Startup Challenge Finalists vie for over $135,000 in prizes; student ventures demo; in-elevator elevator pitches: open to the public on April 27, 2018
PHILADELPHIA, PA, April 19, 2018—Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship is pleased to announce the second annual Startup Showcase, sponsored by Eric Aroesty, C’92, on Friday, April 27, 2018, a dynamic event showcasing the best student-founded startups from across the University of Pennsylvania. The event is free and open to the public and will take place at the Wharton School’s Jon M. Huntsman Hall on the University of Pennsylvania campus. Register here.
The event includes:
- Finals of the Startup Challenge with eight Finalists who will compete for over $135,000 in cash and prizes;
- Demos of student ventures;
- Real elevator pitches, where student entrepreneurs pitch live in an elevator to investors;
- Voting for the Michelson People’s Choice Award and the Crowd Favorite Award
The eight Startup Challenge Finalists will be chosen the morning of the event in closed-door pitch sessions to panels of entrepreneurs and investors. The nearly 30 semifinalists include winners of various campus competitions, including the President’s Innovation Prize, iDesign Prize, and more.
Previous participants in Wharton’s startup competition include entrepreneurs such as the founders of mission-driven outdoor adventure apparel maker Cotopaxi, innovative startup investment VC firm FundersClub, and pet insurance company PetPlan.
Startup Challenge Finals judges are:
- Mona Bijoor, C’98, WG’05, Partner, King Circle Capital and Founder, JOOR
- David Cohen, PAR’14, PAR’16, PAR’17, PAR’21, CEO, Chief Investment Officer, and Co-founder, Karlin Asset Management, Inc.
- Carol Curley, WG’81, Chief Investment Officer, The Charian Group and Managing Director, Golden Seeds
- Lucinda Duncalfe, C’85, WG’91, President and CEO, Monetate
- Richard Perlman, W’68, Founder and Executive Chairman, ExamWorks Group, Inc.
- Stephen Tang, WG’92, CEO, OraSure
Note on abbreviations:
- W-Wharton undergraduate alum
- C-Penn College of Arts & Sciences alum
- WG-Wharton MBA alum
- PAR-Penn parent
About Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship
Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship is a resource for students across the University of Pennsylvania who are interested in entrepreneurship and innovation. The program maximizes the ability of students and alumni to address important challenges through entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking. With 24 team members on two coasts, Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship awards over $600,000 to entrepreneurial students every year, engages with nearly 100 startups each year in the Venture Initiation Program, and offers more than 50 entrepreneurial courses.
About the Wharton School
Founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is recognized globally for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every major discipline of business education. With a broad global community and one of the most published business school faculties, Wharton creates economic and social value around the world. The School has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 9,000 participants in executive education programs annually and a powerful alumni network of 96,000 graduates.
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