Entrepreneurial Advantage

Startup Revolution?

2009-12-02T14:20:00.002-05:00

BusinessWeek Viewpoint features the idea of giving visas to startup founders. As the writer argues, "instead of encouraging the first brain drain in U.S. history, the country should create a program to welcome funded startup entrepreneurs." Read more here.

Abu Dhabi Invests in Learning

2009-11-11T09:32:00.004-05:00

Gulf News quoted an entrepreneurship expert who stated that sharing a clear vision for the future by bringing different ideas together and learning from different countries is the recipe for economic and social prosperity and peace across the world.

Abu Dhabi is doing just that, having recently hosted the Festival of Thinkers as well as beginning a partnership between the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training, a private education provider based in Abu Dhabi, and the Wharton School. MORE

Startups 101

2009-10-22T15:35:00.004-04:00

Free online personal finance service, Mint.com aims to make managing and saving money online easy and secure. So Mint CEO Aaron Patzer, knows what he's talking about. Recently, Patzer gave a 45 minute presentation on building startups from the ground up, with his own candid disclosures and advice. Watch the video, and see the presentation deck, here.

I Choose You

2009-10-14T09:30:00.000-04:00

In starting a business, one very crucial decision lies in who you decide to make a co-founder. Whatever decision you make will change the very DNA of your business: so how do you choose? TechCrunch recently featured guest author and Meebo CEO Seth Sternberg, and his advice is don't look to people who are just like you. Find out more here.

2009 Collegiate Entrepreneur's Organization Conference

2009-10-13T11:44:00.003-04:00

The Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization provides young entrepreneurs with networking opportunities, chapter activities, and the national conference to help them start their own businesses.

The 2009 National CEO Conference will be held on October 22 – October 24 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Over 80 outstanding entrepreneurs and business leaders share their ideas and expertise with students on how they launched their businesses, the lessons they've learned, and where they are today. Go here to learn more and register.

America's Best Young Entrepreneurs: 2009

2009-10-12T13:40:00.002-04:00

BusinessWeek recently named their 25 finalists for the top U.S. entrepreneurs ages 25 and under. These 25 most promising young businesses range from specialty mushroom growers to renewable energy consulting to an online advertising buying platform Invite Media, a Wharton alumni company. Check out the other finalists here, place a vote for the most promising and on November 9th, BusinessWeek will be announcing these top vote-getters.

Innovational Food for Thought

2009-10-07T09:36:00.004-04:00

Harvard Business Blog recently discussed the age-old dilemma of predicting the next big idea - but with twist. Authors of Innovation Tournaments: Creating and Selecting Exceptional Opportunities, Wharton professors Christian Terwiesch and Karl Ulrich, say that instead of attempting to predict the success of early ideas, make sure there are enough of them and the pool is diverse. Check out the four guidelines to consider when launching your next innovation initiative or considering who to hire in your research department here.

The New Business School Stats

2009-09-09T19:08:00.004-04:00

BusinessWeek reported some recent findings of the annual applicant study of QS World MBA Tour, a group that holds global MBA fairs. Women now make up 46% of worldwide MBA candidates and there have been shifts in preferred program length (more opt for one-year programs) and post-MBA career plans (the No.1 goal is to start a business), as explained by Wharton MBA alumnus Quacquarelli. Read more here.

Wharton Business Plan Competition Winners Ring the NASDAQ Closing Bell

2009-08-14T19:10:00.004-04:00

Lumina Diagnostics, winner of the 2009 Wharton Business Plan Competition, visited the New York City NASDAQ MarketSite accompanied by the Wharton School. In celebration, representatives of Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs and Lumina Diagnostics rang the NASDAQ closing bell. Find out more here.

Best Dressed

2009-07-30T14:36:00.002-04:00

VIP alumni company Henry Davidsen dressed the Phillie Phanatic for the cover of Philadelphia for the 2009 Best of Philly issue. Looking sharp!

Vor-x Success

2009-07-22T12:59:00.002-04:00

Wharton alumni start-up Vorbeck Materials, a technology company that manufactures and develops applications utilizing Vor-x, a graphene material of great thermal conductivity, recently received $5.1 million in Series 2 financing. Read more here.

