Karl T. Ulrich
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Karl T. Ulrich is Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds an appointment as Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He leads Wharton's San Francisco campus and the Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship programs. His research is focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and product development. He is the co-author of Product Design and Development (7th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2020), a textbook used by a quarter of a million students worldwide, Innovation Tournaments (Harvard Business Press, 2009), and Winning in China (Wharton School Press, 2021). He is the winner of many teaching awards, including the Anvil Award, the Miller-Sherrerd Award, and the Excellence in Teaching Award at The Wharton School. He co-founded the Weiss Tech House and the Integrated Product Design Program, two institutions fostering innovation in the university community. In addition to his academic work, Professor Ulrich has led dozens of innovation efforts for medical devices, tools, computer peripherals, food products, web-based services, and sporting goods. As a result of this work, he holds 24 patents. Professor Ulrich is a founder of Terrapass Inc. which the New York Times identified as one of the most noteworthy ideas of the year, and he is a designer of the Xootr scooter, which Business Week recognized as one of the 50 coolest products of the 21st Century. Professor Ulrich holds bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT.

Speaking and Workshops

Courses

Product Management (OIDD654)
Innovation Management (OIDD614)
Product Design (IPD515 / OIDD415)
Coursera Entrepreneurship Courses
Coursera DESIGN course
Technology Strategy
Design of Web-Based Products and Services

Tutorials on ...

Drawing for Product Design & Whiteboard 101
How to Create a Great Product or Company Name

Commercializing a Product as a Solo Inventor 
How to Allocate Equity to Founders

Portfolio

Xootr (co-inventor, co-founder)
Terrapass (co-inventor, co-founder)
Belle-V Kitchen (co-inventor, co-founder)
>more portfolio

CV, Bio, Photographs

Books

Winning in China (Wharton School Press, 2021) - w/ L. Sang
Innovation Tournaments
(Harvard Business Press, 2009) - w/ C. Terwiesch

Product Design and Development (McGraw-Hill, 2020) - w/ S. Eppinger
Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society (U. Pennsylvania, 2013)

Articles

Will Video Kill the Classroom Star?
Assessing the Quality of Selection Processes
The Impact of Visibility in Innovation Tournaments
The Importance of the Raw Idea in Innovation: Testing the Sow's Ear Hypothesis
Idea Generation and the Quality of the Best Idea
Opportunity Spaces in Innovation: Empirical Analysis of Large Samples of Ideas
The Role of Product Architecture in the Manufacturing Firm
Product Development Decisions: A Review of the Literature
>more articles

Wharton School & Univ. of Pennsylvania Organizations

Ulrich Wharton Official Home Page - Wharton School Website
Wharton Entrepreneurship
Integrated Product Design Program (co-founder)
ulrich@wharton.upenn.edu | 500 Huntsman Hall | 3740 Walnut Street | Philadelphia, PA 19104 US