Wharton Stories: Incubating Ideas

A small group of people having a meeting around a conference table with laptops and notebooks.
“It’s a creative space,” says Hetvee Marviya, WG’27, of the Generative AI Studio. “Just like I dance, this is something that’s creative, but using AI.”

Learning by Building: Inside Wharton’s Generative AI Studio

A large group of smiling professionals in several rows pose in a classroom and in front of a Wharton banner.
“We’re all friends at Penn, in similar programs and classes, and we’ve collaborated in hackathons before,” explains WayWise member Utkarsh Lal, GEng’27. “That prior experience meant we already had strong chemistry, which helped us hit the ground running.”

Ambitious Ideas and Wins at the Wharton Hack-AI-thon

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“We’ve used [AI] for writing grants, writing code, brainstorming, and thinking through how to design hardware and incorporate legal and privacy ethics into our platform.” — Crystal Yang, EAS’29, W’29, Founder of Audemy

OpenAI and ChatGPT Honor Wharton Undergrad AI Leaders

A commercial kitchen workspace with various baking ingredients, including butter, chocolate chips, nuts, flour, spices, and measuring tools, arranged on a cutting board.
“I was so overwhelmed by the possibilities, in the best way,” says Emmy Keogh, C’26, of Venture Lab’s Food Innovation Lab.

Butter Business at Venture Lab’s Food Innovation Lab

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CarboWells is the recipient of this year’s Y-Prize competition, cosponsored by the Mack Institute for Innovation Management and Venture Lab in partnership with Penn Engineering and the Penn Center for Innovation. The team includes Wharton undergraduates Yash Iyer, W’29, and Bhuranyu Mahajan W’29.

CarboWells Wins 2026 Y-Prize

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The 2021 New Venture Competition spotlighted a range of innovative student startups like Hairtelligence, co-founded by Isoken Igbinedion, WG’21.

Revolutionizing Hair Customization for Black Women

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Yan Wu, WG’14, says that Wharton’s classes, network, and innovative ecosystem helped him transition from Wall Street to cofounder.

How Wharton Helped this Alumnus Pivot from Financial Services to Entrepreneurship

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Wharton Impact Venture Associates (WIVA) gives students real-world experience in impact investing.

Wharton Impact Venture Associates Research Blood-Testing Startup

Black Allbirds shoes
Joey Zwillinger, WG’10, joined his co-founder Tim Brown on the first episode of Zwillinger’s Wharton Business Radio show to discuss how Allbirds innovates while staying eco-friendly.

The Co-Founder of Allbirds Launches Podcast to Explore Mission-Driven Businesses

A black-and-white photo of a person on an indoor cycling bike
“I really wanted people to find this safe place, this safe workout, because it’s low-impact. People can come and take a class if they’re 17 years old or if they’re 82 years old.”

Why The Co-Founder of SoulCycle Restarted with a New Fitness Venture