Looking for a Productivity Booster?

2009-07-20T11:45:00.003-04:00

iCyte, an online tool that aids in web content organization, was featured in an article on smallbiztechnology.com, a site which provides small to medium sized businesses with information on how to use technology to grow their business.You can read the article online here.

What Makes An Entrepreneur

2009-07-15T10:03:00.002-04:00

The Kauffman Foundation recently released a new study entitled "The Anatomy of an Entrepreneur" that aims to discover the family backgrounds and motivations of American entrepreneurs. The study found that unlike the Bill Gates genius high-school dropout entrepreneur, most company founders tend to be middle-aged and well-educated from middle-class or upper-lower-class backgrounds. Read more findings here.

Next Up: Brazil

2009-06-30T15:54:00.005-04:00

Is Brazil venture capital's next hotbed? BusinessWeek asks in a recent article, for "investments in Brazilian startups are surging, but high taxes and strict labor laws could hamper returns." Among those investments include foreign investors Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a Silicon Valley firm which, along with Brazilian venture capital firm FIR Capital Partners, launched a $170 million fund. MBA alum and co-founder of FIR Capital Partners Marcus Regueira is further quoted about the fund here.

Finding the Balance

2009-06-30T15:14:00.004-04:00

Knowledge@Wharton asked Wharton professor and author Stewart Friedman how to integrate a personal life and a professional life for a comfortable balance. Friedman responded with three steps: describe your legacy, learn what people expect of you, and talk with trusted friends. Read more here.

Look to the Web

2009-06-29T19:40:00.003-04:00

Looking to start your own business? First step: the Web. As stated in The Philadelphia Inquirer column "Web Wealth: Starting your own business," the Web is "full of oportunities to learn how to develop a business idea, how to get funding..." and much more. Check out the column, which links to several of those opportunities, here.

JibJab Meets President Obama

2009-06-26T01:18:00.006-04:00

Alumni company JibJa b recently created an original satire video of President Obama as a superhero that was shown at the RTCA dinner to President Obama and the many attendants. Check out this video on Facebook that shows Obama laughing at the JibJab Obama video, folllowed by a brief CBS interview with Gregg and Evan. To read about their experience meeting the President, click here.

Nurturing NYC VC

2009-06-24T02:41:00.009-04:00

As Scott Denne reports for Wall Street Journal blog Venture Capital Dispatch,
"With fewer firms and no particular geographic nexus[in NYC], entrepreneurs rarely have the kinds of chance encounters that can jump-start a start-up." Enter First Growth Venture Network.

First Growth has launched a networking and mentoring program, providing advisors and opportunities, for New York City entrepreneurs. Also participating in the program are several venture firms. Find out more here.

What to Know about Merchant Cash Advances

2009-06-21T19:55:00.001-04:00

Knowledge@Wharton discusses the advantages and disadvantages of merchant cash advances, also known as business cash advances, for small-business owners on OPEN Forum. Featuring quotes from Wharton School lecturer and former entrepreneur Lawrence Gelburd, the post claims that such advances can "ease the crunch, but are costly and can be risky." Read more here.

Get It Started!

2009-06-18T10:59:00.003-04:00

This month's stories focus on starting ventures under adverse conditions. Don't miss our story on the unexpected advantages of initiating a new venture in the summer. We also profile Joseph Ansenelli who sold three businesses to Fortune 500 companies and was driven to a start a new venture even with a broken back. Want to hear more from Joseph? We’ve got a new Alumni Impact Interview. Check out the newsletter here.

Philly Keeps Green

2009-06-15T09:44:00.003-04:00

“The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investment,” a recent report issued by the Pew Charitable Trusts, has ranked Pennsylvania third in the most clean-energy jobs nationwide. Read more here.

Current Developments in the VC Community at Wharton|San Francisco

2009-06-09T16:57:00.000-04:00

Despite the rough economy, it’s still a great time to start a business, according to VCs at a recent panel discussion at Wharton|San Francisco. The panelists – all Wharton alumni -- gathered last month to discuss current developments in the VC community and the impact on entrepreneurs. More.

