Wharton Stories » Lauder Intercultural Ventures Immerse Students in Global Learning
Wharton Stories
Lauder Intercultural Ventures Immerse Students in Global Learning
Image: LIV student participants at Mokolodi Nature Reserve in Gaborone, Botswana. (Image Credit: Ludovico Galli)
The Lauder Institute leads students on short-term academic immersions in destinations around the world through Lauder Intercultural Ventures (LIVs). Site visits, expert discussions, and cultural engagement allow students to examine how history, policy, and economic forces shape conditions on the ground.
The Lauder Institute led students on short-term academic immersions in five destinations around the world through its series of spring Lauder Intercultural Ventures (LIVs). While one LIV returned to Botswana, repeating a previous program on healthcare and economic sustainability, four other destinations — Bulgaria, South Korea, India, and the Dominican Republic — introduced new themes that allowed students to examine how history, policy, and economic forces shape conditions on the ground.
Guided by a faculty expert in each destination, LIVs offer students the opportunity to explore complex issues through direct, field-based engagement and a regionally relevant theme.
LIV student participants at Rila Monastery in the Rila Mountains, Bulgaria. (Image Credit: Tanner Muzikowski)
Wharton Stories
Inside Wharton’s AI Block Week in Seattle
Image: Wharton EMBA students during the AI Block Week in Seattle. (Image Credit: Diane Sharp)
“I came in thinking AI was a skill to learn, like Excel. But what I realized is that AI adoption is really a leadership mindset and challenge,” says Fei Fei Wang, WG’26.
For students in Wharton’s MBA Program for Executives, learning extends far beyond the classroom. Nowhere is that more evident than with Block Weeks, which are immersive academic experiences combining rigorous coursework, real-world exposure, and unparalleled access to industry leaders.
This spring, students from the Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Global cohorts taking the Block Week on Artificial Intelligence traveled to Seattle to explore how organizations are adopting and scaling AI across industries. Through sessions led by Senior Vice Dean for Innovation and Global InitiativesSerguei Netessine, company visits, and candid conversations with executives, students gained a firsthand look at how AI is reshaping business and leadership.
We asked a student from each of the three EMBA cohorts to tell us about the week. Here’s what they had to say about their experience.
Wharton EMBA students at an Amazon fulfillment center during AI Block Week in Seattle. (Image Credit: Diane Sharp)
Marcello Gracietti, WG’27
San Francisco Cohort
A Global Perspective on Technology and Growth
Marcello Gracietti, WG’27, brings a deeply international background to Wharton, having grown up in Brazil and attended college and graduate school in Italy and France. Today, he leads a San Francisco-based software consultancy that helps organizations modernize their systems.
Gracietti enrolled in Wharton’s EMBA program to learn how to scale his business, and saw this course on AI in Seattle as a critical part of that journey.
“I wanted to consolidate my understanding of the real potential of AI — what’s noise versus what’s actually transformative — and how to apply it, both to modernize my own company and to help our clients innovate and find real efficiency,” he explains.
Learning From the Front Lines of AI
For Gracietti, the highlight of the week was the direct exposure to companies actively implementing AI at scale.
“We weren’t hearing from startups experimenting with AI,” he says. “We were talking to CIOs and senior leaders at companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Blue Origin, and T-Mobile — organizations that are fundamentally transforming their strategies with AI.”
“That level of access and depth is something you just can’t find anywhere else,” adds Gracietti.
Turning Insight Into Action
Gracietti didn’t wait to apply what he learned.
“After the week, I organized sessions with my team to translate these insights into our business context,” he says. “We’re launching a new service to help clients navigate AI transformation — grounded in this field research, our own experience, and what we’ve seen working with other companies going through the same shift.”
The Power of the Block Week Format
Gracietti emphasizes that Block Weeks go far beyond traditional lectures.
“This wasn’t just about sitting in a classroom,” he says. “We were visiting companies, engaging with leaders, and learning from both Prof. Nettesine and practitioners at the highest level as well as from our classmates.”
He also values the flexibility that Block Weeks provide.
“They allow you to explore topics you care about and learn in different locations,” he says. “If I could, I’d take this class again, and I definitely plan to take more Block Weeks.”
Fei Fei Wang, WG’26 (second from left), with EMBA classmates in Seattle. (Image Credit: Courtesy of Fei Fei Wang)
Fei Fei Wang, WG’26
Philadelphia Cohort
Expanding Leadership Through New Perspectives
Fei Fei Wang, W’26, built her career in hospitality and real estate investment management, but as she stepped into more senior leadership roles, she recognized the need to broaden her perspective. Wang came to Wharton with that goal in mind and, in her second year, she’s been intentional about choosing courses outside her core areas of expertise.
The AI Block Week in Seattle was a natural extension of that approach. At first glance, it felt far removed from her day-to-day work, making it the perfect opportunity to stretch into something new.
“In hospitality, we’re often late adopters of technology because we are so focused on people,” explains Wang. “But I knew AI would eventually impact us, so I wanted to understand it before it becomes unavoidable.”
That decision quickly proved worthwhile.
“This ended up being one of the most impactful electives I’ve taken,” she says.
AI as a Leadership Challenge
One of Wang’s biggest takeaways was a shift in how she views AI.
“I came in thinking AI was a skill to learn, like Excel,” she says. “But what I realized is that AI adoption is really a leadership mindset and challenge.”
