Launching Social Enterprises: How the Jacobs Prize Supported These Wharton MBAs

Jacobs Impact Entrepreneur Prize

The Jacobs Impact Entrepreneur Prize is a funding and fellowship opportunity for first-year MBA changemakers who are developing and launching social impact ventures. Three awardees will receive funding ($5K–$50K) to sustain the development of their venture, connect with a global network of supporters and advisors, and access professional development. Applications are due February 1, 2021. Education-related ventures preferred. 

David Roosevelt Lawrence

David Roosevelt Lawrence is a JD/MBA candidate at Harvard/Wharton. After studying economics at Yale he worked as a management consultant, and then for a Mayor and a Governor on education and health policy. He is passionate about improving health and education outcomes in the U.S.

Divya Balaji Kamerkar

Divya Balaji Kamerkar is an Entrepreneurship and Innovation Major at Wharton. She is also a Forté fellow at Wharton and recipient of the Judith and William Bollinger Fellowship, which covers her entire student cost of attendance. Currently, Divya is working to launch her reproductive health start-up called Pinky Promise, which aims to eliminate the judgment and stigma associated with seeking sexual and reproductive healthcare in India. Prior to Wharton, Divya worked at The Bridgespan Group where she helped advise several governments and large nonprofits across India and the MENA region on their healthcare and early childhood strategies. She also worked for the state government of Delhi as a Senior Consultant where she was tasked with implementing reforms to make Delhi safer for women. Divya holds a BS from Yale University and is also a Yale Global Health Fellow.

Alan Wang

Alan Wang is a second-year Wharton MBA student who is also pursuing a Masters degree in International Studies at the Lauder Institute. He grew up in Beijing and Vancouver, and has been living and working in the U.S. for the past eight years.