Entrepreneurship's 10 Commandments

2009-06-04T11:44:00.001-04:00

When Guy Kawasaki talks about business innovation, as he did recently at a University of Pennsylvania technology conference, he brings more than 25 years of major league experience to the conversation--a background that the good-humored investor and entrepreneur calls "my checkered past." More here.

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009

2009-05-29T14:22:00.004-04:00

Brett Hurt, Wharton alum and co-founder and CEO of customer review management service Bazaarvoice, has been named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 Winner, the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. Read more about Hurt here.

Winning Innovation

2009-05-28T11:42:00.004-04:00

Christian Terwiesch and Karl Ulrich, Operations and Information Management professors at The Wharton School, are co-authors of new book Innovation Tournaments, a "great read for anyone who is looking to develop a process to manage innovation... filled with real-world case studies and examples of approaches that will be beneficial to any practitioners who have the task of driving successful innovation..." Find out more here.

Rapping About Business

2009-05-27T15:29:00.001-04:00

RJMetrics is a Business Intelligence Dashboard for database-driven websites used by professionals to monitor key business metrics and trends. RJMetrics is also an aspiring rap duo. The group recently released a Business Intelligence Rap Video which also contains advice for tech startups. Check it out here.

Entrepreneur offers Build a Website column

2009-05-27T12:52:00.004-04:00

Entrepreneur Magazine has just added a Build a Website column, which focuses on Web site management, usability and design. Check out the first topic "Start a Blog For Your Business" in the May issue here.

Super Angel Status

2009-05-26T14:33:00.003-04:00

Alumni venture capital firm First Round Capital has become the country's most active seed-stage investor, according to BusinessWeek. Among other "super angels" such as Baseline Ventures and Felicis Ventures, First Round is funding startups and entrepreneurs at a time when large VC firms are holding back. Read more here.

Reinvention Success

2009-05-23T13:24:00.003-04:00

Recently featured on Inc., Flocabulary, a study-guide publisher that aimed to teach history through hip-hop, had a great idea, but no business. Read their story about how UPenn graduate Harrison and Tufts graduate Rappaport reinvented themselves, began to grow, and now have their study-guides used in 100 school districts.

"Get It Started!"

2009-05-19T13:13:00.001-04:00

This month's stories focus on the Wharton Business Plan Competition, with a feature on winner NIR Diagnostics and a video on the Venture Finals 2009, and an interview with the co-authors, Wharton professor of innovation and entrepreneurship Ian MacMillan and Columbia Business School professor Rita Gunther McGrath, of their new book Discovery-Driven Growth: A Breakthrough Process to Reduce Risk and Seize Opportunity. Check out the newsletter here.

What Elon Musk Thinks

2009-05-15T12:54:00.000-04:00

Paypal founder and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk speaks about electric cars, hybrids, the Tesla and the mysterious ways of Detroit in the first of a two-part Knowledge@Wharton and Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs podcast series "Great Companies Are Built on Great Products". Listen to the podcast here.

Micro-financing, On Stage?

2009-05-14T12:34:00.000-04:00

"Mamma Mia!" producer Phylidda Lloyd is developing a feature project inspired by Wharton MBA Commencement speaker Muhammad Yunus' revolutionary concept of micro-financing. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, Yunus' pioneered the use of micro-loans to people in poor countries. Read more about the project here.

Latin America Sees Private Equity and Venture Capital Expansion

2009-05-12T13:16:00.000-04:00

Lauder Institute students recently co-authored a groundbreaking report that presents new data and trends of private equity and venture capital in Latin America. Read more about the findings here.

Tickets Take The Leap

2009-05-06T16:42:00.003-04:00

TicketLeap has officially launched TicketLeap Anywhere, the first full-service box office that is entirely web-based. The new ticketing service includes ticket barcode scanning, the ability for customers to choose an exact seat, and support for venue customization. Check out the Demo video here.

TechnicallyPhilly Tells All

2009-05-01T11:25:00.003-04:00

TechnicallyPhilly has filled the Philadelphia technology community gap with a recently launched blog that publishes daily with updates, profiles, reviews, and listings. Read their play-by-play account of the Venture Finals of the Wharton Business Plan Competition where NIR Diagnostics, one of eight competing groups, came away with the Grand Prize and the People's Choice Award here.

