Wharton Stories: Startup Challenge

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This year’s finalists tackled firefighter cancer, frontline medical devices, maternal nutrition, global healthcare access, and more.

4 Startup Challenge Finalists Share What Inspired Their Ventures

A person sitting on a sofa using a laptop, with a golden retriever dog lying on the floor in the foreground, appearing to be resting or sleeping.
The winner of the 2020 Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship Startup Challenge is a timely telehealth platform for pet parents founded by Felicity Johnson, WG’20.

MBA Startup ‘My Virtual Veterinarian’ Delivers Remote Pet Care

Shanel Fields standing in front of a yellow firetruck
While getting her MBA, Shanel Fields, WG’19, founded MD Ally to ensure critical emergency resources are reserved for patients with true medical emergencies.

This MBA’s Telehealth Startup Saves Lives One Call at a Time

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Founder of Laguna Beach Textile Company, Danny Meurer, WG’17, is aiming to secure brand longevity by taking a different business approach to other fast-growing digital retail brands.

4 Key Differentiators in a Lean Approach to Founding a Digital Brand, from a Startup Challenge Semi-Finalist

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The second year of the Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship Startup Challenge, a 2.0 version of the Wharton Business Plan Competition, brings together Penn entrepreneurs and alumni investors to help student startups break through.

What You Can Expect at the Penn Wharton Startup Showcase

Two people are standing in front of the Wharton School''s Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall, smiling. The image has blue geometric designs.
For women in the U.S. who want a better skincare routine, aavrani is a luxury skincare company inspired by India’s ancient beauty rituals.

aavrani: Luxury Skincare Inspired by Indian Beauty Rituals

Joseph Quan, WG’17, left, and Nikhil Srivastava, WG’17, right, smiling while sitting on blue armchairs in an empty lounge.
“We wanted to solve one specific problem inside of Wharton — this person-to-person matching problem. Then we found that the fundamental technology that underlies the product can be applied to a whole host of other issues.”

How These Two MBAs Are Driving New Connections with an Analytics Startup