San Francisco, CA: Innovation and Startup Culture
Set on Wharton’s San Francisco campus, Innovation and Startup Culture provides a whirlwind introduction to the world of new venture creation. Throughout the intensive two-week summer program, students will learn the strategies successful entrepreneurs use to generate new ideas and develop them into disruptive high-growth ventures.
Overview
Wharton’s Innovation and Startup Culture program introduces hands-on experiences in all aspects of the venture creation process. Working in teams, students will generate a new business idea, assess its profit potential, build an innovative model, and test and iterate as they drive toward product-market fit. The program culminates in “pitch day,” where teams will have the opportunity to present their venture and MVP.
Throughout a 9-day schedule filled with lectures, activities, and company visits across Silicon Valley, students will develop a new appreciation of the joys and challenges that come with building a world-changing startup.
Wharton Innovation and Startup Culture participants will:
- Attend lectures and presentations from Wharton instructors, alumni, and entrepreneurs on Wharton’s San Francisco campus, using the same classrooms as Wharton Executive MBA students
- Learn idea generation strategies, including ways to create value for both people and the planet
- Implement strategies and research to analyze profit potential, develop innovative business models, and achieve product-market fit
- Work in teams to generate and test new business ideas that will be presented at pitch day
- Explore the vibrant city of San Francisco, including visits to local startups
All participants who successfully complete the program will earn a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion.
Instructional Team
Program Leader: Stefano Rumi
Stefano Rumi is a doctoral candidate at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a former Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Marshall School of Business. His research interests revolve around non-market strategy related to social and environmental impact, examining how a variety of actors, including entrepreneurs, traditional firms, and impact investors make decisions and navigate challenges related to social change. His research has been published in Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and the DeGruyter Handbook of Social Entrepreneurship, among other outlets. Over the years, he has also advised several foundations and philanthropists on impact strategy related to a variety of social challenges. He holds a BA magna cum laude in sociology from the University of Virginia, where he studied as a Jefferson Scholar.
Academic Director: Tyler Wry
Professor Tyler Wry is an award-winning researcher and teacher at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania who studies how entrepreneurs create new products, services, and business models that successfully merge purpose and profits. Professor Wry’s research has been published in the field’s top academic journals and is featured widely in the popular business press. For the past 10 years, he has taught venture creation to students at levels that range from high school to PhD studies, and everything in between. Professor Wry is also a sought-after speaker and consultant who works closely with social entrepreneurs and venture capital investors to help them understand, scale, and sustain their positive impacts.
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.
“My classmates and I completed a very fun and interactive course about entrepreneurship where we learned everything from idea creation to pitching an idea to investors. The program got me super excited about entrepreneurship and creating my own business in the future." – Mahin H., Pennsylvania, USA