Penn students, faculty and alumni have a new way to launch themselves into projects and collaborations — online.
A group of individuals at Weiss Tech House recently released PennLaunch, a website through which members of the Penn community can connect with each other to “develop projects, products, services, ideas, … anything,” said Wharton and Engineering junior Abhiraj Modi, one of PennLaunch’s creators.
Since its launch, the site has attracted over 300 users and more than 20 projects.
With PennLaunch, “students have a place to go directly instead of trying to find the right place,” Weiss Director Anne Stamer said.
After conceiving the idea last summer, Stamer, four students and a Penn alum played key roles in developing, designing and launching the site. Gayle Laakmann, a Penn alumna and current Wharton MBA student, developed the initial coding for the site last summer. Engineering senior Ramkrish Raja then designed and further developed PennLaunch, and various other students helped market and develop the site.
The project was largely student-run and encourages student feedback, Stamer said.
On the site, users log in with their PennKeys, create profiles and search for individuals or projects that suit their needs or interests. But the creators “don’t want it to be anything more than that,” according to Modi, who said the site will refrain from posting events or other aspects of most social networking sites.
Wharton freshman Joseph Cohen found PennLaunch to be a “godsend,” particularly when a “constant struggle” exists to bridge gaps between entrepreneurs in different schools at Penn.
Cohen sought a developer for his online fashion retail project. After unsuccessfully sending e-mails to various listservs, he posted his project on PennLaunch and found potential teammates “immediately.”
Cohen admitted that now, PennLaunch attracts more businesspeople and engineers, but that it could potentially expand to bring in “visual artists and fashion designers,” as well as individuals with other useful skills.
However, the site’s creators emphasize that it already attracts a number of people with diverse skills.
“It’s not just for people that know C++ or mechanical prototyping and design,” Modi said, adding that there is high demand for photographers, writers and foreign-language speakers, among other skills.
In explaining PennLauch’s future, Stamer said a possible second phase would expand the network to all alumni. A potential third phase would be open to anyone, with the addition of various security measures.
PennLaunch is “weaseling its way into the University community,” Modi said. While the team is “skimming the surface right now,” plans for expansion and student input will allow the site to further meet students’ needs, he said.
“It’s another world,” Cohen said. “I think we’re going to see great things out of it.”
