The Lauder Institute recently awarded $15,000 to four student initiatives through its 2026 Jacobson Global Venture Awards.
The grant, established in 2017 by 1993 Master of Business Administration graduate Andrew Jacobson and 1993 International Studies Master’s graduate and MBA graduate Marina Kunis Jacobson, funds early-stage ventures created Lauder Institute students. The Jan. 30 pitch competition featured proposals from 11 final teams, before a panel of eight Penn-affiliated judges selected four winning ventures.
Lauder Institute Senior Lecturer of International Studies Sudev Sheth told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the program is designed to combine entrepreneurship education with venture development, giving students “a catalyst and a platform” to develop their ideas.
“The institute is uniquely positioned to bridge academic rigor with real world, practical applications” Sheth said, adding that participation has expanded over the past decade as more students consider entrepreneurship “a viable path post-graduation.”
Penn’s environment helps students test entrepreneurial ideas before launching them more widely, according to Sheth.
“Through the expertise that we have on campus, you have to first learn the lay of the land before you can go in and solve problems and propose solutions," Sheth added. “The University of Pennsylvania provides you that microcosm of the real world so that you can actually explore ideas and test them in a very controlled and supportive environment.”
Among the project winners was EruBase, a platform founded by 2026 International Studies Master’s and MBA candidate Long Pham and co-founder Long Phung that connects prospective international students with verified university ambassadors through online question and answer sessions.
Pham told the DP that his experience with international education shaped the venture’s mission.
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“I want to democratize access to information for students from emerging markets, because I used to be like one of those students who had to reach out to people to get help because I did not have that kind of access,” Pham said.
The platform will focus on Southeast Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific region — aiming to connect applicants with reliable information about studying abroad and introduce them to universities that do not have “that kind of brand name.”
Another winning venture, Bellwether, focuses on electrical grid infrastructure. Founded by 2027 International Studies Master’s and MBA candidate Chad Williams and co-founder Ari Brown, the company uses acoustic analytics and machine learning to detect equipment faults and predict maintenance needs.
Williams told the DP that the Jacobson funding will allow the team to accelerate development of the technology without “scrapping for money” in the venture's earliest stages.
“Money is to early companies, like fuel is to a car” Williams said.
Despite the difficulties of introducing new technologies into the energy sector, the team has “been able to convince engineers that we know we’re talking about, and that the product has a very unique value.”
The judges also funded Élan, a venture founded by 2026 International Studies Master’s and MBA candidate Sonia Alb that creates high heels using principles from the designs of professional dance shoes to improve comfort.
Alb said one of the biggest challenges in developing the idea was demonstrating the demand for a more comfortable heel.
“I felt that when I was explaining my idea to women, a lot of them would understand immediately,” Alb told the DP. “But when I would pitch it to men, I felt like there was a lot more obstacles that had to be surmounted.”
The fourth project, Kala, was founded by 2026 International Studies Master’s and MBA candidates Rowa El-Tohami and Maitreyi Menon. The venture is “a music royalty management platform for African artists and rights holders.”
