# Wharton: Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition

A $50,000 fellowship and an incubator.

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Last checked: 2026-09-04

## At a Glance

- Club: A Wharton ETA Club, established in 2019, whose stated mission is to train students who want to acquire, own, and operate their own businesses.
- Money: The $50,000 Perlman ETA Fellowship, awarded competitively, and only to master's and doctoral students in their final year of study.
- Conference: The annual Wharton ETA Summit, held on campus each spring; the April 2026 edition sold out. It gathers students, searchers, investors, and faculty.
- Its own page: https://venturelab.upenn.edu/ETA

## The Classes

- Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (MGMT 8110)
- Search Fund Entrepreneurship (MGMT 8140) taught by Jim Vesterman, who raised a search fund and ran the company he bought
- Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (undergraduate) (MGMT 2130)

## Who Teaches It

- Jim Vesterman, a searcher who acquired and led a company before teaching the class

## What It Publishes for Anyone

- A workshop and events series the venture lab opens to every student at the university, not to the business school alone.

## What Else It Runs

- A competitive, hybrid, cohort-based ETA incubator for graduate students past the introductory stage, aimed at making them search-ready, plus a standing workshop series and office hours.

## Where to Read It

- ETA at Venture Lab: https://venturelab.upenn.edu/ETA
- The Wharton ETA Club: https://whartoneta.com/
- The Wharton ETA Summit: https://whartonetaconference.swoogo.com/2026

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