Student Post: User-Driven Change: Replacing Competition With Collaboration in the Music Industry

DJ Steve Aoki

My generation consumes media at a startlingly rapid pace, bouncing between audio, video, text, and back again in the blink of an eye.  This behavior, termed ‘media multiplexing‘ in recent Mack Institute funded research, reflects a distinctive generational mindset that is entirely reconfiguring how music is marketed.  Instead of tryingRead More

Student Post: Friends That Pay Together Stay Together: How Venmo has Gained Recognition by Exploiting Social Ties

Venmo

“Neither a borrower nor a lender be; for loan oft loses both itself and friend.” Polonius’s sage advice handed down throughout the generations lost its urgency for Penn students a year ago. Venmo, a startup by Penn graduates Andrew Kortina and Iqram Magdon-Ismail, has revolutionized reciprocity between friends by makingRead More

Crowdfunding Presents a New Phenomenon in Entrepreneurship

Bandar Foods co-founders

When it comes to starting businesses, some entrepreneurs are taking an alternative route to conventional venture capital fundraising – what industry calls “crowdfunding.” Crowdfunding, raising money from the public via online resources such as Kickstarter.com, is a relatively new phenomenon. Its potential to propel entrepreneurs to success has recently risenRead More