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Wharton
Private Equity
Network:
A MODEL FOR AFFINITY
ALUMNI CLUBS
The Wharton Private
Equity Alumni Network
("WPEN") was formed
in 1998 for Wharton and
University of Pennsylvania
alumni working in the
Private Equity industry.
Its members include both
General Partners and
Limited Partners investing
in leveraged buy-outs,
growth capital, mezzanine,
venture capital, distressed
and secondaries. The goals
and objectives of WPEN
are networking, education,
awareness and interaction for
the thousands of Wharton
and UPenn alumni in the
Private Equity industry.
The WPEN is currently led by co-Presidents
Dean Miller, WG'99, a
Partner with venture capital
firm PA Early Stage, and
Rob Newbold, WG'99, a
Managing Principal with
the buyout firm Graham
Partners. The organization
was conceptualized and
formed back in 1998, led
by the efforts of Praveen
Jeyarajah, WG'95, Amarish
Mehta, W'95, Ben Terk, WG'99 (a current member
of the Wharton Alumni
Association Board of
Directors and current
Chairman of the WPEN), and Steve Sammut, WG'84,
Senior Fellow and
Lecturer in the Wharton
School's Department of
Management.
From several small-scale
events and a geographically limited membership,
the WPEN has grown to
over 500 members with
regular events in New York
City, Philadelphia, and San
Francisco. The expansion of
events into additional U.S.
cities, as well as several international
locations, is underway. In addition to local
events, the WPEN holds a
dinner every year the night
before Wharton's student-organized Private Equity
Conference in Philadelphia
in late January.
The WPEN looks to
strengthen the bond between Wharton Alumni
working at all levels in the
Private Equity industry.
Relationships established
and fostered through the
WPEN have helped to
advance the careers of the
many alumni in the industry and, through outreach
with current Wharton
students, have increased
the number of Wharton
graduates entering the field.
All alumni working in the
Private Equity industry
are welcome to join, so
please visit the website at www.wpen.org.
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