Wharton Business Plan Competition Winners Announced

2009-05-01T10:01:00.002-04:00

Student team NIR Diagnostics, whose patented “InfraVue” device detects wound healing problems faster and more accurately than current approaches, won the $20,000 Michelson Grand Prize of the 2009 Wharton Business Plan Competition at this year’s Venture Finals, the culminating event of the year-long Competition, which attracted nearly three hundred venture capitalists, business leaders, faculty and students. Read more here.

"Get It Started!" Gets You Started

2009-04-24T10:07:00.006-04:00

"Get It Started!" is the Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs' newsletter of entrepreneurial highlights and insights. Every month the newsletter is updated with new articles, video clips from experts discussing pertinent issues, and interviews with successful entrepreneurs.

This month's stories include "Reaching Beyond the Case Study," a look into the experiences gained by student consultants at the Wharton Small Business Center, and a video interview with Wharton MBA alumna Anne-Marie Corner, founder of Biosyn. Check out the newsletter and subscribe here.

Follow By Example

2009-04-17T10:24:00.006-04:00

Product Planner, a new site that aims "to help people understand and create user flows for their web products," provides over 100 visually mapped "flows" of the web's most successful sites, such as Google and Facebook, for your benefit. Read TechCrunch's review here.

StealthRowing: Company to Watch

2009-04-14T13:55:00.005-04:00

StealthRowing, a VIP company that designs and makes specialized training equipment that allows rowers to get the effect of rowing on the water while training indoors, took the top prize last Friday at PennVention, the University of Pennsylvania annual inventors competition, winning $5,000. Read more here.

The 2009 Wharton Business Plan Competition Venture Finals

2009-04-10T13:46:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday, April 29, eight finalists will compete for $70,000 in prizes at the annual Venture Finals, an event sponsored by MentorTech Ventures which attracts over 200 entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, investment bankers, alumni, faculty and students. A few of the competing plans include the next generation artificial eye, programmable robotic toys, and diabetes monitoring "jewelry". Find out more and register to attend here.

"Do Something Awesome"

2009-04-10T10:18:00.003-04:00

Tekzilla, a Web video show, featured Twitter co-founder Evan Williams in a live interview at the Web 2.0 Expo. In the video, seen here on TechCrunch, Williams offers advice for tech start-ups, the first being to "just do something awesome."

A Look Back at Google Ventures

2009-04-07T13:47:00.003-04:00

Last August, Google announced plans to open a venture-capital arm. Wharton Associate Professor of Management, Gary Dushnitsky, discusses the issues Google faces and warns "cautious optimism" as a guest blogger for Robert Salmon, Associate Professor of Management at NYU. Read more here.

America's Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs

2009-04-06T12:09:00.008-04:00

Two Wharton alums, Alex Mittal, founder of Innova Materials, a company that makes antimicrobial products for private industry and uses those revenues to fund water purification systems for developing countries, and Felipe Vergara, co-founder of Lumni, a new investment system that uses private capital to fund higher education, were named among 25 of America's Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs in BusinessWeek.

Students = Inventors

2009-04-06T10:40:00.002-04:00

The final round of PennVention, an annual student inventors competition at the University of Pennsylvania, will take place Friday, April 10, as the 2009 Invention Fair. 10 finalists will present their ideas before a panel of judges and a live audience and compete for over $60,000 worth of prizes. Find out more here.

Women in Entrepreneurship on the Rise

2009-03-26T13:58:00.006-04:00

The Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania recently graduated the first cohort of students in the Women's Entrepreneurship and Leadership Certificate Program in Cairo. The program, delivered through collaboration with the American University in Cairo (AUC), is part of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative, a global project to provide women with business and management education. Read more here.

President Obama's Small Business Plan Shared With Wharton's Own

2009-03-19T14:41:00.008-04:00

Wharton MBA alumnus entrepreneur, Marco Lentini, founder and CEO of restaurant Gia Pronto, was selected as one of the small business owners selected to participate in a round table discussion with President Obama regarding his small business plan. Read more here.

