Essentials of Entrepreneurship

Essentials of Entrepreneurship is an intensive two-week summer program for a select group of high school students currently enrolled in 9th to 11th grades. This immersive experience challenges students to engage with peers, use innovative thinking, and learn the basics of what it takes to be an entrepreneur.

Overview

The Essentials of Entrepreneurship is an introductory program designed for students in to explore the foundations of launching a startup. Through interactive lectures, hands-on activities, and team collaboration, students develop skills in innovation, marketing, and venture creation. The program culminates in a final pitch competition where students present their startup ideas and receive real-time feedback. 

All participants who complete the program will earn a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion.

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

  • Complete a personalized Ikigai framework to identify a business idea that aligns with their passions, strengths, social impact goals, and viable market opportunities. 
  • Collaborate with team members to co-create a startup concept that leverages different skills and perspectives. 
  • Apply defined selection criteria—including severity, frequency, urgency, and market size—to evaluate and prioritize real-world problems worth solving. 
  • Conduct independent research using tools like Google Scholar, Pew Research, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to uncover unmet market needs. 
  • Design and test a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) by conducting A/B tests and customer interviews to gather data and iterate on the solution. 
  • Create low-fidelity prototypes and mock-ups that demonstrate their product or service idea to potential users or stakeholders. 
  • Effectively develop and pitch a startup using storytelling techniques tailored for both elevator and full-format pitches.  
  • Craft a brand identity and marketing narrative by aligning their startup’s purpose, perception, positioning, and promotion into a corporate story. 
  • Collaborate with peers to build and manage a functional startup team using group decision-making tools.  
  • Develop a professional pitch deck that clearly communicates a problem, solution and business model and present it to a panel of judges for feedback  

Hear from John H., a sophomore at Glendora High School in California, U.S., who studied in Wharton Global Youth’s Essentials of Entrepreneurship program and shares the story of his team’s final project.

 

 

Details

Academic classes are held Monday-Friday with extracurricular activities available in the evenings and on the weekends. Students move in on Sunday pre-program, and move out the final Saturday of the program. For more information on campus life, visit our residential experience page.  

While each day varies in format, a typical day includes:  

  • 9:30-10:00 Morning Check-in 
  • 10-10:15- Break 
  • 10:15-11:15- Topics Lecture or Guest Speaker 
  • 11:15-11:30- Break 
  • 11:30-12:30- Topics Lecture 
  • 12:30-1:45- Lunch 
  • 1:45- 2:45- Group Work or Business Simulation 
  • 2:45-3:00- Break 
  • 3:00-4:00- Small Group Exercise or Business Simulation Debrief  
  • 4:00-4:30- TA office Hour and Takeaways of the Day 
Schedule Exceptions:
  • Students participating in Session 1 (June 8 to June 21) should note the following schedule changes:
    • Thursday, June 19 - classes will not meet due to the Juneteenth holiday; Saturday, June 14- classes will meet as a makeup. 
  • Students participating in Session 2 (June 22 to July 4) should note the following schedule changes:
    • Friday, July 4 - Classes will not meet due to the July 4th holiday, students will move-out ; Saturday, June 28- classes will meet as a makeup.  

Session topics may include:  

  • Innovation and Opportunity 
  • Idea Generation  
  • Customer Discovery  
  • Business Model Generation  
  • AB Testing 
  • Entrepreneurial Strategy and Financing  
  • Tech Entrepreneurship  
  • Social Entrepreneurship  

Students will also have the unique opportunity to attend our Wharton Global Youth Speaker Series, which features presentations and conversations with notable Wharton faculty. The topics covered in these presentations span the breadth of Wharton teaching, allowing students insights into additional topics and cutting-edge research not specifically addressed within their program’s focus area. Previous speakers and topics have included:  

  • Dean of The Wharton School, Professor Erika James: Crisis Management 
  • Professor Michael Roberts: Finance 
  • Professor Ethan Mollick: The Future of AI  
  • Professor Katherine Klein: Social Impact   
  • Professor Michael Platt: Neuro Economics 
  • Professor Barbara Kahn: Marketing 
  • Professor Maurice Schweitzer: Negotiation and Deception 
  • Professor Olivia Mitchell: Financial Literacy 

In the evening, students will have a number of extracurricular activities to choose from. Students can also opt to work on their final project with their group, meet with the program TAs, and/or relax at the dorm.  

