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Wilglory Tanjong in a white jacket and with a black bow around her neck stands in front of a whiteboard holding a bright pink bag. Other bright pink bags are arranged on a table in front of her.
News

Anima Iris

On a meteoric rise through the fiercely competitive luxury retail market, high-end handbag brand Anima Iris has been picked up by Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and even Beyoncé. With geometric and bold designs, founder Wilglory Tanjong G22 WG22 expresses her ancestry in a fashionable and sustainable way. The bags are made in Senegal by expert craftspeople who have honed their techniques over decades and draw inspiration from centuries of heritage. The leather and other materials are sourced through local African business merchants. Anima Iris is environmentally friendly and employs a zero-waste model that ensures all materials are used and that no two products are the same.

Portrait of Ankur Jain wearing a black shirt and black jeans seated on a chair and holding a microphone.
News

Bilt Rewards

Bilt Rewards launched in 2021 and achieved immediate success in its first year. The startup credit-card rewards program by founder and CEO Ankur Jain W11 makes redeeming points from purchases easy with a unique twist — the card can be used toward rent payments. Jain explains that renters today are living with inflation and rising rent costs, resulting in many who now must pay close to 50 percent of their earned income on rent. Bilt helps this generation build credit while earning rewards that open up affordability in other areas of their lives, such as travel experiences and eventual home ownership.

A woman in a pink shirt and a man in a light green shirt stand together behind a marble countertop that has six jars of coconut spread on it.
News

Kokada

An organic coconut butter with its early roots in Venture Lab’s Food Innovation Lab can now be found in 1,300 stores, including national chains Sprouts and Wegmans. Couple-turned-business-partners Breanna Golestani WG23 and Jared Golestani WG23 founded Kokada in 2020 to provide a healthier alternative to sugar-laden snacks and spreads typically found at the grocery store. Kokada offers a range of coconut butters that are all peanut-free and sugar-free and designed to be enjoyed as a dip, with a treat, or as part of a meal. The company gives back two percent of all sales to SERVE, a certified NGO based in Sri Lanka, where its ingredients are sourced.

Red, white, and black illustration of a doctor and a robot standing side by side and holding hands.
News

Flagler Health

Developed by Albert Katz WG23 and Will Hu GED19, Flagler Health combines patient data and the power of AI to help physicians recommend treatments to their patients. (“It’s like giving a calculator to a mathematician,” says Katz.) Backed by $6 million in funding, Flagler Health now serves more than 1.5 million patients and recently launched a new product that provides remote patients with exercises to keep joints moving pre- and post-op. The startup made the Poets & Quants “Most Disruptive MBA Startups of 2023” list and was a finalist in Penn’s 2023 Venture Lab Startup Challenge.

Conceptual illustration of animals displaying various emotions such as surprise, sadness and delight, with the emotions written across their bodies.
Ideas

Catching Eyes in the Attention Economy

New research shows how to use language to capture audience attention, from word choice to building suspense.

Headshots of Jagmeet Lamba and Dudley Brundige.
News

Certa

Juggling multiple vendors can be daunting for a small-business owner. Certa, led by CEO Jagmeet Lamba WG07 and CFO Dudley Brundige WG07, streamlines relationships with third-party vendors, making onboarding up to three times faster. The platform itself can reduce IT labor needs, allowing users to create personalized workflows. The company also has its own AI technology — CertaAssist — that can fill out supplier questionnaires, consolidate intake requests, and create data visualizations. Certa’s clients include Uber, Instacart, and Box, whose executives have reported reduced cycle times and operating costs after using the procurement software.

Wharton Dean Erika James poses wearing a turquoise dress shirt.
News

United for a Brighter Future

Dean Erika James reflects on opportunities for the Wharton community to come together and lead.

Six people in business clothing gather for a photo in a crowded event space.
News

On the Scene

From Hong Kong to New York, Wharton alumni unite for Impact Tour gatherings, GOLD events, good music, and more.

Sigo Seguros founders Nestor Hugo Solari and Julio Erdos seated in chairs on a rooftop.
News

Sigo Seguros

Spanish remains the most widely used language in the U.S. behind English, with an estimated 41 million current speakers. But Hispanic immigrants still face cultural barriers when they arrive in the States. Nestor Hugo Solari G19 WG19 and Júlio Erdos C10 ENG10 G19 WG19 created Sigo Seguros, a bilingual Texas-based car insurance technology company, to better serve this population. “Our differentiated product starts with a deep understanding of our community and its needs,” says Solari. The Spanish-language mobile and web portals, coupled with quick payback periods, are particularly appealing to working-class drivers. The “insurtech” company raised $5.1 million in additional pre-seed funding in 2023.

