The Venture 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.
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.
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.
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.
Veronica Rivera, WG’26
Hometown: Miami, Fla.
Pre-MBA Career: Management Consulting
Wharton Major(s): Marketing and Operations; Entrepreneurship
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.
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 program here.
By Abby Behrends, Wharton MBA Admissions
Posted: March 30, 2026