Through conversations with executives and practitioners, a consistent message emerged: Successful organizations treat AI as an opportunity for experimentation. “The companies leading in AI create environments where employees can test, fail, and learn,” she says. “A big theme of the week was that, if you know an experiment will succeed, it’s not really an experiment.”
Real-World Insights From Industry Leaders
Company visits brought these ideas to life.
“I was impressed by how companies like T-Mobile approach AI not just from a technology standpoint, but as part of their culture,” says Wang.
At the site visits, students also saw the challenges of adopting AI, including gaps between executive vision and day-to-day implementation.
“Hearing both leadership and employee perspectives gave us a full picture of what AI adoption actually looks like, and reinforced the importance of a culture supporting experimentation,” she adds.
Building Connections Across Cohorts
Beyond the academic experience, Block Week fostered meaningful connections.
“Every night, we organized dinners and explored Seattle together,” says Wang. “I made a point to meet different classmates each day, and even connected with local Wharton students who weren’t in the class but live in the area.”
Working alongside peers from diverse industries added another layer of learning.
“My team included professionals from law, marketing, and tech,” she says. “That diversity made the experience even richer.”
EMBA students in a classroom during AI Block Week in Seattle. (Image Credit: Diane Sharp)
Adam Tohn, WG’26
Global Cohort
Exploring AI at a Critical Moment
For Adam Tohn, W’26, the AI Block Week offered a chance to grapple with one of “the most transformative and complex technologies shaping the future of work.”
Tohn entered the week with “equal amounts of optimism and pessimism,” eager to learn from the companies and leaders shaping AI at the forefront of American enterprise and also cautious about AI’s risks.
“This was an opportunity to interact with people who are actively building the systems that will shape how we solve problems in the future,” he says.
Seeing AI’s Human Impact
One of Tohn’s most memorable takeaways from the week was how thoughtfully many organizations are approaching the human side of AI adoption. “People are really thinking about what it means for human beings to navigate this kind of technological change,” he says.
He points to one example discussed during the week: the Gates Foundation’s use of AI to rapidly identify mosquito species responsible for spreading malaria.
“AI can enable people to essentially become entomologists because they take a photo of a mosquito on their phone to immediately identify its species,” Tohn explains. “That information helps determine the most effective prevention strategy, whether that’s mosquito nets or spraying. It’s a practical example of how AI, if widely available, can save lives.”
At the same time, he acknowledges that the technology brings real risks that must be addressed carefully.
“We’re at a point where the choices leading institutions make about AI, governance, and design shape the trajectory for human living and working conditions generally,” says Tohn. “Done thoughtfully, this technology can free people to create and focus on higher-judgment, pro-social work.”
Applying the Lessons Immediately
The insights Tohn gained during the week didn’t just stay in the classroom.
“My team is evolving the AI strategy at our firm, including rethinking how AI fits into our governance and decision-making architecture — not just which tools to adopt, but how to structure the human oversight around them,” he says. “I got on the plane home and immediately started applying what I learned.”
The Power of Block Week Learning
For Tohn, the Block Week format creates a uniquely immersive experience.
“There’s real value in dedicating your full attention to a topic for an entire week,” he says.
Equally important is the opportunity to connect with classmates across cohorts, something that he says is especially meaningful for Global cohort students who are based across time zones.
“We spent evenings together discussing what we were learning in real time,” he says. “That concentrated time together is special.”
Tohn adds that Block Weeks capture one of the most distinctive aspects of the Wharton EMBA experience.
“They allow you to engage with industry, theory, and classmates all at once and in a place where the context makes the learning real,” he says. “I can’t overstate how valuable that is.”
Previous Education: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, B.S. Control & Automation; Alma Mater Studiorum – Universita di Bologna and Grenoble INP – Ense3, Master’s in Control & Automation Engineering
Image Credit: Fiona Photo Studio
Fei Fei Wang, WG’26
Cohort: Philadelphia Cohort
Based in: Plano, Texas
Current Position: Feasibility and Development Americas, Mandarin Oriental
Previous Education: Michigan State University, B.A. Hospitality Administration/Management
Image Credit: Dan
Adam Tohn, WG’26
Cohort: Global
Based in: Washington, D.C.
Current Position: VP of Corporate Strategy, Link Logistics
Previous Education: George Washington University, B.A. International Affairs, International Economics, Mathematics
Wharton Stories
Wharton Partners With Tax Support Agency for Working Families
Image: Oleksandr Bushko via Getty Images
“Knowing about financial responsibility isn’t enough. You have to put it into practice.” — Wendy De La Rosa, Wharton Assistant Professor of Marketing
In recognition of tax season and Financial Literacy Month, CBS News Philadelphia’s “In Your Corner” segment spotlights how Wharton School works in collaboration with Campaign for Working Families in conjunction with the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The effort brings tax preparation services to Philadelphia community members in need of support during each tax season. At sites around the city, Wharton research-backed strategies help recipients make informed decisions about their refunds, demonstrating how academic work translates into tangible support for working families.
“For me, this has been really meaningful. This is, for many people, … crucial to their well-being.” The involvement of Wharton faculty and staff demonstrates how Wharton’s research, teaching, and service intersect to support financial success for Philadelphia community members.
Listen to Assistant Professor of Marketing Wendy De La Rosa on the CBS News Philadelphia “In Your Corner Podcast.”
