Launch Pad

We’re proud to announce this year’s Semifinalists for the 2018-2019 Penn Wharton Startup Challenge. Teams consist of students from The Wharton School, The College of Arts and Sciences, The School of Engineering and Applied Science, The School of Social Policy and Practice, Penn Nursing, and Penn Law. The Startup Challenge and Showcase attracts the best and brightest entrepreneurial minds from across the Penn community as they compete for a chance to win $135,000 in cash and prizes.

• #PeriodPainFree: Up to 80% of women experience period pains. We believe 100% should not have to. For women whose lives are disrupted once a month by the volatility of their menstrual cycle, #PeriodPainFree offers a personalized solution, combining modern technology with over 2000 years of wisdom from Traditional Chinese Medicine to help all women feel #periodpainfree.
• TEAM MEMBERS: LULU GE (WG’19), NICOLE GLATHE

• Verstaan: Atlas is a threat forecasting and intelligence platform that allows users in emerging markets to predict when, where and how organized groups will threaten their firm.
• TEAM MEMBERS: JUSTIN SWIRBUL (ENG’20); MICHAEL CIPOLLA (ENG’20); BENJAMIN SALANDER; JOSHUA CARR

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is Regenerative Agriculture? It's simpler than it sounds. Put plainly, regenerative farms utilize photosynthesis and healthy soil microbiology to draw down greenhouse gasses and capture them in the soil. This has the potential to reverse global warming and create healthier food and a healthier planet, while also feeding a growing population. Cooks Venture's farm has over 800 acres of wooded land in Arkansas, encompassing a hatchery, pedigree chickens and barns and the country's only biodiverse vertically integrated poultry operation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine, if there was a place you could go to, a one stop, A-Z solution, for which you could take your ideas and turn them from dreams to reality. An entrepreneurial paradise, so to speak. Being an entrepreneur is tough and we’re here to be the guiding light in an otherwise unlit road. We’re creators too!

Established in 2016, We The People (WTP) is the world's only multichannel crowdfunding retail chain and community. Since its inception, WTP has gone from 14 brands to more than 160 brands with multiple product lines. WTP has five brick-and-mortar stores in Singapore, a store in Malaysia, an online store available worldwide at wtpstore.co, and is expanding its reach with new stores in 2018-2019. Its first U.S.-based, store opened in St. Louis, MO in November 2018. With the goal of bringing together the global creator community, WTP continues to expand internationally in the United States, Australia, Korea, Spain, China, and Indonesia.

Founded for creators by creators Ryan Sim, Joel Liew, Nison Chan, and CEO Jay Kang, the company achieved an 800 percent growth in revenue by the end of 2017.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Founded with the mindset of combating diseases that pharma companies have failed to treat, Denali Therapeutics is currently working on therapies for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The company has 13 large and small molecule programs across various stages of development and two strategic pharmaceutical relationships. Denali believes that new insights into genetics and biology offer, for the first time, the opportunity to discover and develop medicines for neurodegenerative diseases.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when the same minds that bring you smart phones, designer coffee, and standing desks turn their attention to social challenges such as poverty, poor education, and childhood obesity? Each week, hosts Katherine Klein, Sherryl Kuhlman, Sandi Hunt and Nick Ashburn highlight the individuals and organizations who are using their business smarts to change lives. Learn how your company’s positive impact in society can support your business model, drive innovation, and improve your bottom line.

Dollars and Change airs every Thursday LIVE from 8AM-10AM Eastern only on SiriusXM 132. We’d love to take your calls at 1-844-WHARTON (1-844-942-7866).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The press (i.e. journalism) is essential to our society. It’s how the public remains aware of what happens in our neighborhoods, in our cities, and across our country. It has become synonymous with the First Amendment, serving as the voice of the people in steady times and as the voice of democracy in times of crisis. Unfortunately, an unprecedented crisis in journalism has occurred, leaving thousands of journalists who've spent years reporting on the state of our towns, cities, and country laid off. Media conglomerates like Gannett, Verizon, BuzzFeed, Slate, and many more are restructuring their platforms, but most people don’t know how wide-reaching these efforts are nor the impact they have on smaller markets, where local news is the only gateway to the rest of the world. For decades, these companies have bought and monopolized local markets but did not adapt or innovate, leaving us here, with most of these job cuts hitting local markets the hardest and creating “news desserts”.

How does this tie into entrepreneurship? Spirited Media CEO and Founder Jim Brady owns and operates three local newspapers in Denver, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia that rely on innovative methods of reporting and storytelling. His goal: to develop a more intimate relationship with a younger audience and to establish itself as a voice in the communities it serves. Spirited Media is just one example of how entrepreneurship is a multi-faceted sector and can focus on social impact. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They're hailed as the most dynamic avatar on the market, combining 3D motion capture technology and AI to create realistic digital clones. They are Genies, the most personalized avatars available and the possibilities are endless.

To date, the company has raised $25M in total, allowing Genies to quickly become Snapchat-owned Bitmoji’s rival as more than one million people have created a digital clone of themselves.

Co-founder Evan Rosenbaum (W'14) was honored as one of the finalist for the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30: Consumer Technology.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.