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. #PeriodPainFr...
Apr 29, 2019•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 on...
Apr 17, 2019•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Mar 27, 2019•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 neurod...
Mar 20, 2019•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Simple Habit is an award-winning app for daily stress relief. Founded in 2016, their mission is to empower people to live better, every day. With more than 1,500 sessions based on situations like sleeping, morning anxiety and lack of focus, Simple Habit offers a practical solution for modern lifestyles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 06, 2019•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Between busy schedules and constant notifications, alarming world news and growing stressors, many of us are struggling to fall asleep. The CDC estimates that 50-70 million adults in the US have chronic sleep disorders. This is where Gravity comes in. Gravity is a health technology company dedicated to improving physical and mental well-being using natural solutions backed by science. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 27, 2019•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 l...
Feb 23, 2019•30 sec•Transcript available on Metacast Karla started Cuyana with the vision of creating a global design house that inspires intentional buying through pieces that are crafted with integrity. Shilpa was drawn to Cuyana for the opportunity to create products rich in meaning, quality, and story. The name Cuyana means “to love” in Quechua, in honor of the craftsman who made their first product. Launched in 2013, Cuyana has expanded past its original vision of classic totes to incorporating entire wardrobe selections for women. Hoste...
Feb 21, 2019•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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, a...
Feb 13, 2019•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Feb 06, 2019•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Future Family has set out to improve access to fertility treatments through building a premiere healthcare platform and empowering their consumers by offering subscription-based plans to families at various income levels. The team consists of SolarCity, Google and YouTube alums and advisors that are leading experts in fertility and medical device technology. For more infomation on Future Family: https://www.futurefamily.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jan 30, 2019•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast To truly understand what’s its like to live small and comfortably, Jeff Wilson gave away most of his possessions and moved into a 33-square-foot dumpster. His experience led him to start Kasita. Any way you can imagine a Kasita is the right way. With its compact footprint and all-in-one delivery, the Kasita goes where other homes cannot, whether that's an urban backyard, a rooftop, or the rural retreat you've been dreaming about. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jan 23, 2019•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast A chance meeting and a discussion about Google Glass led to the creation of the world's first "Onstar" for the blind. Aira blends assistive service with wearable technology, empowering a network of trained, professional agents to remotely assist people who are blind or low vision with virtually any task, every day. Aira stands for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (RA). Yuja Chang is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and was named one of Forbes 3...
Jan 16, 2019•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Here’s Greg’s elevator pitch: “Coravin is a simple handheld system that allows you to drink any amount of wine from any bottle you own, whenever you want, without having to think about when you’re going to drink from that bottle again.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 18, 2018•27 sec•Transcript available on Metacast The idea for Coravin began as a pet project during Greg’s medical career. Coravin is his first consumer product, a departure from the field of medical device innovation. As an avid wine enthusiast, Greg developed Coravin as a convenient way to enjoy his favorite wine without worrying about the deterioration of the wine left in the bottle for too long. “I remember holding this chemotherapy needle in my left hand and a bottle in my right hand thinking, there’s got to be a way I can get t...
Dec 18, 2018•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Made In Cookware looks to reach out to millennials by providing quality cookware at more than affordable prices. It does so by cutting out the middleman and making its products direct-to-consumer, a trend in retail which shows zero signs of slowing down in the coming years. The timing couldn't be better as millennials focus on transitioning into settling down and establishing roots, which means investing in all sorts of home-based goods. The goal: To become the go-to brand for fast paced, young ...
Dec 12, 2018•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ministry of Supply is where advanced reconstruction meets innovative materials by developing fabric to solve common problems such as wrinkles and sweating. Backed by sports science and technology, they've studied how movement and body temperature impacts clothing longevity. The fabric is then tailored into men's and women's professional clothing. If you ever wondered how Bond managed to stay so cool and well-adjusted after jumping off a moving train, these guys probably had something to do with ...
Dec 05, 2018•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Austin, Texas is one of the hotbeds of startup and innovation in the country. Google, Apple, Facebook, AMD, Cisco and Amazon are just a few of the large-scale data and tech-driven conglomerates that call the Central Texas city home. Despite a notable claim to attracting new talent to the once sleepy capital, the region is facing an underlying crisis: a lack of locally produced talent to fill the demands of the numerous tech positions across the region. Companies continue to source technical tale...