Wharton Stories
Meet the Knighted Professor Shaping Global Business Education
Image: Vice Dean of Wharton’s MBA for Executives (EMBA) program Mauro Guillén at the Wharton Global Forum in London. (Image Credit: Courtesy of the Wharton School)
“Much of my work has focused on understanding how countries, institutions, and businesses interact across borders, so receiving this recognition from the King of Spain is very special to me,” says Vice Dean of the MBA Program for Executives Mauro Guillén.
When Vice Dean of the MBA Program for Executives Mauro F. Guillénreceived word that he would be knighted by King Felipe VI of Spain, the honor carried both personal meaning and professional recognition. Named a Commander of the Royal Order of Civil Merit — one of Spain’s highest distinctions — Guillén joined a small group of individuals recognized for “extraordinary services” to the nation.
Guillén’s selection reflects decades of scholarship, global engagement, and his longstanding relationship with organizations that strengthen ties between Spain and the United States He has been a trustee of the Princess of Asturias Foundation and engaged with the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, regularly participating in gatherings that bring together leaders from business, government, and academia.
“It’s a meaningful honor, especially because it recognizes contributions to strengthening connections between Spain and the broader global community,” says Guillén. “Much of my work has focused on understanding how countries, institutions, and businesses interact across borders, so receiving this recognition from the King of Spain is very special to me.”
The ceremony took place at the Spanish consulate in New York, and Guillén will later attend a reception with the King in Spain.
Mauro Guillén (center) during the ceremony at the Spanish Consulate in New York, where he was named a Commander of the Royal Order of Civil Merit. (Image Credit: Courtesy of Mauro Guillén)
From Spain to a Global Academic Career
Guillén grew up in Spain and attended college there, initially unsure about his professional future. During his third year as an undergraduate studying political economy and business management, he met a professor who had earned a Ph.D. in the United States. The encounter sparked a realization: Academia could be his calling.
That discovery set him on an international academic journey. Guillén went on to earn a Ph.D. in sociology from Yale University, while also completing a doctorate in political economy and business management at the University of Oviedo in Spain.
He began his academic career at MIT’s Sloan School of Management before joining Wharton in 1996. Since then, Guillén has become one of the school’s leading voices on global business trends and strategy.
His scholarship blends sociology, political economy, and business analysis to help organizations understand how demographic shifts, economic patterns, and technological innovation shape future opportunities.
“By systematically analyzing demographic and economic data, you can anticipate major changes before they happen,” explains Guillén.
His research and commentary have appeared in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, and he has shared insights on programs including “Fareed Zakaria GPS” on CNN and “Marketplace” on NPR. His book “2030: How Today’s Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything” became an instant Wall Street Journal bestseller, and was named a Financial Times Book of the Year.
Guillén has also reached learners worldwide through digital education platforms like Coursera and edX, where more than 100,000 participants have taken his online courses.
Decree naming Mauro Guillén as a Commander of the Royal Order of Civil Merit. (Image Credit: Courtesy of Mauro Guillén)
Leadership and Innovation
In 2023, Guillén stepped into a new role as Vice Dean of Wharton’s EMBA program. His appointment came after serving as dean of Cambridge Judge Business School and previously leading the Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management & International Studies at Wharton.
He took on the EMBA vice dean role at a pivotal moment for the program.
One of the most significant developments under his leadership has been the launch of the EMBA program’s Global Cohort, a hybrid format that delivers approximately 70% of the program online while bringing students together for in-person experiences. The initiative marked the first time Wharton offered a degree program in such a format.
“It was a bold step,” notes Guillén. “Wharton had offered executive education online, but not a degree program. This allowed us to expand access to more people around the world and provide flexibility for working professionals.”
Vice Dean Mauro Guillén teaching EMBA students. (Image Credit: Courtesy of the Wharton School)
Teaching WEMBA Students
Although Guillén has taught extensively across Wharton programs, teaching EMBA students brings a unique energy to the classroom.
“These students are very accomplished,” he says. “Approximately 40% already have graduate degrees, and some even have Ph.D.s. They’re working full-time and making a big sacrifice to be here, so they come incredibly prepared and engaged.”
Guillén currently teaches a course on Global Management of Digital Platforms in the EMBA program, building on years of experience with global strategy and international business topics.
The Wharton Spirit
As Wharton prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its MBA for Executives program in 2026, Guillén is focused on ensuring that the program continues evolving for future leaders.
Ultimately, he hopes every graduate leaves with more than new skills or professional connections.
“The most important thing is the Wharton spirit,” he says. “It’s about making business better, but also about doing good in the world.”
Current Position: Vice Dean, MBA Program for Executives (EMBA); William H. Wurster Professor of Multinational Management
Previous Education: Universidad de Oviedo, Spain: B.A., Political Economy and Business Management; Ph.D., Political Economy and Business Management; Yale University: M.A., Sociology; Ph.D., Sociology
Wharton OID Professor Charts New Territory with CSSLab
Image: Duncan Watts (far left) and Managing Director Jeanne Ruane (second from left) with members of Penn’s Computational Social Science (CSS) Lab. (Image Credit: Courtesy of Inspiring Impact)
“Superficially, computational social science takes methods from computer science and applies them to social issues. But at a deeper level, computational social science can also mean advancing our understanding of the world by solving practical problems,” says Duncan Watts, Wharton Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions (OID), Stevens University Professor, and 23rd Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor.