Collage with headshots of Sam Altman, David Hsu, and Shellye Archambeau.
Ideas

Supercharge Your Startup

Resources to help you jump-start your venture’s growth

Red, white, and black illustration of a medical professional staring up at a large microscope with cells under the glass.
News

CancerIQ

Cancer can bring your life to a screeching halt. Along with the burden of navigating through new medical terminology and uncertainty, a positive diagnosis can generate feelings of loneliness and isolation. CancerIQ was founded by Feyi Olopade Ayodele W05 WG12 to offer a supportive and more strategic solution for health-care providers working with patients in early cancer detection and prevention. As a software platform, CancerIQ offers hyper-personalized care plans and assesses risks in patients by avoiding the one-size-fits-all approach. The tool focuses on early detection with more precise screening. CancerIQ has been implemented in more than 200 clinic locations across the U.S.

Headshot of Yuval Shmul Shuminer in a white formal jacket.
News

Piere

Every day seems to bring a new way to send, receive, or manage money. Managing cash flow on numerous platforms has become quite onerous, non? Au contraire. Piere, an AI-powered app founded by Yuval Shmul Shuminer W19, analyzes past transactions to create a customized budget in two taps. It’s a peer-to-peer facilitator (for such tasks as getting reimbursed for a group meal) and a spending tracker in one. Since Intuit shut down its popular Mint budgeting app, Piere is reported to be the ideal successor: News outlets have featured the app as part of the “loud budgeting” social media trend, and financial publications highlight it as a valuable tool for monitoring spending.

Portrait of Heidi Block wearing a black Play-PKL shirt and standing in front of her business's apparel.
News

Play-PKL

Heidi Block WG95 and her family first got hooked on pickleball during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when they played the sport together at home in New Jersey to pass the time and stay active. But when Block couldn’t find apparel specifically designed for pickleball, she decided to make her own. Along with her eldest son, Max, she founded Play-PKL, an online retailer selling premium pickleball equipment and stylish outfits for recreational players. The site also offers tips and lessons for beginning pickleballers.

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News

GreenLite

Obtaining the correct building permit at the right time is crucial, and a lack of permits can grind construction to an expensive stop. To make the process faster, easier, and more transparent, Ben Allen WG17 and James Gallagher C09 launched GreenLite. Their team — made up of planning, construction, and development professionals — has experienced permitting challenges firsthand and built that knowledge into the construction-permitting and plan-review platform. The company has raised $8 million in seed funding since launching in October.

Sandeep Acharya in jeans and a button-down shirt seated in front of a wall with an Octave logo on it.
News

Octave

Inspired by the musical term, Octave offers mental health care that can be finely tuned. Co-founded in 2018 by Sandeep Acharya EAS03 W03, Octave matches individuals, couples, and families with a provider to meet their unique needs. The company also addresses common challenges that providers face by pioneering relationships with insurers, which in turn leads to coverage for high-quality individual or couples therapy. Last year, Octave secured $52 million in Series C funding for its plan to serve all 50 states. That rapid growth earned it a spot on the LinkedIn Top Startups 2023 list.

A photo of a young Temitope Akande jumping in front of green foliage, compared with a photo of a Wharton graduate Temitope in a suit and graduation stole.
People

My Journey From Africa to Wharton

Big dreams and determination led Temitope Akande WG21 from poverty in Lagos to Locust Walk.

No more results.
Spring/Summer 2024
Cover Story
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People
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Careers

A Culinary Calling

Five Wharton restaurateurs from Philadelphia to Paris share their unique stories — of dishes inspired by family recipes, sprawling national franchises, and award-winning cuisine that leaves foodies hungry for more.

Feature
A collage with Steinberg Hall Dietrich Hall as the backdrop, a graduated student with a cap and gown on in the middle ground, and three incarcerated individuals in uniforms in the foreground.
News
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Finance

Teaching Finance, Transforming Lives

A new Wharton program sends MBAs to visit a state prison, where they share skills for professional success with incarcerated individuals. The result is an experience with profound impact, not only on the students behind bars, but also on the student mentors.

Feature
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Ideas
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Research

How to Resolve Conflict in Business

Five Wharton faculty share insights about conflict in its many forms and how to navigate it, resolve it, reframe it, or even avoid it entirely, for better results.

News
From The Dean
Wharton Dean Erika James poses wearing a turquoise dress shirt.
From the Dean

United for a Brighter Future

Dean Erika James reflects on opportunities for the Wharton community to come together and lead.