Spring Cleaning: Pixily Style

2009-03-19T14:00:00.003-04:00

Pixily, the self described "interactive document management service," founded by Wharton graduate Prasad Thammineni, can help you clear your desk clutter. For a monthly fee ranging from $4.95 to $59.95, Pixily will take any paper documents you send by prepaid envelope and "digitize" them into a private Web account. Check out the BusinessWeek product review here.

WEP Co-Director Talks Risk

2009-03-17T14:32:00.003-04:00

A YouTube posted video of WEP co-director Prof. Raffi Amit highlights his lecture on risks facing start-up companies during the economic crisis. He argues that, in addition to affecting funding for new ventures, the credit crisis is removing lifelines for established startups in this segment of his lecture for Wharton's new course, "The Economic & Financial Crisis: Causes, Consequences, and Policy Options." Watch it here.

PlaceVine Ahead of the Curve

2009-03-03T13:52:00.006-05:00

PlaceVine, a brand integration service founded by Wharton MBA alums who were members of the Venture Initiation Program, recently raised an additional $200,000 in financing from NYCSeed, as reported in BusinessWeek's article focusing on the recent trend of product integration.

The four-person company provides a fee-based classifieds service, and now plays a key role in unifying the entertainment and advertising communities, currently connecting over 300 content producers to more than 200 brands and agencies.

Give Water: One of the Coolest College Start-Ups

2009-02-23T09:13:00.007-05:00

Sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Ben Lewis, CEO of Give Water, has landed on Inc.com's list of the Coolest College Start-Ups.

Give Water donates 10 cents per bottle sold to four different types of local charities: children's causes, breast cancer research, environmental causes, and muscular-disorders research. As Lewis says, "Consumers... want to choose how they give back, and they want to give back locally." First sold in a few stores around Lewis' hometown Pittsburgh, Give Water has since donated more than $50,000 and garnered interest from producers in Canada, in the Midwest, and along the East Coast, including Whole Foods. Read more here.

Meet the Experts: Tina Wells

2009-02-20T13:49:00.006-05:00

Tina Wells, founder of Buzz Marketing Group, an information service provider to companies that target youth, is an inspiration to anyone hoping to utilize viral marketing for business growth. Buzz has acquired clients in the fashion, beauty, entertainment, business and lifestyle sectors such as: PBS, Procter + Gamble, SonyBMG, Sesame Workshop, Time Inc, and now Island Def Jam Music Group.

Island Def Jam Music Group and Tina Wells, who received a certificate in entrepreneurship from Wharton Exec Ed and was a presenter at Wharton's VIP panel Meet the Experts this morning, have recently partnered to launch a talent search based off Wells' tweens book series character "Mackenzie Blue."

Startup Central

2009-02-20T12:52:00.009-05:00

Wharton alumni company ChubbyBrain, the "world's largest user-generated database of innovative startups", just launched its public beta. The platform currently contains over 13,000 startups, 900 investors, and 800 reviews of emerging business models, technologies and companies. Startups on the platform span from clean/green tech to nanotech to web to mobile to social entrepreneurship (and everything in between).

Inside Knowledge

2009-02-11T09:17:00.006-05:00

Wharton Professor MacMillan: "Cutting Prices Across The Board...Will Destroy Your Profit Streams"

The newsletter Wharton@Work has just come out with an interview with Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs co-director, Professor Ian MacMillan, on how to grow during a downturn. "Mac" says, "Some customers will enter into your market and others will leave...[Resegment] proactively instead of cutting prices across the board, which will destroy your profit streams." Visit Wharton Executive Education to read the entire article: "Focus on: Finding Strategic Sweet Spots in a Sour Economy".

Why Not?

2009-02-10T13:53:00.003-05:00

RentHop.com, a start-up founded by Lee Lin and Wharton alumnus Lawrence Zhou, is truly pushing the boundaries of creativity. The website not only provides free information for several no-fee apartments throughout New York City, but also offers no-fee appointments with real estate agents- themselves. Don't worry, the RentHop founders have yet to quit their day jobs, but Lin and Zhou have plans to make this unique idea work.

Check out the article "Getting the Agent Without the Fee" featured in The New York Times.