“Superficially, computational social science takes methods from computer science and applies them to social issues. But at a deeper level, computational social science can also mean advancing our understanding of the world by solving practical problems,” says Watts. “I started this lab to embody what computational social science can be.”
Together with Managing Director Jeanne Ruane, Watts and his team of 23 students and researchers are exploring how people behave, how media works, how society functions, and how the human mind operates.
Inside VIP-X Philadelphia: How Wharton MBA Founders Are Scaling Startups
Image: Polina Tankilevitch
“Wharton gives you an unusually safe environment to test things: classmates who will give real feedback, professors who will pressure-test your assumptions, and programs like VIP-X that simulate real investor scrutiny.” — Ojú Junaid, WG’26
TheVenture Initiation Program’s VIP-X Philadelphia accelerator is a highly selective, immersive experience designed by Venture Lab for Penn’s most advanced student founders as they scale early-stage ventures. Through a structured blend of expert-led workshops, one-on-one advising, peer collaboration, and hands-on learning, the program equips entrepreneurs with the tools, mentorship, and resources needed to refine their strategies and accelerate growth. Over the course of a one-semester, intensive, cohort-based experience, participants receive personalized guidance, access to a strong founder community, and up to $10,000 in nondilutive funding, helping transform promising ideas into high-impact, investment-ready ventures.
We spoke with founders from this year’s MBA cohort about the ventures they’re building and how VIP-X is shaping their journeys.
Logo Image Credit: Ojú JunaidImage Credit: Courtesy of Ojú Junaid
Ojú Junaid, WG’26 Hometown(s): Abeokuta, Nigeria and the Bronx, N.Y. Pre-MBA Career: User Experience Research at Google Wharton Major(s): Entrepreneurship & Innovation; Finance
What problem is your venture solving, and what makes it personally meaningful to you? Àwùjọ is solving the gap between cultural identity and accessible language learning. A lot of second-generation Africans, especially Yorùbá kids like me, grow up understanding the language but not confidently speaking it. Most formal language tools don’t feel culturally alive; they feel clinical.
I’m building a culture-first language platform where learning Yorùbá feels like stepping into a living world: conversation labs, events, games, animation, and real community. It matters to me personally because I’ve felt that disconnect. I didn’t want to just “learn vocabulary,” I wanted to feel at home in my own culture.
This became especially personal through my grandmother. Some of my favorite memories are sitting with her while she spoke Yorùbá, effortlessly telling stories, teasing, praying. As I got older, I realized there were parts of her I couldn’t fully access because my language skills weren’t strong enough. That feeling stayed with me, especially after I lost her four years ago.
Did you come to Wharton planning to start this company, or did the idea evolve here? I came to Wharton already building Àwùjọ. I had started hosting events, teaching classes, and testing what culture-first language learning could look like in real life.
What’s really evolved here is the scale of the vision and the discipline behind it. Through strategy courses, investor conversations, and programs like VIP-X, I’ve been pushed to think beyond running great events and toward building a long-term platform. I’ve sharpened our business model, clarified where we’re growing, and become more intentional about what we prioritize. Wharton didn’t start Àwùjọ, but it has definitely stretched my sense of what it can become.
What are you hoping to get out of your VIP-X experience? VIP-X has been one of the sharpest feedback environments I’ve been in. During the selection process, the committee pushed me on things I had thought about but hadn’t fully articulated yet — growth strategy, prioritization, what we’re actually optimizing for. It forced a different kind of precision.
I’m not just building a great cultural experience anymore, I’m building a platform with long-term architecture. VIP-X is helping me hold both of those things at once without losing either.
What have you learned about yourself through building your startup? I’ve learned that I’m more resilient than I thought. There are so many moments where things don’t go as planned: Partnerships fall through, events underperform, people misunderstand your vision.
I’ve also learned that I care deeply about excellence. I’m very design-oriented and brand-driven. Building Àwùjọ has shown me that I don’t just want to build something functional; I want to build something beautiful and culturally precise.
And maybe most importantly, I’ve learned that I’m okay being early. Vision often feels lonely before it feels obvious.
An Àwùjo Event. (Image Credit: Ojú Junaid)
What advice would you give someone considering an MBA who wants to start a company? Don’t wait for the perfect idea; use the MBA as a laboratory. Wharton gives you an unusually safe environment to test things: classmates who will give real feedback, professors who will pressure-test your assumptions, and programs like VIP-X that simulate real investor scrutiny.
If you want to build, start building while you’re here. The feedback loops are faster, and the downside risk is lower than it will ever be again. And build something you genuinely care about; it’s too hard otherwise.
Logo Image Credit: Ahmad HasanianImage Credit: Courtesy of Ahmad Hasanian
Ahmad Hasanian, WG’26 Hometown: Fairfax, Va. Pre-MBA Career: Tech M&A Investment Banker; Private Equity Software Investor Wharton Major(s): Artificial Intelligence for Business; Business Analytics
What problem is your venture solving, and what makes it personally meaningful to you? At Tufany, we’re building agentic AI tools that empower independent journalists to compete with large media institutions. Some of the most rigorous and objective reporting today comes from independent journalists who are deeply committed to their craft but are severely under resourced.
If we can better support their workflows, we can help elevate more diverse and well-supported perspectives. That matters to me because investigative journalism is a critical pillar of a healthy democracy; more-informed societies make better decisions.
Did you come to Wharton planning to start this company, or did the idea evolve here? I came to Wharton knowing I wanted to start a company during or shortly after my MBA. Tufany began to take shape over the winter break of my first year.
