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University programme · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

VIP-X (Accelerator)

Penn Venture Lab's semester-long accelerator for Penn student and alumni startups in Philadelphia and San Francisco, with up to US$10,000 in non-dilutive grants, a personal adviser and a desk in Tangen Hall.

Closed Run by Venture Lab, University of Pennsylvania

Visit the programme's site

Verified 18 October 2026 · From the programme's own pages

Terms

Funding
not published Up to US$10,000 in non-dilutive grant funding
Instrument
Grant
Equity taken
not published
Programme fee
not published
Duration
not published
Cohort size
not published
Cohorts
not published
Delivery
In person
Stages
Pre-seed
Sectors
Sector-agnostic
Open to founders from
not published
Perks
  • One-to-one adviser meeting every two weeks
  • Co-working desk on the Tangen Hall Founder Floor
  • Private expert workshops
  • Pro bono legal support
  • AWS credits

Runs as fall and spring semester cohorts of up to 7 ventures each; participants commit at least 2 hours a week, and more than one unexcused absence from cohort meetings leads to removal. Strong applicants are interviewed.

Application dates

ClosedVIP-X Philadelphia 2026-2027

Usual timing: Applications for the VIP-X San Francisco spring 2027 cohort open in December.

Who can apply

  • VIP-X Philadelphia: the lead applicant must be a currently enrolled, Philadelphia-based Penn student in a degree programme; alumni ventures are not accepted
  • VIP-X San Francisco: open to current Penn students and alumni; the lead applicant must be based in San Francisco
  • Ventures should show customer understanding, early traction and a product in development such as an MVP, prototype or pilot
  • Social and non-profit ventures may apply
  • Stage: pre-seed

What founders should check

  1. The programme does not publish how much equity it takes. Ask before you accept a place.
  2. It does not publish a fee. Ask whether you pay for desks, services or the programme itself.
  3. It runs in person in Philadelphia. Plan to be there for the length of the programme.
  4. The last window we track closed on 1 September 2026. Applications for the VIP-X San Francisco spring 2027 cohort open in December.

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