NASA takes on SpaceX

2009-02-09T16:54:00.005-05:00

Space Exploration Technologies or SpaceX, a start-up company founded in 2002 that has eliminated traditional company layers of management and sub-contractors to develop launch vehicles and spacecraft with reduced costs and increased reliabilty, has beat out Boeing and Lockheed for the NASA Cargo Resupply Services contract worth $1.6 billion.

Check out the CNN.com video which features founder Elon Musk, a Wharton alumnus, here.

Wharton Entrepreneurship Conference 2009

2009-02-06T10:26:00.004-05:00

Buy your tickets now for WEC taking place February 13th at the Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia. The conference will feature the first ever WEC 25 startup expo, as well as keynotes by Donny Deutsch from CNBC's "The Big Idea" and Julian Brodsky, co-founder of Comcast. Find out more here.

All About the Business Plan

2009-02-06T09:50:00.006-05:00

You've got an unbelievable idea for a new business. But before you do anything, you need to have a detailed business plan in place. It's your blueprint for success. Bloomberg TV gives us some tips in "Writing a Business Plan", a segment featuring Wharton lecturer Lawrence Gelburd, Quaker BioVentures' Adele Oliva, and the VIP member company Henry Davidsen Suits.

TAKKLE Success

2009-02-06T09:36:00.009-05:00

TechCrunch reports: Alloy Media + Marketing, a division of the publicly listed Alloy, has agreed to acquire Wharton alumni company, the high school sports social network and portal TAKKLE, and intends to fold it into its youth-focused media and advertising network http://www.teen.com/. TAKKLE is an online community service that enables young athletes to create sports profiles and connect with team coaches and college sports recruiters. While the terms and size of the acquisition were not disclosed, TAKKLE raised $7 million in venture capital funding in 2007, from investors like Sports Illustrated, the New York City Investment Fund, and many more.

Watch and listen to Devin Griffin, Wharton MBA class of 2009, talk about gaining real-world experience as a Wharton Entrepreneurial Intern Fellow, working at Takkle, Summer, 2008 here.

Innovation At Its Best

2009-01-27T14:04:00.001-05:00

Organic Motion has taken motion capture technology and applied it to a Stage system, allowing for 360 degrees of digital information taken from a human beings' natural movements. Co-founded by developer Andrew Tschesnok and Wharton alumnus Jonathan Rand, Organic Motion aims for many future applications of the Stage system, ranging from its use for medical research to the movie industry. Recently, Organic Motion Stage Systems was named by PopularMechanics a Top 10 New World-Changing Innovation of the Year! Check out the article here, and while you're at it, take a look at the rest of the Top 10.

Rewarding Entrepreneurship

2009-01-23T14:11:00.003-05:00

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, one of the world's largest foundations devoted to entrepreneurship, has just announced the 2009 Young Scholars Program Recipie nts. The program recognizes "the achievements of three sets of young scholars who are making significant contributions to research in entrepreneurship." Gary Dushnitsky, an assistant professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has been named a Kauffman Junior Faculty Fellowship in Entrepreneurship Research recipient and will receive a $50,000 fellowship to support any future research. More information regarding this prestigious award can be found here.

When Things Are No Longer Free...

2009-01-23T13:05:00.002-05:00

Google Apps, Google's "software-as-a-service for business email, information sharing and security" is, according to Google, used by more than 1 million businesses, with a large majority choosing the free advertising supported version. However, last February Google debuted a premier edition of Google Apps costing $50 per user per year. Additionally, TechCrunch has reported that Google has been "quietly lowering the number of user accounts that can be associated with a free account." With user accounts for the free version dropping from 200 to 100 to now 50 coupled with a larger presence of the premium version with a free trial offer on the website, Google is clearly angling for your money. While Google Apps is undeniably a supported choice, TechCrunch warns that there are cheaper competitors, such as Zoho and Yahoo's Zimbra, that may endanger Google's demand.