What are you hoping to get out of your VIP-X experience? Building a company at Wharton can be isolating since most students are recruiting for traditional roles, and the day-to-day rhythm is very different from startup life. VIP-X provides a community of fellow founders and experienced advisors who understand those challenges.
It also introduces structure and accountability. Regular sessions, shared milestones, and clear goal-setting create discipline around progress.
What have you learned about yourself through building your startup? Coming from investment banking and private equity, I assumed I preferred structure and clearly defined work. What I’ve learned is that I’m actually energized by ambiguity. I enjoy tackling open-ended problems, making decisions with imperfect information and iterating quickly.
What advice would you give someone considering an MBA who wants to start a company? Business school offers incredible opportunities, but it also comes with a lot of noise. Traditional recruiting paths are well-defined and prestigious, and it’s easy to get pulled in different directions.
If you’re serious about building, be intentional about finding your community and resources early. Surround yourself with people who support your long-term goals, and stay clear on why you came.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Veronica RiveraLogo Image Credit: Veronica Rivera
What problem is your venture solving, and what makes it personally meaningful to you? At Sabe, we’re making single-serving sauces with clean ingredients. Before starting my MBA, I was a management consultant, which meant I was traveling every week. No matter where I was, it never made sense to me that I could get a fresh, delicious bowl or salad, but then it would be topped with a packet of sauce or dressing full of artificial, highly processed ingredients.
I kept wondering: Why isn’t there an option that tastes just as fresh as the food itself, but is still convenient and portable?
That idea sat in the back of my mind for a long time. Once I got to business school, I decided to really invest in bringing it to life. We recently did our first launch, and it sold out in three hours, which was incredibly validating. It showed me that people really resonate with the product, and it makes me excited about what’s ahead.
Did you come to Wharton planning to start your company, or did the idea evolve here? The idea existed before Wharton, but I didn’t know how seriously I wanted to pursue it. One thing that surprised me during my first year was how many professors encouraged me to spend my summer working on the brand full-time when I was unsure about internships.
That stretch of dedicated time made a huge difference. It gave me the space to focus, test the idea, and understand what it would take to scale. Last summer was incredibly valuable, and I’m really glad I made that decision.
What are you hoping to get out of your VIP-X experience? I joined VIP-X for mentorship and accountability. When you’re building something, you’re constantly getting feedback from all directions, and it can be hard to filter through the noise. Having a dedicated advisor, someone who’s truly in your corner and invested in your growth, is something I really value.
The peer accountability is also powerful. The rest of the cohort is genuinely interested in what you’re building, and our weekly check-ins are incredibly supportive. Building a brand often means prioritizing on your own, so it’s been motivating to be surrounded by people who are in it alongside you.
What have you learned about yourself through building your startup? It’s helped me trust my intuition more. If I feel strongly about something, there’s a good chance other people will too.
What advice would you give someone considering an MBA who wants to start a company? Make sure you’re genuinely passionate — almost obsessed — with the idea you’re working on. At a place like Wharton, there are so many opportunities, people, and events competing for your time. It’s easy to get pulled in different directions.
But when you’re deeply invested in your idea, it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice to spend nights working on it or dedicate your free time to building something. It’s something you want to do.
Having my company in the back of my mind has made my MBA experience so much more valuable. In every class, I’m constantly connecting what I’m learning back to my business, and it’s completely transformed how I engage with the material.
Logo Image Credit: Serena AinslieImage Credit: Courtesy of Serena Ainslie
Serena Ainslie, WG’26 Hometown: Palm Beach, Fla. Pre-MBA Career: Climate Change & Sustainability Consulting, EY Wharton Major: Entrepreneurship & Innovation
What problem is your venture solving, and what makes it personally meaningful to you? Girl Math Capital (GMC) is an alternative investing membership community that brings private market education and deal flow to women. I co-founded GMC with two close friends from college because we were living this problem firsthand. We saw our male peers, people with the same backgrounds and networks, getting access to angel, real estate, and crypto opportunities, while we weren’t.
When we looked into why, the answer was consistent: Women cited lack of knowledge and limited access to deal flow as the biggest barriers to entering private markets. We built GMC to close that gap.
Did you come to Wharton planning to start this company, or did the idea evolve here? We started GMC before Wharton, and building it is actually what pushed me to apply to business school in the first place. It made me realize I wanted to be in the world of early-stage startups and investing — not just advising large companies.
When I arrived, I wasn’t sure if GMC would grow enough to go all in. The traction we’ve built over the last six months made that decision for me.
What are you hoping to get out of your VIP-X experience? Three things: connecting with other Penn founders, better understanding how accelerator programs are structured so we can support founders pitching GMC, and working with my mentor to clarify the next stage of our growth.
What have you learned about yourself through building your startup? I’ve learned how much I’m motivated by creating something that didn’t exist before. Coming from consulting where “don’t reinvent the wheel” is the norm, I didn’t expect how energizing it would feel to build from scratch.
I’ve also been surprised by how much individual member stories drive me. Hearing how GMC has impacted someone’s financial life or network is what makes me most excited to keep building.
What would you tell someone considering an MBA who wants to start a company? This is one of the best times to start a business. You have unstructured time, world-class resources, and very little downside risk.
Working on GMC has also made my classes exponentially more relevant. I’m applying what I learn in real time, not years later. And worst case, if you spend two years building something and decide not to pursue it, you still leave with a Wharton MBA and a compelling story.
