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Find similar grantsPerlman Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) Fellowship is sponsored by Venture Lab at the University of Pennsylvania. Offers funding and resources to Penn and Wharton Master’s and Ph. D.
students aiming to acquire and operate a business immediately after graduation.
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Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Goergen Entrepreneurial Programs Penn Wharton Innovation Fund Venture Initiation Program Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Get Access to the Studios Not sure where to begin? Start here. Start Here Mondays connects Penn students with Venture Lab staff for personalized guidance on programs, resources, and opportunities across the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Whether you are exploring an idea, building a venture, looking to join a team, or simply curious about entrepreneurship, we’ll help you understand your options and identify a practical next step.
Wharton MBA Career Management Resources For Alumni Startups Wharton Alumnae Founders & Funders Association Wharton Alumni Angel Network Support the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs Hosted in conjunction with Wharton’s Lifelong Learning Initiative in San Francisco, Scale School guides Bay Area entrepreneurs from successful startup to scalable enterprise.
Bringing Wharton research together with the experience of founders, operators, investors, and industry leaders to help growing companies navigate the decisions that come after early traction from customers and capital to people, systems, technology, and culture.
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Workshop Series Social Entrepreneurship Speaker Series Visiting Experts AMA Series Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship Alumni Achievement Award Entrepreneurship Expo 2026 by Venture Lab Discover the paths to entrepreneurship at Penn! VLab's Expo brings together Penn's programs, resources, clubs, ventures, and more!
Education Entrepreneurship Engineering Entrepreneurship Wharton Online | Entrepreneurship Certificate Entrepreneurship Certificate Entrepreneurship is one of the most effective ways to create value, whether you are launching a venture, building something new inside an organization, or exploring a next chapter in your career.
Wharton Online’s Entrepreneurship Certificate guides you through a clear three-stage progression — Inspiration, Identification, and Implementation — helping you cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, evaluate opportunities with rigor, and build the relationships and systems that move an idea into action.
Led by Lori Rosenkopf, Simon and Midge Palley Professor; Professor of Management; Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship, The Wharton School Meet Our Executive Director Shalini Nag, PhD believes anyone with the drive to solve problems can be an entrepreneur and is building Venture Lab into the place where Penn students turn that drive into reality.
Goergen Entrepreneurial Programs Penn Wharton Innovation Fund Venture Initiation Program Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Get Access to the Studios Not sure where to begin? Start here. Start Here Mondays connects Penn students with Venture Lab staff for personalized guidance on programs, resources, and opportunities across the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Whether you are exploring an idea, building a venture, looking to join a team, or simply curious about entrepreneurship, we’ll help you understand your options and identify a practical next step.
Wharton MBA Career Management Resources For Alumni Startups Wharton Alumnae Founders & Funders Association Wharton Alumni Angel Network Support the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs Hosted in conjunction with Wharton’s Lifelong Learning Initiative in San Francisco, Scale School guides Bay Area entrepreneurs from successful startup to scalable enterprise.
Bringing Wharton research together with the experience of founders, operators, investors, and industry leaders to help growing companies navigate the decisions that come after early traction from customers and capital to people, systems, technology, and culture.
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Workshop Series Social Entrepreneurship Speaker Series Visiting Experts AMA Series Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship Alumni Achievement Award Entrepreneurship Expo 2026 by Venture Lab Discover the paths to entrepreneurship at Penn! VLab's Expo brings together Penn's programs, resources, clubs, ventures, and more!
Education Entrepreneurship Engineering Entrepreneurship Wharton Online | Entrepreneurship Certificate Entrepreneurship Certificate Entrepreneurship is one of the most effective ways to create value, whether you are launching a venture, building something new inside an organization, or exploring a next chapter in your career.
Wharton Online’s Entrepreneurship Certificate guides you through a clear three-stage progression — Inspiration, Identification, and Implementation — helping you cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, evaluate opportunities with rigor, and build the relationships and systems that move an idea into action.
Led by Lori Rosenkopf, Simon and Midge Palley Professor; Professor of Management; Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship, The Wharton School Meet Our Executive Director Shalini Nag, PhD believes anyone with the drive to solve problems can be an entrepreneur and is building Venture Lab into the place where Penn students turn that drive into reality.
