Mack Institute for Innovation Management

What Mack Institute for Innovation Management does

Mack Institute for Innovation Management is a non-profit academic research institute within The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, headquartered at 3620 Locust Walk in Philadelphia. Founded through the philanthropy of William and Phyllis Mack, the institute's stated purpose is to bridge academic research on innovation management with business practice, with particular focus on challenges faced by established firms rather than startups. Its activities span four interlocking areas: (1) research output (white papers such as "Navigating Digital Disruption" and "Can AI Manage an Entire Medical Decision Process?", working papers, academic research papers, books, and the Mack Talks podcast); (2) convening (annual Wharton Technology and Innovation Conference, Corporate Strategy and Innovation Conference, Spring/Fall Conferences, Penn Wharton Commercialization Workshop, and the Wharton Innovation Doctoral Symposium); (3) student engagement (Collaborative Innovation Program, Y-Prize Competition, Commercialization of Academic Science class); and (4) a tiered Corporate Partnership program that gives members access to research, student project collaborations, and executive engagement opportunities. Research priorities cover AI adoption, healthcare innovation, corporate strategy, sustainability, financial technology, vehicle/mobility innovation, robotics, and embodied AI.

The institute does not sell proprietary software or commercial AI products. Its commercial-facing assets are the Corporate Partnership subscription program (annual billing, fees not publicly disclosed), executive education and event sponsorships, research dissemination via the institute's website and the Knowledge@Wharton platform, and philanthropic/academic funding as part of The Wharton School. Distribution leverages global Wharton infrastructure including campuses in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Beijing, alongside research collaborations reaching Brazil, East Africa (Somaliland, Kenya), and Taiwan-funded international development work.

Leadership is provided by Executive Director Saikat Chaudhuri and Co-Director Christian Terwiesch, both tenured Wharton faculty and co-authors of the institute's most visible research outputs. There are no subsidiaries, no outside investors, no independent ownership structure, and no disclosed revenue figures; the institute operates as an institutional research center within the University of Pennsylvania rather than as an investable enterprise.

Name

Mack Institute for Innovation Management

Legal name

Mack Institute for Innovation Management

Website

https://mackinstitute.wharton.upenn.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1881

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mack Institute for Innovation Management is a Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania) research institute that connects corporate decision-makers, faculty, and students to study innovation management through white papers, conferences, student programs, and a tiered Corporate Partnership subscription program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Management Consulting Services (54161), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Management Research Institutes & Doctoral (PhD/DBA) Programs (EDAHAHAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Strategy, Consulting & General Management Institutes (EDAHAHAI), Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization) (EDAHABAH), Technical Universities with Strong Industry Partnerships (EDAHAEAG)

Keywords

• Innovation management research
• Academic research services
• Corporate partnership programs
• Innovation conferences
• Student innovation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Corporate Partnership Program: The institute operates a Corporate Partnership program where companies pay for membership/access to research, student projects, and executive engagement opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Mack Institute for Innovation Management is an academic research institute within The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania that conducts research on innovation management and connects corporate decision-makers, researchers, and students. It sells corporate partnership memberships, hosts conferences (Wharton Technology and Innovation Conference, Corporate Strategy and Innovation Conference), runs student programs (Collaborative Innovation Program, Y-Prize Competition), and publishes research including white papers, working papers, and books.