Together, these MBA student founders reflect the range of ideas and ambitions within the VIP-X community, each leveraging the program’s mentorship, structure, and peer network to turn early-stage concepts into meaningful, scalable ventures. Read more about the programhere.
Venture Lab serves as the university-wide center for entrepreneurship and innovation — open to all Penn students regardless of school or background. As a partnership with the Wharton School, Penn Engineering, and the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, Venture Lab provides a physical “start here” button to serve all students and alumni across the University of Pennsylvania who are interested in entrepreneurship and innovation.
Wharton Stories
President’s Prize Recipients Nirby and Nourish to Flourish Include Wharton Alumni
Image: President J. Larry Jameson presents the 2025 President's Engagement Prize to Nourish to Flourish, which includes Wharton's Inaya Zaman, C'25, W'25 (second from left). (Image Credit: Bowstring Studios)
“These projects began as the visions of passionate Penn students, now alumni, who embody the University at its finest: creative and extraordinarily committed to making a measurable difference in the world,” says Penn President J. Larry Jameson.
Wharton alumni Piotr Lazarek (SEAS’25, W’25) — representing Nirby — and Inaya Zaman (C’25, W’25) — representing Nourish to Flourish — share updates on their projects that earned them 2025 President’s Prizes.
The donor-supported President’s Prizes are the largest of their kind in higher education, and are awarded to Penn students undertaking post-graduation projects making a positive, lasting impact in the world. Each winner receives a $50,000 living stipend and $100,000 to support the development of their team’s project.
“These projects began as the visions of passionate Penn students, now alumni, who embody the University at its finest: creative and extraordinarily committed to making a measurable difference in the world,” says Penn President J. Larry Jameson. “I am deeply proud of all they have accomplished, and I look forward to seeing more of their next chapters, which are already inspiring.”
Piotr Lazarek, SEAS’25, W’25 (left), is Founder of Nirby, honored for the 2025 President’s Sustainability Prize. (Image Credit: Bowstring Studios)Inaya Zaman, C’25, W’25 (left), is Co-founder of Nourish to Flourish, honored for the 2025 President’s Engagement Prize. (Image Credit: Bowstring Studios)
Wharton Stories
Their Stories Then, Their Careers Now
Image: Courtesy of University Communications
Three Wharton alumni previously profiled as undergraduates reflect on life and work after graduation.
Life at Wharton is in perpetual motion, from first-years just arriving at their home in Philadelphia for the first time to graduating seniors finishing up their last remaining classes.
For those of us who remain behind, life post-graduation may seem mysterious, with freshly minted Wharton alumni disappearing into a vast expanse of unknowns. We caught up with three alumni previously featured in student profiles, asking about what has changed (and what hasn’t) since their last steps on Locust Walk, coffee at Pret, and lectures in Steinberg-Dietrich Hall.
Jake of All Trades
Jake Rodin, W’23, no longer needs the winter coat he first bought for Penn.
Four years ago, we explored how the Arizona native adapted to the Philadelphia cold and found community through serving as a Wharton Undergraduate Cohorts co-chair and Riepe College House residential advisor.
Today, Rodin has returned to the dry heat of Arizona. First, he joined Axon, a leading public-safety technology company headquartered in northern Scottsdale, and now settling in with a private equity startup focused primarily on local real estate.
While he may no longer be cow cutting or heading to the Montana mountain ranges, the former College House RA still draws heavily from his formative experiences deep in the Wild West.
“I loved feeling like the world was yours,” Rodin recalls. “You take [yourself] wherever you want. And I think that definitely lends itself more to the startup side, where the work that we’re doing now is directly going to influence how the firm ends up.”
Like the pioneers first arriving in the remote Western territories, Rodin sees himself as a jack of all trades, capable of nuanced insights into finance, operations, marketing, accounting, and ethics, thanks to Wharton’s business fundamentals curriculum. He credits his professional success to the comprehensive nature of his Wharton education.
“That set me apart from, honestly, everyone with business backgrounds where they just majored in finance or management,” Rodin says. “I was able to speak the accounting language, [and] I could speak on the management side. I concentrated in finance and OID. And so, really what my team prided themselves on was hiring Swiss Army knives who could do a lot of different things.”
In April 2021, Maggie Tang, W’22, was working on “Gourmand” — a podcast she cofounded at Penn, focusing on the restaurant industry — and two senior theses on restaurant operations and management.
Today, Tang is still heavily involved in the hospitality scene, launching Loyalist, a marketing and customer relationship management (CRM) automation software.
“The last two years at Penn were all focused on hospitality-related projects and initiatives,” she explains. “Through those independent studies at Penn, I had the opportunity to meet hundreds of chefs of the best restaurants across the world, which led me to start Loyalist.”
For the new founder, every day can look drastically different. While her Penn schedule was structured around academic and extracurricular commitments, Tang’s new calendar is entirely dependent on her: She now decides what she spends her time on and at what pace she goes.
Tang points out that her time at Wharton allowed her to gain experience building ventures from the ground up: whether through “Gourmand,” the podcast she expanded into a community spanning ten universities that continues today, or a management-training course for chefs she designed with Wharton professors.
“I’m super grateful that I got to do all of those things at Wharton,” she says, reminiscent. “It’s shaped a lot of who I am today and the company that I’m building.”
