All Programs and Resources

MBA for Executives Entrepreneurship Student Resources

You want to explore entrepreneurship, develop a venture, or launch and scale your startup, all while pursuing your Wharton Executive MBA? We’ve got resources for you.

Explore Entrepreneurship

CLASSES

Entrepreneurship Classes

Use your electives to take entrepreneurship classes, such as Wharton Global Modular Courses, Development of Web-Based Products, and courses in the MBA Entrepreneurship & Innovation major. Check out your curriculum and talk to your academic advisor.

Wharton’s Entrepreneurship Specialization on Coursera

Learn the basics of entrepreneurship, online, on your own time. Take a single class, or complete all five in the specialization. These courses were created by Wharton, and are taught by Wharton professors, including David Bell, Kartik Hosanagar, David Hsu, Laura Huang, Ethan Mollick, Lori Rosenkopf, and Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship & Innovation Karl Ulrich.

These courses are not for credit and do not count to the major or degree, but provide useful information. You can audit any of these classes for free. 

Get Involved in a Student Club

Join the Wharton Graduate Association on CampusGroups, and then join any of these clubs:

• In Philadelphia: e-Club,  Founders’ Club Innovation & Design, Technology Entrepreneurship Club, Wharton FinTech, or the Wharton Private Equity & Venture Capital Club.
• In San Francisco: WEMBA SF Student eClub, Fintech Club, Wharton Club of Northern California, Wharton Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (SF chapter).

Get the Latest Word

Sign up for our weekly newsletter of entrepreneurial events. Get entrepreneurial stories delivered straight to your inbox.

Follow Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship on social media:

Develop A Venture

ADVICE 

Meet with an Entrepreneurship Advisor

• Philadelphia: Scott Sill, WG’00
• San Francisco: Professor Len Lodish

Experts in Residence

Meet with experts in tech, design, research, PR, communications, and more who can help you with the practical problems of launching a startup through our Experts in Residence program. These appointments are based in Philadelphia; virtual meetings are available. 

Penn Wharton Entrepreneurs Workshops

Watch this archive of video workshops. Developed in collaboration with tech law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, these workshops covered the fundamentals of launching and growing a business, including brand positioning, legal advice, and financial modeling.

SEED FUNDING 

Learn more about all of Penn’s startup funding resources here.

Penn Wharton Innovation Fund

Apply for a Penn Wharton Innovation Fund award to get seed funding for your innovative startup (rolling applications).

M&T Innovation Fund

Apply to the M&T Innovation Fund for seed-stage cash grants and venture development for University of Pennsylvania startups. Managed by students in the Jerome Fisher Management and Technology Program.

Weiss Tech House Innovation Fund

The Weiss Tech House Innovation Fund is a student-run, mini-venture capital fund that offers non-dilutive funding to student-founded Penn startups.

COMPETE

Startup Challenge

Startup Challenge winners receive cash and prizes worth over $135,000 to help them launch their ventures, and finalists pitch in front of a live audience and judges at our signature event, the Startup Showcase.

Launch and Scale a Startup

VIP-SF

San Francisco: Our Bay Area accelerator, open to students and alumni. VIP-San Francisco brings the resources of the Penn community to the West Coast with an intensive accelerator which runs twice a year, in spring and fall. With individual advising, dedicated seed funding and awards, and access to co-working space at Wharton San Francisco.

VIP-C

Philadelphia: Apply to join VIP-Community (rolling application), and become part of the most dedicated community of entrepreneurs at Penn. VIP-C members meet regularly in the group co-working space to support each other, set goals for their startups, take workshops, and get group advising on their ventures.

VIP-X

Philadelphia: VIP-Xcelerate is an intense 4-month accelerator program on the Penn campus. Applications are by invitation only, and ventures must already be members of VIP-C. With individual advising, dedicated seed funding and awards, access to mentoring, advanced workshops, and all the resources of VIP-C, including co-working space and a strong community of fellow entrepreneurs.

Get to Know Penn-Friendly VCs

Follow them on social media, sign up for newsletters to stay in the loop on their activities, and prepare for eventual funding.

• Wharton Alumni Angel Network
• Chestnut Street Ventures
• Red + Blue Ventures

Coworking Space at Wharton San Francisco

More than 400 alumni have already joined Wharton San Francisco’s Open Space program. Find the community and coworking space you need.

Scale School

The Wharton Scale School workshop series is your guide as you move beyond initial product-market fit to the creation of a large enterprise of tremendous value.