Photo Gallery
Six people in business clothing gather for a photo in a crowded event space.
International

On the Scene

From Hong Kong to New York, Wharton alumni unite for Impact Tour gatherings, GOLD events, good music, and more.

Indicators
A woman in a blue formal shirt talks at a table with a man in a white button-down shirt.
Careers

In Times of Need

First launched by Wharton MBA Career Management in 2020, Alumni Supporting Careers offers ways for alumni to help students and fellow graduates find jobs, get career advice, and more during periods of job-market uncertainty.

Watchlist Spring/Summer 2024
Wilglory Tanjong in a white jacket and with a black bow around her neck stands in front of a whiteboard holding a bright pink bag. Other bright pink bags are arranged on a table in front of her.
Entrepreneurship

Watchlist: Pickleball Gear, Cooking Kits, and Hot Handbags

New and notable ventures from Wharton alumni and students

The Report
Portraits of Wharton alumni Justin Silver, Shanel Fields, and Rui Jing Jiang.
Entrepreneurship

Full-Circle Founders

Alumni entrepreneurs who launched successful startups through Venture Lab return to guide a new wave of student innovators.

Regions
Hilary Kramer in a light blue sweater poses with Jeremy Siegel in a brown suit jacket, white shirt, and red tie with Penn shields on it.
Leadership

Wharton's Global Impact: From Sydney to São Paulo

Impact Tour events, a regional club’s relaunch, and a preview of the upcoming Wharton Global Forum in Brazil

Ideas
Knowledge at Wharton: Q&A
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Research

Catching Eyes in the Attention Economy

New research shows how to use language to capture audience attention, from word choice to building suspense.

Syllabus
Collage with headshots of Sam Altman, David Hsu, and Shellye Archambeau.
Entrepreneurship

Supercharge Your Startup

Resources to help you jump-start your venture’s growth

Knowledge at Wharton: Essay
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Marketing

Brand-Building in a Brave New World

Today’s companies need to convey a clear purpose to maintain loyalty.

Excerpt
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Alumni Authors

Faculty Book Excerpt: Decision-Driven Analytics

Companies have more data than ever before, yet studies show that many fail to extract real value from it. A new book argues that these times demand analytics driven by decisions, not data.

Knowledge at Wharton: The Case
Conceptual illustration of private equity investors as barbarians at the gate versus a depiction of tamer investors cheering in front of a chart showing a successful investment's performance.
Finance

The Evolution of Private Equity

A new paper argues that PE firms have grown into responsible investors, becoming more relevant in global M&A than ever.

Excerpt
Collage of four books: Co-Intelligence, Baby Bust, Geostrategy by Design, and The Truth About Immigration.
Innovation/Tech

Must-Read Wharton Authors

Insights from Wharton professors on immigration, parenthood, geopolitical risk, and artificial intelligence

Knowledge at Wharton: The Deck
People stand outside a green M-Pesa stand.
Economics

Mobile Money: A Tool for Financial Inclusion

How digital currency can be a game changer for emerging economies around the world

Whiteboard
Professor Cait Lamberton in a white shirt with black sleeves gestures at handwritten notes on a whiteboard.
Marketing

Meeting Customers Where They Are

People want to be recognized and respected by the businesses they interact with. Professor Cait Lamberton explains how organizations can get it right.

Knowledge at Wharton: Data
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Research

Data: Learning Leadership, EV Loans, Four-Day Workweeks, and More

The latest research and insights from Knowledge at Wharton
People
Essay
A photo of a young Temitope Akande jumping in front of green foliage, compared with a photo of a Wharton graduate Temitope in a suit and graduation stole.
Careers

My Journey From Africa to Wharton

Big dreams and determination led Temitope Akande WG21 from poverty in Lagos to Locust Walk.

View From Locust Walk
A woman in a blue suit jacket, red leggings, and silver shoes sits on a bed with books and jewelry around her and holds up a pearl necklace.
Media/Arts

What to Do When You're Part Poet, Part Quant?

A junior grapples with whether her business pursuits and creative passions can meaningfully co-exist.

Pivot
Woman in a dark blue dress and with curled black hair poses for a photo against a bright blue backdrop.
Careers

MTV to Maternal Health

How former TV producer Dara Cook W95 found the confidence — and funding — to pursue her entrepreneurial dream.

Life Lessons
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Careers

Life Lessons: Shattering Ceilings and Living Fearlessly

Myrna De Jesus WG70, the first woman president of the Wharton Club of New York, on following passions, trying new things, and her most difficult decision

Cohort
Black and white portrait of six students posed in a studio against a white backdrop with all of them in business casual clothing.
School News

Gold Standard Bearers

The Deans’ MBA Advisory Council ensures that the student experience remains second to none.

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