Scott Sill, WG’13, brings a lot of experience to his role supporting entrepreneurial EMBA students on the Philadelphia campus. In addition to graduating from Wharton’s MBA for Executives Program in 2000, he’s worked at a startup, at the frontlines of IT development for Vanguard, as a VC, and as a consultant for startups.
We asked him to tell us more about his role as entrepreneurial executive-in-residence and how he works with EMBA students.
Being an Executive-in-Residence
My role is as an executive coach to work with students interested in pursuing entrepreneurial activities. I’ve been through the spectrum of entrepreneurship and can help students identify their goals and plan their next steps. There is a big interest in entrepreneurship among students on the East Coast. Sometimes that may mean being entrepreneurial within a corporate environment, but it often involves starting up a business. I typically work with 30-40 students in each class.
Hosting Entrepreneurship Day
Recently, I organized an event called Entrepreneurship Day on campus. We invited all current East Coast EMBA students and alumni interested in entrepreneurship as well as guest speakers to discuss hot topics in entrepreneurship. My goal was to encourage entrepreneurs by connecting them with alumni who have taken similar risks and been successful. I also wanted to provide an opportunity for participants to make more connections. The Wharton network is very powerful. You see it in action on campus when companies are started over meals or in classes or at these events that bring together different classes and alumni.
Nearly 150 students and alumni from the East Coast attended the event. We began with sessions on: An Insider’s View of the Early-stage Startup World; Design as a Strategic Asset; Behinds the Scenes of a Company Buyout; and Team Building Lessons from the U.S. Navy SEALs.
Guest speakers included alumnus Josh Kopelman, W’93, founder of First Round Capital, Harold Hambrose, founder of Electronic Ink, Michael Hagan, chairman of Nutrisystem, Michael DiPiano, managing general partner of NewSpring Capital, and a retired Navy SEAL. We also held EMBA alumni honoree presentations for Marc Lederman, WG’00, general partner at NewSpring Capital, Smitha Gopal, WG’13, CEO of Eyemaginations, Pete Borum, WG’13, CEO of Reelio, and Ben Williams, C’01, WG’13, COO of Reelio.
Working with the Business Plan Competition
I also work with EMBA students who enter the Wharton Business Plan Competition (now the Startup Showcase), which is run by Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship. We tend to have 30-40 EMBA students participate in it, which means we have 15-20 teams. We often have EMBA teams make it to the semi-finals and finals rounds, and an EMBA team won the competition in 2012. It’s a great program to motivate student entrepreneurs and help sharpen their focus. This year, there are three EMBA teams in the semi-finals round.
I enjoy working with EMBA students because I learn as much from them as they do from me. Everyone brings a unique background and expertise to the program.
Posted: June 20, 2016