Etymology

The word “prospect" / “prospective" is derived from “prospectus” as the past participle of the the verb "prospicere," a compound latin verb made up of two parts: "pro," which means "forward" or "ahead," and "spicere," which means "to look."

Over time, the word "prospectus" came to be used in English to refer to a document outlining the details of a planned project or business venture, which is why we now also use the word "prospective" to describe something that is potential or likely to happen in the future.

As mission alignment and the exploration of the frontiers of technological possibilities pushes to the front of priorities among knowledge workers seeking what’s next in their career, we, at Penn MCIT’s Venture Prospect Network, look to orient our community of emerging full stack engineers to new and innovative research and business ventures.

Penn’s MCIT student body spans 44 countries, representing recent undergraduates and seasoned professionals with up to forty years of experience alike, and a rich diversity of skills, perspectives, and vocational aspirations. Penn VPN aims to create a forum for discussion of innovation and a community focused on incubating organic relationships between students who would have otherwise never met each other in the program’s fully remote environment.

It does so by following threads across different sectors, growth stages, and technologies supported by universities, governments, and venture funding alike, exposing the larger MCIT student body to engage with organizations harnessing computer information and technology to transform the world as we know it.

Mission

… to increase visibility into software engineering, product management, and data science employment opportunities for MCIT students looking for entrepreneurial professional opportunities. Penn MCIT Venture Prospect Network, or “VPN”, is a play on words, expressing the (at times) isolating nature of the MCIT Online experience. Distributed across the globe and composed of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, there are structural realities with an online community that inhibit the free circulation of ideas/experiences and organic network growth that an in-person program promises. Penn VPN is setting out to jump-start the neural connectivity of the under-utilized brain trust that is the MCIT student body. Our group will look to harness this disparate energy and diverse expertise into a forum to share opportunities to work with innovative companies, eventually becoming a fluent talent network, and, in its later evolutions, a talent incubator for entrepreneurs looking to meet like minded individuals to pursue their own ventures.

Structure

The organization will be built on 10 areas of sector coverage (see Sectors & Coverage Assignment). Founding members will each cover a sector. If interest expands past the original members, subsectors will be allocated to a second cohort of members to expand tracking coverage.

Each member will focus on tracking activity in a high-growth, tech-enabled sector. The goal is to create a working repository of employment opportunities by actively tracking companies who have recently completed venture funding rounds or have recently received grants from educational or government institutions (see Tracking Template). Representatives will be responsible for tracking basic metrics around raises on a weekly basis and sending outbounds to act as conduits for the larger network, pairing companies with prospective engineering targets from the MCIT program (see Membership – Requirements & Duties). A standardized, faculty approved description of the MCIT program will be recycled with board members, who will in effect become ambassadors of their fellow students to add further credibility to their candidacy for full-time, part-time, and internship roles.

The group will also target MCIT alumni that went in an entrepreneurial direction following their graduation looking to stay connected to the current student body, with the goal of facilitating podcasts, speaker events/panels, and written interviews with alumni to learn about their endeavors. The alumni student body at startups will be the primary target for interview sessions, both in written and live mediums. Additionally, with positively received outbounds, Penn VPN’s members will look to do the same, with entrepreneurs and academics working on new, disruptive projects.

The group will send out weekly or bi-weekly updates from what they’ve tracked or find interesting across its various social platforms, engaging in Twitter Space / Clubhouse / Toucan conversations led by founding members on a similar cadence.

Sectors & Coverage Assignment

• Healthcare, Life Sciences, BioTech
• Financial Services, FinTech
• Consumer & Enterprise Software
• Media, Entertainment, Content
• Consumer Goods, Retail
• Energy, ClimateTech, Renewables
• PropTech, Logistics, Supply Chain
• AR/VR, Metaverse
• Transportation, Automotive Vehicles & Parts
• Aerospace & Defense

Membership – Requirements & Duties

Membership:

General membership shall be open to current students and graduates of the MCIT Online program at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Attendance:

Attendance is strongly encouraged for all active members. All meetings, events, and activities associated with Penn VPN shall be virtual unless otherwise stated. Food credits will be provided at select speaker events.

Faculty Advisor / Founding Advisory Board:

One (or more) faculty member (TBD) will be selected to serve as a mentor to the board, committing to join board meetings bi-annually to check on event cadence, brainstorm new partnerships, and to advise on community building efforts. Founding members of Penn VPN will remain on advisory board on a voluntary basis through the entirety of their studies and post-graduation as alumni advisors, if no new members demonstrate interest in replacing their position.

Professional Advisory Board:

Members of this board will be MCIT alumni focused on facilitating communication of job leads and listings; exposing members to a wide range of positions and career directions within startups they represent; and providing opportunities to develop and foster connections in industry. This board will be comprised of founding members upon graduation and additional members (second cohort) that take on Sector & Coverage assignments.

General Participation:

General members are expected to attend meetings each month or to attend at least two-thirds of bi-monthly meetings (four of six).

Organizational Structure

- Founding Members (10, with sector coverage, first cohort of members)

- Professional Advisory (first cohort can retain or pass responsibilities to future cohort)

- Faculty Advisor (TBD)

- General Membership (open to entire MCIT population both Online and In-Person)

Club Ethos

Penn VPN's ethos is built on fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or socio-economic background.

The organization actively seeks to embrace members from diverse backgrounds and ensure that everyone has equal access to opportunities, resources, and support, while feeling valued and included in the community.

Penn VPN is dedicated to maintaining a positive and respectful atmosphere, where discrimination, harassment, and retaliation are not tolerated.

Amendments

The Charter may be amended by a majority vote of the organization's members and reapproval from the Office of Student Affairs. Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the organization's leadership, who will distribute them to the members for review and discussion. Voting on proposed amendments will take place at a subsequent meeting or via electronic means.

Disclaimer

Please be advised that PennVPN is an independent organization that operates under approval sanctioned by the University of Pennsylvania's Office of Student Affairs (OSA). While the school has approved the club's formation [pending], it is not associated with or representative of the school's actions, policies, or opinions. The school does not provide any financial support or resources to the club, and the club operates solely on its own funds and resources [pending]. Any views or opinions expressed by the club do not necessarily reflect those of the school or its administration.