Members of The CEO Connection receive the following benefits:

• Automatic acceptance into the Wharton Fellows program
• $1,200 Annual Wharton Fellows Fee is waived
• Members can participate in an unlimited number of master classes (tuition applies)
• Upon completion of 12 master classes, members become Wharton Alumni.

Wharton Fellows Master Class: Innovation and Creativity

Co-Academic Directors: Professors Jerry Wind and Karl Ulrich
The focus is on creativity and innovation in large companies such as Gore and J&J as well as small entrepreneurial companies. The site visits are augmented with hands-on workshops that focus on identifying, prioritizing, and commercializing opportunities.

Agenda:

• Learn to take innovative ideas and turn them into successful companies in a session led by the creator of the world-renowned Idealab, Howard Morgan.
• Participate in a case study and hands-on experience to identify and evaluate new ventures with Professor Karl Ulrich, a master at finding exceptional new business opportunities.
• Learn the approach to innovation from the executives at W.L.Gore who created thousands of products including Gore-Tex and Glide Floss.
• Join Wharton Fellow Michael Rechtiene, CEO at Animas, a Johnson & Johnson company, to learn how they transformed a product-driven company into an integrated franchise that targets customer needs.
• Gain knowledge on how to manage opportunities by analyzing options, from Wharton Professor Ian MacMillan and Wharton Lecturer Alexander van Putten.
• Discover "Beyond Blue Oceans" and how to make non-glamorous industries innovative and successful.
• Explore how you can learn creativity by observing art during a special curated tour at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
• Participate in a focus group and wine tasting with a start-up company that innovates the way we select and buy wines from cell phones.
• Explore other sessions including nano-technology and its effect on business opportunities, online marketing, insights from CEOs of developing entrepreneurial companies, and venture capital management.
• Tuition: $6,500 (paid to Wharton)