Piotr Lazarek, ENG’25, W’25, is nothing if not driven. A recent graduate of the Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology (M&T), where he was awarded a scholarship, Lazarek is also the founder and CEO of Nirby, a real-time soil analytics and farmland-management system that helps farmers cut CO2 emissions and reduce fertilizer costs.

Nirby not only earned Lazarek the Perlman Grand Prize at Venture Lab’s 2024 Startup Challenge, but also the 2025 President’s Sustainability Prize. Learn more about Lazarek in Penn Today, where he discusses his early life in Pawłowice, Poland, what inspired him to create Nirby, and how resources like Venture Lab’s donor-supported VIP-X accelerator program have helped him flourish on his entrepreneurial journey.

Read the profile–and get inspired.

During the past year, Wharton has taken bold steps to lead in the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence — and donor support has fueled our success. From launching a new AI major and concentration to convening global leaders on the ethical use of generative AI, Wharton is combining technical innovation with a deep commitment to responsible business. Together, we’re shaping the future of AI with purpose.

Explore Wharton’s momentum and be a part of what’s next:

• Wharton Human-AI Research (WHAIR) drives smarter AI adoption with findings that bridge disciplines and industries.
• Our new Artificial Intelligence for Business major and concentration equip students to lead with both technical fluency and ethical foresight.
• Wharton Accountable AI Lab ensures innovation doesn’t outpace accountability.
• Educational AI-focused media, including the “Where AI Works” and “Creative Intelligence” podcasts, as well as “The Wharton Blueprint for Effective AI Chatbots,” makes AI approachable and shares Wharton’s expertise with the world.
• Interactive programming, such as the annual AI and the Future of Work and Business & Generative AI conferences, creates space for crucial dialogue and discovery.
• The Wharton AI and Analytics Initiative is the engine behind it all — turning bold ideas into meaningful action across Wharton and beyond.

Venture Lab, the center for student entrepreneurship at the University of Pennsylvania, hosted its 2025 Startup Challenge at Tangen Hall in May. At the live competition, eight finalist teams from across the University pitched their startups to a panel of Wharton alumni judges renowned for their achievements in entrepreneurship, all for a chance to win cash, in-kind support, and other prizes to help them develop their businesses. Winners included Wharton students Matt Liebers, WG’26, of Guide Genetics; Margaret Zhu, W’26, of Serpent Robotics; John Shotton, WG’26, of Vado; and Maxence de Lanversin, W’26, of certitude.

Sync Labs, founded by Melanie Herbert, EE’25, took the $50,000 Perlman Grand Prize. Herbert developed her venture — a health care company that leverages AI to help senior caregivers work more efficiently — as part of Venture Lab’s VIP-X program, a competitive, donor-supported accelerator that helps student entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life.

Learn more about Venture Lab and the University’s largest pitch competition at the link below.

Go behind the scenes of the Startup Challenge.