MBA News: Start-Ups Surge Among Wharton MBAs

Wharton is typically known for turning out MBAs with a knack for finance and quantitative analysis. But over the past five years, as Bloomberg Businessweek reports, an entrepreneurial impulse has steadily taken hold of Wharton graduates. Just 2.8% of the school’s Class of 2008 started their own businesses, but the number of MBA entrepreneurs has since grown to 7.4% with the Class of 2013, up from 6.1% in 2012. In addition, this rising tide of start-ups has expanded across a number of industries, including health care, consumer goods, technology and financial services. A Wharton Entrepreneurship Club (eClub) president explained to Bloomberg Businessweek, “I think that there’s been a big push from Wharton to support students who are interested in entrepreneurship, through career management and all of the other resources that they provide.” Although start-up creation may have declined overall last year, Wharton appears to be proving an exception.