What do Italian and consulting have in common? It turns out, more than you might think.
Zöe Patterson, W’23, originally featured in February 2022, has been at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in New York City, where she enjoys keeping up her Italian fluency through language-specific happy hours.
“There’s a lot of good language meetups here,” she says. “One example is like a happy hour, but you put a flag on your shirt for the languages that you want to practice that day, and then you go around and find other people with the same flags.”
Patterson, who minored in Italian at Penn, describes learning a language like being tossed into the unknown, “where you [know nothing] and are trying to pick up on it quickly.” She has found the experience similar to her work in consulting, where she doesn’t necessarily have a preselected practice area, and projects might not immediately resonate with her prior experience.
“Language [and consulting] can be the same way,” she explains. “Both are kind of like getting access to a world and a culture that you didn’t previously have experience in. That has definitely been the theme of my experience at BCG.”
Looking back on her time at Wharton, Patterson emphasizes the prevalence of group projects and how they taught her to work with diverse groups in competitive environments.
“You have to know what you want,” she says. “The real skills that I was building were learning what was important to me and really being able to multitask my involvement.”
From the Dugout to the C-Suite: How This Student Expanded His Playbook at Wharton
Image: Philadelphia Phillies President of Business Operations Sam Fuld, WG'26 (Image Credit: Miles Kennedy)
“If you want to ascend in a sports organization, broad business knowledge is essential,” says Sam Fuld, WG’26, who was promoted from Phillies general manager to president of business operations.
When Sam Fuld, WG’26, was growing up, education and baseball were never competing priorities. They were both passions.
“I had this burning love for baseball,” he says. “But I also knew there weren’t a whole lot of 5-foot-9-inch players from New Hampshire in professional baseball. Having a strong academic foundation was always going to matter.”
That dual focus shaped Fuld’s path at Stanford University, where he earned a degree in economics while competing at the highest level of college baseball. As playing professionally became a real possibility, his attention shifted to how far the game might take him.
It took him far. Over 13 years, Fuld played for teams including the Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, and Chicago Cubs. Along the way, he continued to prepare for life after baseball by completing internships during off-seasons and beginning a master’s program in statistics.
“I was able to do one term of the master’s because it aligned with the minor league schedule, but the next year I was in the major leagues and couldn’t continue. It was a good problem to have,” he says. “But I always had in the back of my mind what life would look like after playing because I knew it could end at any time.”
Sam Fuld, WG’26 (Image Credit: Miles Kennedy)
Becoming General Manager
When he retired in 2017, Fuld knew he wanted to stay in the game. That opportunity came with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Fuld’s first role in Philadelphia brought together two long-standing interests: data and performance. As player information coordinator, he helped bridge analytics and on-field strategy, connecting data insights to players and coaches.
He then launched the Phillies’ Integrative Baseball Department, aligning strength and conditioning, mental performance, medical staff, and coaching into a more holistic system.
Just 11 months into that role, during the uncertainty of COVID, Fuld was promoted to general manager. “It was a huge leap,” he says. “My scope went from fairly narrow to immensely wide overnight.”
As GM, Fuld oversaw a massive baseball operations enterprise that included hundreds of employees across the major league club, five minor league affiliates, and an academy in the Dominican Republic.
Sam Fuld playing for the Oakland Athletics. (Image Credit: Thearon W. Henderson via Getty Images)
Listen to an interview with Sam Fuld on the Wharton Moneyball podcast.
Moving to the C-Suite
Like most professional sports organizations, the Phillies operate with two distinct arms: Baseball Operations and Business Operations. Two years ago, Fuld was presented with another leap: the opportunity to become president of business operations, overseeing everything fan-facing from marketing and finance to ballpark operations and communications.
He was excited to move into the C-suite, but the transition required a vastly new set of tools. “It became apparent that an MBA would be incredibly valuable, if not necessary,” he says.
Sam Fuld, WG’26 (middle), with classmates and family members at a Phillies game. (Image Credit: Kartik Das)
Why Wharton
For Fuld, the decision to pursue Wharton’s EMBA program came down to people and rigor.
“I knew I’d be surrounded by some of the best professors in the world and incredibly talented classmates from a wide range of industries,” he explains. “Despite having limited experience in a business capacity, I felt like I was up for the challenge.”
Wharton’s MBA Program for Executives delivered immediate returns. “I was starting from scratch, so every class provided meaningful value to my workplace,” says Fuld.
In Corporate Finance, he learned how to evaluate capital projects, a skill directly applicable to ballpark investments and long-term planning. Venture Capital coursework deepened his understanding of ownership structures and financial scenarios. In People Analytics, he learned new ways to leverage internal data to strengthen hiring, engagement, and culture.
“There are countless examples of things I learned in class and took the next day to the ballpark,” he says.
Just as impactful are the informal lessons from classmates.
“It’s amazing what you can learn on a five-minute walk across campus,” he says. “I wish there were more hours in the day to talk to classmates.”
Coming from sports, Fuld has found enormous value in understanding how leaders in marketing, finance, HR, and more approach decision making. “There’s a level of comfort that comes from understanding how their worlds work,” he says. “It gives me the confidence to engage more meaningfully across all aspects of business, and provides an incredible network.”
He still remembers the vulnerability of the program’s first week. “We all felt like fish out of water,” says Fuld. “But I immediately felt supported by my learning team, the faculty, and the administration. Knowing I had that support system allowed me to breathe easier.”