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Investing in the Next Generation of Leaders The Venture Lab Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) program provides training, funding, and guidance to help interested students buy an established small to medium-sized company and operate, optimize, and grow it. Our workshops and events are open to all Penn Students.
The $50K Perlman Fellowship is a competitive opportunity available only to Penn and Wharton Master's Degree and Ph. D students in their final year of study and graduating in 2027. The 2027 Perlman ETA Fellowship The Venture Lab ETA Incubator Explore ETA Pathways at Venture Lab ETA Workshops & Office Hours Venture Lab provides ETA workshops and advising to help students learn the fundamentals and explore whether ETA is the right path.
The Venture Lab ETA Incubator Program The ETA Incubator is a competitive, hybrid, cohort-based program for graduate students who have moved beyond introductory ETA exposure and want structured support to become “search-ready. ” The Perlman ETA Fellowship Win $50K Perlman ETA Fellowship to support post-graduation search for a business to acquire and operate (Penn and Wharton Master's Degree and Ph.
D graduating in 2027 only) Inner Mastery & Thriving Under Stress for Aspiring Founders and CEOs September 22, 2026 at 3:30pm - 5:30pm Tangen Hall: 115 South 40th Street, Room 706 Join Professor Charbel Zreik for an interactive workshop on inner mastery and thriving under stress throughout the entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA) journey.
Drawing on real-world leadership experience, Professor Zreik will introduce five shifts that can help aspiring founders and CEOs lead with greater resilience, clarity, and purpose Venture Lab ETA Workshop: Introduction to Self-Funded Search September 23, 2026 at 6:00pm - 7:15pm Tangen Hall: 115 South 40th Street, 7th Floor Join us for the Venture Lab ETA Workshop: Introduction to Self-Funded Search with Professor Bob Chalfin on Wednesday, September 23 at 6:00 pm (Tangen Hall, 7th Floor).
The self-funded search model is one of the most flexible and accessible paths to Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA). In this workshop, Wharton Professor and acquisition expert Bob Chalfin, CEO of The Chalfin Group, will lead an in-depth discussion on what it takes to successfully pursue and complete a self-funded acquisition.
Venture Lab ETA Fireside Chat w/Professor Richard Perlman (W'68) September 15, 2026 at 6:00pm - 7:15pm Tangen Hall: 115 South 40th Street, 2nd Floor Join Venture Lab for a Fireside Chat on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) with Professor Richard Perlman (W’68) and alumni of the Perlman ETA Fellowship on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, from 6:00–7:15 pm at Tangen Hall (2nd Floor Colloquium).
The Perlman ETA Fellowship The Perlman Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) Fellowship offers up to a $50K award and additional resources for Penn and Wharton Master’s and Ph. D. students in their final year of study and graduating in 2027, who aim to acquire and operate a business immediately after graduation.
The future of business is reliant on forward-thinking, innovative leaders who will challenge norms, and bring fresh, new ideas and approaches to the world. There is no better investment than in the next generation of great business leaders and Ellen and I are hopeful that this program will inspire more students to pursue ETA. At Wharton, I learned the business fundamentals required to find success while managing a small company.
There are more Wharton alumni in the ETA space than most realize, a passionate and supportive group of folks that have helped me greatly both as a student and now as a graduate on a fun and exciting career path.
Austin Lee, WG'21, Former President, Wharton MBA ETA Club Through their generosity, Ellen and Richard Perlman are enhancing programs and opportunities for today’s aspiring entrepreneurs and nurturing a growing community of motivated, driven, curious students who are ready to approach the greatest challenges in society and business as innovative problem solvers.
Erika James, Dean, The Wharton School Win $50K Perlman ETA Fellowship to support post-graduation search for a business to acquire and operate (Penn and Wharton Master's Degree and Ph.
D graduating in 2026 only) Connect to a vibrant community of students and alumni passionate about Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Participate in hands-on ETA workshops delivered by accomplished practitioners in the field Learn from Wharton faculty in rigorous classes on topics including acquisition options, search fund entrepreneurship, and self-funding What is Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition?
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) involves buying and growing an existing small business that has already demonstrated product-market fit. Individuals who pursue this path are commonly called ‘searchers’. The size of the deals can range from $25,000 to $25 million for a single company.