Product overview

The Mack Institute for Innovation Management is a research institute at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, focused on innovation management research. It is not a product company but rather offers a portfolio of research publications (white papers, working papers, research papers), conferences (Wharton Technology and Innovation Conference, Corporate Strategy and Innovation Conference), student programs (Collaborative Innovation Program, Y-Prize Competition), and specialized research initiatives (PVMI, AV4EV, Robotics for Healthcare, Embodied AI and Robotics). The institute connects academic research with business practice through publications, events, and collaborative programs with corporate partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Navigating Digital Disruption: How to Thrive Through Innovation Management (White Paper) A comprehensive white paper co-authored by Saikat Chaudhuri and Pragna Kolli providing strategies for established firms to navigate digital disruption through innovation management.
• Making Sense of Blockchain: How Firms Can Chart a Strategic Path Forward (White Paper) A strategic roadmap white paper for firms evaluating blockchain adoption decisions.
• Can AI Manage an Entire Medical Decision Process? (White Paper) White paper examining whether AI can manage complete medical decision processes rather than isolated tasks, authored by Arnd Huchzermeier, Christian Terwiesch, and Lennart Meincke.
• Reimagining Customer Service Journeys with LLMs: A Framework for Chatbot Design and Workflow Integration Working paper by Christian Terwiesch and Lennart Meincke providing a framework for implementing LLMs in chatbot design and workflow integration.
• Wharton Technology and Innovation Conference Annual conference bringing together technology and innovation leaders to discuss emerging trends and strategies.
• Corporate Strategy and Innovation Conference Conference focused on corporate strategy and innovation management for business leaders.
• Collaborative Innovation Program (CIP) Program connecting students with corporate partners to work on real-world innovation challenges, including agentic AI for supply chain strategy projects.
• Y-Prize Competition Student innovation competition encouraging commercialization of Penn research through student teams.
• Corporate Partnership Program Membership-based program where organizations pay to access research, student project collaborations, and executive engagement opportunities with Wharton faculty.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VerizoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVerizon Fios participated in Mack Talks with head of customer experience innovation Justin Reilly (W'10) discussing AI applications in telecommunications. Verizon represents one of the corporate partners engaging with Mack Institute research on digital transformation and AI in B2B contexts.
• Origo EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe institute partnered with Origo Energy, a Brazilian company that pioneered the community solar model in South America, to study consumer behavior in renewable energy adoption through the Business Model Innovation for Renewables research project.
• Somaliland Ministry of Health and DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating with the Somaliland Ministry of Health and Development (MoHD) and Taiwan International Cooperation Development Fund (ICDF) on research applying AI to healthcare challenges in East Africa, one of the world's most impoverished regions.
• Taiwan International Cooperation Development FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering with ICDF and Somaliland's Ministry of Health on global healthcare AI research initiatives addressing healthcare accessibility, quality, and efficiency in resource-constrained environments.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BCG Henderson Institute: Research arm of Boston Consulting Group producing thought leadership on innovation, technology, and business strategy. Comparable in producing research-driven frameworks on innovation management, but operates as a consulting-firm think tank rather than an academic research institute.

Direct peers

• UC Berkeley Haas School of Business: Berkeley Haas offers management of technology programs and innovation research centers with strong corporate engagement in the Bay Area technology ecosystem. Comparable as a top business school research hub connecting faculty, students, and corporate partners around innovation management.
• MIT Sloan Center for Information Systems Research (CISR): Research center at MIT Sloan studying how enterprises use IT and digital technology for innovation and competitive advantage. Highly comparable to Mack Institute as a university-based research center producing frameworks, publications, and corporate sponsor engagement on innovation management and digital transformation.
• Tuck School of Business (Dartmouth) Center for Entrepreneurship: Tuck operates a dedicated center for entrepreneurship and innovation with corporate engagement and research output. Comparable as a smaller, elite business school research center focused on innovation themes with practitioner-oriented programming.
• Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern): Top US business school with research centers focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology strategy. Comparable in its faculty-led research model, executive education programs, and corporate sponsor engagement around innovation management topics.
• INSEAD Innovation and Technology Cluster: Global business school with a dedicated innovation and technology research cluster producing cross-disciplinary research, executive education, and corporate partnerships. Directly comparable to Mack Institute's positioning as a business school research center connecting faculty research with corporate innovation leaders.
• Columbia Business School: Top-tier business school with research centers and corporate partnership programs covering entrepreneurship, technology management, and innovation strategy. Comparable in academic standing, corporate sponsorship model, and focus on translating research into practitioner insight.
• Harvard Business School Division of Faculty and Research: Premier business school research arm publishing case studies, working papers, and digital initiative content on innovation management. Comparable in academic prestige, corporate engagement model, and the production of frameworks that translate innovation research into practitioner guidance.
• Stanford Graduate School of Business Research: Top-tier business school with multiple research centers covering entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation strategy. Comparable to Mack Institute in serving as a corporate-facing research hub producing thought leadership and convening executives around emerging technology and innovation themes.
• London Business School Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Dedicated research institute within LBS focused on innovation and entrepreneurship research, executive education, and corporate engagement. Direct peer of Mack Institute given similar positioning as a business school research center with strong corporate partnership program and publication-driven dissemination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MackInstitute
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/mackinstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/MackInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mack-institute-for-innovation-management

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mack Institute for Innovation Management