Today, he describes his classmates as a personal advisory board — people he can call for advice as he navigates new responsibilities and challenges.
Sam Fuld, WG’26, on his first day with Wharton’s EMBA program. (Image Credit: Kartik Das)
Broadening the Game
As the sports field increasingly intersects with private equity, real estate development, evolving media models, and institutional investment, Fuld says his business education is more relevant than ever.
“You’re seeing sports impact spaces in the business world in ways it hasn’t before,” he says. “Having frameworks and tools to navigate media shifts or large-scale development projects is critical.”
For professionals in sports considering Wharton’s EMBA, his advice is direct: “If you want to ascend in an organization, broad business knowledge is essential.”
He adds, “I can’t imagine stepping into this new role without this education. You could try to learn it on your own through trial by fire but acquiring this much knowledge in a short period of time, surrounded by world-class professors and classmates, is unmatched.”
Current Location: Philadelphia, PA and Clearwater, FL
Current Position: President of Business Operations, Philadelphia Phillies
Prior Position: General Manager, Philadelphia Phillies
Previous Education: Stanford University, BA Economics
Wharton Stories
How Wharton Is Helping This Founder Scale and Lead a Childcare Brand
Image: Kristen Denzer, WG’26 (middle), in front of a Tierra Encantada location. (Image Credit: Robert Thesing)
“I’m leaving Wharton a stronger operator, leader, and decision maker thanks to what I learned here,” says Kristen Denzer, WG’26.
Kristen Denzer, WG’26, has never been one to follow a conventional path. Long before she enrolled at the Wharton School’s MBA Program for Executives (EMBA), she had already built multiple businesses, invested in commercial real estate, and launched a fast-growing childcare company — all driven by a lifelong instinct for entrepreneurship that began in childhood.
Growing up, Denzer spent time with her grandfather, an entrepreneur who owned a gas station, real estate ventures, and a recreational vehicle business. One of her earliest memories is emptying quarters from vending machines at his gas station. That hands-on exposure left an impression. “It made me understand what it means to build something of your own,” she says.
From Early Ventures to a Purpose-Driven Business
After college, Denzer worked briefly in a traditional role before launching a series of ventures from event rentals to dog daycare while also investing in commercial real estate. Eventually, she was running four businesses simultaneously. But it was motherhood, not ambition alone, that sparked her most meaningful venture.
When she began her search for childcare, she encountered long waitlists and programs that didn’t have everything that she was looking for. Rather than compromise, she decided to build what she couldn’t find.
The result was Tierra Encantada, a Spanish-immersion childcare program blending play-based learning, global cuisine, and holistic development. Today, the company has 17 locations across six states and has begun franchising.
It was the growth of her business that prompted Denzer to think carefully about her own evolution as a leader. She explains, “I’m a firm believer that just because I founded something doesn’t mean that I’m the best person to lead it at every stage. Before Wharton, I had never taken a business class. So to continue being the best leader to continue scaling the company, I decided to go back to school for my MBA.”
Why Wharton EMBA?
The decision to enroll in an EMBA program was deliberate. Denzer needed a program that would allow her to keep running a company with more than 300 employees while gaining rigorous training. As for coming to Wharton, she says, “If I was going to invest the time, I wanted to go to the best school. And although commuting to the Philadelphia campus from Minneapolis required an investment of time, it was doable.”
At Wharton, she found immediate practical value. Denzer says, “The faculty, curriculum, and overall experience have expanded my thinking and given me frameworks that I’ve been able to apply immediately inside my company. That’s rare.”
She points to her Real Estate Finance course withProf. Todd Sinai(David B. Ford Professor; Professor of Real Estate and Business Economics and Public Policy)as an example. In that class, Denzer learned how to build a new pro forma model to evaluate property acquisitions. She applied the model right away, purchasing two new properties during the class.
And in her People Analytics course withProf. Matthew Bidwell(Xingmei Zhang and Yongge Dai Professor; Professor of Management),Denzer learned a statistical method called Survival Analysis that helped solve a problem she had wrestled with for more than a year: accurately calculating customer lifetime value in a childcare model where students eventually age out.
Kristen Denzer, WG’26 (left, center), with classmates on a Global Modular Course in Brazil. (Image Credit: Kristen Denzer)
Global Modular Courses have also broadened her perspective. During a Global Supply Chain Management course in Mexico, she saw global production systems firsthand. Her discussions about tariffs, logistics, and supply chain strategy with business leaders gave her unique insights she could translate to scaling her own businesses.
Equally transformative has been the network. Denzer regularly exchanges advice with classmates, from CFOs who helped her refine a finance leadership job description to peers seeking guidance on acquisitions or franchising. “Having people in the trenches with you, but with different expertise, makes every decision better,” she says. “And as an adult, you don’t get many opportunities to build friendships like this.”
Reflection, Acceleration, and Growth
For Denzer, Wharton has provided both reflection and acceleration. She believes that combination is especially valuable for entrepreneurs. “One of the best things you can do is keep learning — from professors, from classmates, from every experience. This program gives you a foundation and then goes deep in areas you never had time for before, in ways that are tactical, not just theoretical.”
As Tierra Encantada continues to expand, Denzer credits Wharton with sharpening her instincts and strengthening her management expertise. “I’m leaving Wharton a stronger operator, leader, and decision maker thanks to what I learned here,” she says. “That’s something that has been well worth the investment.”