From 0 to $7.5 Million

2009-01-23T10:48:00.003-05:00

You probably have heard of jibjab.com, a site known for its video parodies and personalized internet gags. Founded by Gregg Spiridellis, a Wharton educated ex-investment banker, and his brother Evan, an accomplished animator, JibJab has become quite the success story. TechCrunch recently reported that JibJab closed "a $7.5 million Series C funding round with participation from new investors Overbrook Entertainment (a production company co-founded by Will Smith) and Sony Pictures Entertainment, as well as existing investor Polaris Venture Partners." Ten years after JibJab first launched, the site is now ranked by Quantcast to be among the Top 100 most popular sites in the U.S.

BusinessWeek is Calling for the Top Social Entrepreneurs

2009-01-23T09:46:00.001-05:00

From January 13 to February 20, 2009, BusinessWeek will be accepting nominations for the most promising social entrepreneurs in the U.S. Think you recognize some of the best for-profit companies that are tackling social problems in new and innovative ways here or abroad? Send in your suggestions here. The nominees will be narrowed down to the top 25 to be profiled in BusinessWeek. After that, you again will have your say as you vote for the top 5.

Buzz Marketing Expert Andy Sernovitz's Quick Blogging Advice #7

2008-12-16T10:18:00.001-05:00

Andy Sernovitz is a prolific writer and consultant on entrepreneurial marketing. Check out his blog, "Damn, I Wish I'd Thought of That!" for great tips on writing your own company blog. In fact, check it out for all of the tips and tools he offers start ups. He's one Wharton alum who was listening closely to the classroom lectures of Wharton Marketing Prof. Leonard Lodish who wrote the book on "Entreperneurial Marketing"--literaly.

TechCrunch App CrunchVision – A Great Resource for Job Seekers

2008-12-16T10:14:00.002-05:00

If you haven’t seen it yet, you should check out CrunchVision – a recently released application that overlays CrunchBase companies on an interactive map. The application allows users to zoom to the region, nation, city and even the street level. Not only is it a fun way to see the technology start-up activity around the world at-a-glace, but if you’re interested in finding all the start-ups in a particular location – in order to network for future employment opportunities, perhaps – you no longer need to know the zip codes and city names of every possible location that could be housing a start-up in a particular metropolitan area.

It’s also a great way to achieve a global perspective on the tech activity out there!--Megan Mitchell

Past Wharton BPC Winner and VIP alum – Home-Base - going strong!

2008-12-16T10:13:00.001-05:00

I recently received an email update from David Kreiger (WG07) on the status of his start-up business – Home-Base. The original concept – which placed 3rd in the 2006 Venture Finals – was for a at-home call center model, staffed by military spouses. The business concept has morphed somewhat (no longer employing only military spouses), but is going strong. David wrote:

“just brought on an ops manager for Home-Base who is working out well. We have 20 reps now and trying to grow in 2009….We have wide variety of clients … from Mojo Water a bottless water cooler company http://www.mojowater.com/ , Paymaster, a payroll company, Unishippers a UPS service provide, a technology consultant who implements Microsoft CRM systems, Business Card Genius, a customizable business card company, and 1800 BOOK-A-LIMO a high end limousine company up in NYC.”

This is a great success story for those students who always lament that they don’t have a chance in the Business Plan Competition without a patented technology. It’s proof that a strong idea, well-written business plan and a passionate team can success in the WBPC!--Megan Mitchell

Venture Initiation Program Companies Announced

2008-12-16T10:12:00.000-05:00

The suspense is over! Wharton's new roster of Venture Initiation Program companies have been announced and you can check them out here. If you are a student at Penn and have an idea for starting your own business, don’t wait until you graduate to get it going. Leverage the Penn community and apply to VIP. The next round of applications are due in April. Maybe you could end up like this guy, who started his business in VIP back in 2003.

Young Entrepreneurs: "Coddled and Soft" ???

2008-12-16T10:07:00.000-05:00

The editorial posted by Steven Berglas at Forbes.com, entitled “Entrepreneurship (Or Lack Thereof)”, will illicit strong reactions from any entrepreneur under the age of 35 – the question is will they choose to roll their eyes, cringe or maybe nod their heads in agreement? No generation likes to be called “coddled…and soft” – especially business students who are turning down the big paycheck on Wall Street to be their own boss. Check it out and tell us what you think.