Startup Grind with Vanessa Chan [event recap]

On Tuesday evening, February 26th, the Pennovation Center was honored to host - for a second time so far this year - Vanessa Chan for Startup Grind! Vanessa is a professor of Practice in Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the Undergraduate Chair of the Materials Science Department and a member of the Executive Committee of Penn Health Tech – a new center between the Schools of Medicine and Engineering, where their mission is to develop new transformative medical devices. Previously, she founded Redesign Studio, a company that redesigns consumer products to solve consumer gripes - starting with her first invention, loopit, which are tangle-free stylish headphones! She was sporting the headphones as a necklace at the event.

In conversation with 1776 CEO, Jennifer Maher, Vanessa shared with an audience of thirty engaged community members her entrepreneurial journey - how cocktail shrimp led to a job at McKinsey, where she worked for 13 years; how her daughters are on the board of loopit; and how she frees herself of judgment and failure. "There is no such thing as a superperson. I am not a superperson. What I am is grounded and I am not going to let things get me down."  She reiterated that failure is a mindset, and related this lesson to how she and her husband are raising their two daughters, with a focus on growth mindset. Attendees enjoyed the opportunity to learn about Vanessa's life path and family, and continued to network and build connections following the talk! 

You can find a full recording of Jenn and Vanessa's discussion here.