon, WG’20) The marketplace for quality used restaurant equipment.
- FLOAT/THERE: (Angela Jiang, WG’20; Linda Ye, WG’20) is determined to help travelers look and feel their best while they explore.
- Hello Ralphie: (Felicity Johnson, WG’20) Connects pet parents with licensed veterinarians for video and chat appointments.
- MyQs: (Sehgal Dhawal, GEN’08) MyQs is a platform for professionals to develop and grow their skillset through practice exams.
- True Places: (Ben Knepler, WG’10; Nelson Warley) – Direct to consumer brand providing outdoor products for everyday adventures
Fall 2019
- Alphagora: (Robert Dowling, EE’21, ENG’21, W’21) Subscription Based Cryptocurrency Trading
- Etcetera Bio: (Vikram Krishnamoorthy, C’20, W’20) Using Next-Generation Biological Engineering to Solve This Generation’s Hard Problems
- Fuego: (Kevin Weschler, WG’20) Stylish Sneakers For Dancing The Night Away
- Kidas: (Ron Kerbs, G’20, WG’20) Guarding Kids Against Cyberbulling
- Mira Insight: (Aswin Mannepalli, C’09, G’18) PR Insights In Your Back Pocket
- Bobaface: (Peter Chung, GFA’16) Be the Mayor of Your City’s Brunch-Scene
- Jove: (Joshua Evans, C’14) House Hunt in Minutes
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
- Roundup App: (Braden Fineberg, ENG19, GEN19) Micro Donations Making Major Impact
- Dandy: (Daniel Hanover, ENG19, W19; Toni Oloko, W’20) The first fully digital dental lab.
Summer 2018
- Clove: (Joe Ammon, WG’19) Revolutionizing Traditional Footwear for Medical Professionals
- Strella: (Katherine Sizov, C’19) Decision-focused data designed for food supply chains.
- MDAlly: (Shanel Fields, WG’19) Telehealth response for emergency medical services.
- Phrase Health: (Mike Zeidlhack, WG’19) Decision Support for Healthcare Organizations
- Sigo: (Nestor Solari, G’19, WG’19; Julio Erdos, C10, ENG10, G19, WG19) Easy Car Insurance for Everyone
Spring 2018
- aavrani: (Justin Silver, WG’19; Rooshy Roychoudhury, WG’19) Luxury Skincare Inspired by Indian Beauty Rituals
- Collecto: (Federika Longinotti-Buitoni, WG’18) An Unparalleled Gifting Experience
- InstaHub: (Michael Wong, W’18; Dayo Adewole, ENG15, GEN15, GR21; Matthew Hanna ENG’18) Automating Energy Savings
- Steignet: (A.J. Steigman, WG’18) A Tactical “Bloomberg Terminal” for the Residential Real Estate Market
- ZEV: (Gabriel Elsner, WG’18; Eddie Kong, GEN’18) Helping Dealers Sell Electric Vehicles
Fall 2017
- Acention: (Colin Robinson, WG’18; Anvith Ekkati, GEN’18; Peter Zhu, WG’18) Developing a New Model for Mobile Gaming—Play Games, Win Money
- Group K Diagnostic: (Brianna Wronko, ENG’17) Changing the How, When & Where of Blood Testing—and Saving Lives
- Sanguis: (Divyansh Agarwal, GR’23/M’23; Prateek Agarwal, M’19; Daniel Zhang, GR’23/M’23) A Medical Device Dream Team
- Avisi: (Rui Jing Jiang, W’18; Adarsh Battu, W’18; Brandon Kao, ENG’18) How Avisi is Curing Blindness with Nanotechnology
- Woveon: (Adam Rawot, ENG’17) Using AI to Create a Better Conversation with Your Customer
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
- Geneoscopy: (Andrew Barnell, WG’17) Geneoscopy is committed to providing safe, effective, and innovative non-invasive tests to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of gastrointestinal diseases.
- Harper Wilde: (Jane Fisher, WG’17; Jenna Kerner, WG’17) Fairly priced everyday bras without the hassle.
- Students Care: (Erica Sokol, SPP’16) Connecting college students with hospitalized children & isolated seniors
- Watotoly: (Divinity Matovu, WG’17) Watotolly is a consumer technology company that aims to reduce the cost and complexity of childcare for families.
- Advans Health: (Antonio Munoz, WG’17, G’17) An insurance web platform to help students purchase the best and most affordable health insurance with a more educated decision.
Fall 2016
- Slice Capital: (Rohan Shah, ENG’19) Web equity crowdfunding platform
- Barn Owl: (Josh Phifer, WG’17; Vince Kuchar, WG’17) Ranch management data solutions via networks of sensors.
- SolutionLoft: (Will Fry, W’17, C’17; Jacob Wallenberg, W’16) The printing press of software development, allowing code to be re-used.
- Knoetic: (Joseph Quan, WG’17) Knoetic helps intelligently guide all the people & HR decisions companies make.
- Jubilee: (Emily Tung, WG’17; G’17; Yue Li, WG’17, G’17) Women’s health supplements company based on Chinese herbal medicine.
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.
Get The Inside Track