Essentials of Entrepreneurship

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: Chris Bruno

Chris Bruno's research focuses on the intersection of place-based corporate activities—such as office relocation, structural attention, and philanthropy—and their impact on local communities and business performance. His work explores the reciprocal relationship between corporations and their environments, examining how large firms influence and are influenced by nonprofits, government, and entrepreneurial activity. Applying stakeholder and non-market strategy alongside organizational theory, he analyzes geospatial datasets on media coverage, demographics, and institutional factors across cities, counties, states, and countries to understand corporate behavior and its broader societal implications.

Before pursuing his doctoral studies, Chris worked in the global cybersecurity industry and conducted ESG investing research at NYU. He also managed operations for a nonprofit startup competition and incubator and began his career in management consulting, advising international investment management firms across Canada, the US, and Europe. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Applied & Resource Economics from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in Management Science from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

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.