Nov 28, 2018•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast The late 1970s and early 1980s brought forth a new variation of counterculture, birthed in Los Angeles, rooted in surf and skate culture. The style of fashion associated with surfers and skaters became known as streetwear and has since grown to be influenced by and include elements from hip-hop culture to haute couture fashion. Silver Lining Bespoke is firmly rooted in streetwear culture and fashion, collaborating with artists to create classic clothing paired with brilliant custom linings. Here...
Nov 21, 2018•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Here’s Bethany’s elevator pitch for Lia: “Lia is the first flushable, 100% biodegradable at-home pregnancy test.” Listen to her give the complete elevator pitch here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 14, 2018•28 sec•Transcript available on Metacast Before they started work on Lia, neither Anna nor Bethany had a background in health devices or technology. So they had to start from square one: with a great idea and a lot of motivation. Anna and Bethany conducted surveys with hundreds of thousands of women and did a huge amount of detailed market research to develop the product. “At the beginning, we had this formal idea of what a paper pregnancy test used by a woman would be and the basic research to understand how the technology could work,...
Nov 14, 2018•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Have you ever had a curiosity about food from different cultures. It seems more and more specials about food are all over the place, showcasing the best authentic dishes countries have to offer. What if you could find all those mouthwatering dishes all in one place. That's exactly what Yummy Bazaar has set out to accomplish, providing foods from across the world at the click of a mouse. Here's Rebecca's Elevator Pitch: "Yummy Bazaar is an online and mobile platform that's dedicated providing the...
Nov 07, 2018•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Glow is an ambitious enterprise that uniquely applies the power of data science to health. Our personal health tracking products illuminate health through data, and empower people with new information about their bodies. Though we live in a time when people track everything from diet and weight to the number of steps taken each day, it remains taboo to talk openly about some of the most critical phases of development: menstruation, sex, fertility, pregnancy, parenthood, and beyond. Here's Mike's...
Oct 31, 2018•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Karl sits down with Travis Katz, co-founder of Trip.com and Vice President of Product at Skyscanner Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 24, 2018•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast There was a time when children couldn't wait until Saturday morning to sit down in front of the television and waste half a day watching cartoons. Today -- almost everywhere you turn -- there's another platform that delivers content, so much so that it's hard to keep up with all of them. Platforms like YouTube, Netflix and Amazon all deliver high-quality content that's accessible to anyone for free or at a low monthly cost, offering a large selection of shows catered towards younger audiences. T...
Oct 17, 2018•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Here's Mark's elevator pitch for Anki: "Anki is a consumer robotics and AI company that takes a lot of the sophisticated science of robotics and applies it to mass-market consumer products." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 08, 2018•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Anki originated a decade ago as a group of Ph.D. students who spent their weekends brainstorming and collaborating. "Every Saturday we'd get together and we would just work the entire day," Mark says. Their first product: a toy car. "We've built a very viable business that started out with a kind of autonomous toy cars, shrunk down to slot car sizes." The fascinating thing is that Anki didn't stop here. Mark and his team understood this successful product as a stepping stone. Their strategy: "Le...
Oct 08, 2018•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Here’s Adriana’s elevator pitch for Lilu : “We are making breastfeeding more compatible with the lifestyle of the modern mom.... We have developed the first pumping bra that mimics expert recommended breast massaging techniques to help nursing mothers breast pump 30-200% more milk, hands free and hassle free.” Adriana explains that “over 80% of mothers start breastfeeding, and the vast majority are also returning to work within the first year of their baby’s life.” Once mothers are back at work,...
Jul 13, 2018•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Karl Ulrich's Elevator Pitch for the Month of July is Lilu, founded by Adriana Vazquez Ortiz, GEN'16. Elevator Pitch, from Adriana: “We are making breastfeeding more compatible with the lifestyle of the modern mom.... We have developed the first pumping bra that mimics expert recommended breast massaging techniques to help nursing mothers breast pump 30-200% more milk, hands free and hassle free.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 13, 2018•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you’re at work right now, chances are you’ve got a phone on your desk that came with the job. If not, you’re one of the lucky few: according to Craig Walker, founder of Dialpad , there are about 190 million desk phones in the U.S. Dialpad is aiming to change all that, by bringing down the desk phone, and bringing your business communications into the cloud so they can integrate with all your devices. Here’s Craig’s elevator pitch: “We are all about business enterprise communications, and we b...
Jul 06, 2018•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