Please note, some days may not follow this schedule as there could be a site visit off campus or a simulation in lieu of lecture/recitation schedule.  

Eligibility

Eligibility

High school students currently enrolled in grades 9-11 looking to advance their entrepreneurial mindset. No formal business background is required. International applicants are welcome.

Admission

Admission to Wharton Essentials of Entrepreneurship is selective. Selections are based on a record of academic excellence and a genuine interest in developing entrepreneurship skills. Interested students are strongly encouraged to submit an application by the priority deadline.

Please note that participation in the Essentials of Entrepreneurship program does not guarantee admission into Penn.

Instructional Team

Academic Director: David Hsu

David Hsu is the Richard A. Sapp Professor of Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He graduated from Stanford University with undergraduate majors in economics and political science. After a few years working in industry, he received his master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University, followed by his Ph.D. in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

Hsu’s research interests are in entrepreneurial innovation and management. Within that domain, he has investigated topics such as intellectual property management, start-up innovation, technology commercialization strategy, and venture capital. His research has appeared in leading journals such as Management Science, Journal of Finance, Strategic Management Journal, and Research Policy. He is past department and associate editor of Management Science. In 2008, Hsu was awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Industry Studies Fellowship. At Wharton, he teaches two MBA electives, Entrepreneurship and Technology Strategy. At Penn, Hsu is Associate Faculty Director of the Weiss Tech House, which encourages and supports students in the creation, development, and commercialization of innovative technologies. 

Co-Instructor: Ndubuisi Ugwuanyi

Ndu is a doctoral student in management and specializes in entrepreneurial management, technological innovation, and strategy. His current work examines how resources shape entrepreneurial experimentation, an important cornerstone of innovation-driven enterprises. His work relies on large archival datasets, applied econometrics and deep learning - especially large language models - to generate insights about startups. Prior to academia, he worked in the cosmetics development and manufacturing industry and as a technical research scientist at the National Research Council, both in Canada. He received his BSc in Industrial Chemistry (specialization in Industrial Chemical Technology), MASc in Chemical Engineering and MS in Management (Strategy and Entrepreneurship).

Co-Instructor: Sabrina Hagan

Sabrina Hagan is a double Penn alum who recently earned her MBA from the Wharton School, where she majored in Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Finance. Her passion for startups began with venture internships at VU Venture Partners and iFly.vc, and she solidified her founder aspirations while taking Prof. Serguei Netessine’s Innovation course. Since then, she has been deeply involved in Wharton’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Sabrina began her career at Deloitte in NYC, focusing on the technology and social impact sectors before transitioning to Yelp’s corporate strategy team. She later founded her own boutique consulting firm, advising Philadelphia SMEs on growth strategy. With a vision to be a serial entrepreneur, she plans to bootstrap her businesses creating consumer-focused brands and expand into real estate investing.

 

Academic Directors provide guidance to the Wharton Global Youth team on instructor hiring and lead the development of program curriculum. Their responsibilities include designing course topics, recommending activities, selecting readings, and creating capstone projects that align with Wharton academic standards and enrich the summer learning experience

Teaching Assistants consist of both undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Pennsylvania. TAs facilitate small-group discussions, ensure student understanding, assist with final project development, and hold office hours to answer student questions and share their Penn and Wharton experiences. 

“This program gave me my first insight into college, and it made me incredibly passionate about pursuing a career in business. Be sure to get to know your professors and peers, and keep building your network throughout the program." - Richa S., Manila, Philippines