Entrepreneurship Series: An Introduction

Written by Irene Jiang (W’25), Edited by Khwaish Lakhiani (W’26)

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an entrepreneur is “one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.” Although the broad description that Merriam-Webster provides is correct, it does not encompass all the details of what being an entrepreneur entails. Entrepreneurs are amazing: they're creators, leaders, problem-solvers, and much more!

To give us a better idea of the wide range of skills and roles that entrepreneurs take on, let’s explore some definitions that others have shared. In a Forbes article, George Deeb, Managing Partner at Red Rocket Ventures, shares five roles that he thinks an entrepreneur embodies; they’re a risk taker, visionary, leader, pitbull, and a superhero. This definition really emphasizes how well-rounded entrepreneurs are and the way they take chances, create ideas, and execute them. Another striking definition was coined by Professor Howard Stevenson at Harvard Business School. He states that “entrepreneurship is the pursuit of opportunity beyond resources controlled.”  Professor Stevenson’s definition illustrates how entrepreneurs face various challenges beyond their control, but are still courageous enough to execute their vision in an unpredictable environment.

In the entrepreneurship space, we encounter a phenomenon where male entrepreneurs outnumber female ones. On the Knowledge at Wharton website, Professor Ethan Mollick explores the topic in his article “Why are there more male entrepreneurs than female ones?” If you would like to learn more about his findings, check out his article here.

As Wharton Women aims to support the personal and career development of women and underrepresented gender identities on campus, I hope to highlight various female entrepreneurs through this entrepreneurship series on the Walnut Street Journal. I hope to share their visions, goals, and stories of how they broke into the entrepreneurial space. 

In the next post of this entrepreneurship series, I will be spotlighting an incredibly talented female entrepreneur, so please stay tuned!