ETA entrepreneurs typically buy a majority share of the companies in which they invest. The acquirer becomes the CEO and operates and grows the business, some with the goal of selling it again for a profit within a five to seven-year timeframe. Searchers can acquire businesses across various industries.
What are the different ways to acquire a business? There are several paths to ETA: In the traditional search fund model, an individual searching for a business to acquire (the “searcher”) raises funds from investors to fund the search process. Once the searcher finds a target business to acquire, the investors provide the funds for the acquisition.
In a self-funded search, the searcher funds the search process using personal funds. The searcher raises funds from investors after the target business is identified to complete the acquisition. Eligible students are encouraged to apply for the Perlman ETA Fellowship award.
Similarly, a searcher can self-fund the search process and then secure an SBA-backed loan to purchase a business. Aspiring business operators can participate in a CEO in Training program or an accelerator program to build and enhance skill sets and gain operating experience. What academic classes does Penn/Wharton have that are focused on ETA?
The Wharton School currently offers three classes directly focused on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition: MGMT 2130 : Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (undergraduate course) MGMT 8110 : Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (MBA course) MGMT 8140 : Search Fund Entrepreneurship (MBA course) What does Venture Lab’s ETA program offer to students?
Venture Lab’s Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) program provides training, funding, and guidance to Wharton and Penn students interested in pursuing entrepreneurship by acquiring a small- to medium-sized business to operate, optimize, and grow.
Eligible students can do the following: Receive financial support through the Perlman ETA Fellowship, Take academic courses for credit that focus on a variety of ETA models, Participate in hands-on workshops, Network with passionate peers and accomplished alumni, and Develop the skills needed to be a successful searcher and business operator. Who can participate in Venture Lab’s ETA programming?
Venture Lab events and workshops are open to all Penn students. The $50K Perlman ETA Fellowship is open to Penn and Wharton Master’s and Ph. D.
students in their final year of study and graduating in 2025. Each Penn and Wharton academic course has its own prerequisites; students are encouraged to contact the relevant academic department with questions. What other resources are available for students who are interested in ETA?
Penn’s Lippincott Library offers a number of research guides, including guides focused on Entrepreneurship & Small Business and Private Equity and Venture Capital . Students are encouraged to meet with Lippincott’s Business Research Librarians. The Wharton ETA Club was established in 2019 to activate the community and provide resources to students interested in pursuing an ETA path.
Students are encouraged to explore research focused on the search fund model. Stanford Graduate School of Business search fund studies Harvard Business School publications How can I get in touch with the Venture Lab program team? Please reach out!
Xavier Stewart, Senior Associate Director, leads Venture Lab’s Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition program. He can be reached at xstewart@wharton. upenn.
edu . Are there Penn and Wharton alumni who invest in searchers? Yes!
Alumni can be found in all aspects of the ETA space, including as search fund investors, CEOs, and searchers. Alumni lead search fund investment firms include: The Brydon Group ( https://www. brydon.
com/ ) ETA Equity ( https://etaequity. com/ ) M2O ( https://m2oinc. com/ ) Manifestations Capital ( https://www.
manifestationscapital. com/ ) Milk Street Ventures ( https://www. milkstreetventures.
com/ ) Miramar Equity Partners ( https://miramarequity. com/ ) Search Investment Group ( https://www. searchinvestgroup.
com/ ) Trilogy Search Partners ( https://trilogy-search.
com/ ) Learn more about the companies that our Wharton and Penn entrepreneurs are buying and growing Board Member & former CEO Robert Blyth Goergen, Sr WG'62 DCI Design Communications From Venture Capital to Acquisition: One MBA Student’s Journey to Entrepreneurship at Wharton Wall Street Journal: MBAs' Latest Pitch to Investors: Skip the Startup, Invest in Me Fortune: How Entrepreneurial MBA Grads Can Benefit From Search Funds Entrepreneur Magazine: How to Finance an Acquisition Using an SBA Loan Forbes: Buy a Business - Become a CEO HBR: Why Aspiring CEOs Should Consider Acquisition Entrepreneurship
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Penn and Wharton Master’s and Ph. D. students graduating in 2027. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows up to $50,000. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Perlman Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) Fellowship is funded by Venture Lab at the University of Pennsylvania. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
Past winners and funding trends for this program
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