Vanessa’s focus is at the interface of innovation, technology and business where she is adept at translating technology/product assets to meet unmet needs. She is a part of Penn’s Engineering Entrepreneurship faculty and leads Senior Design for the Materials Science department. Vanessa is an entrepreneur (the inventor of loopit, tangle-free headphones that are currently sold on QVC) and an angel investor with Robin Hood Ventures. Prior to Penn she was a partner at McKinsey & Company where she co-led their innovation practice, helping Fortune 100 companies with deep R&D portfolios commercialize their technologies. She continues to be a writer & speaker on the journey from corporate executive to entrepreneur and work-life integration. Vanessa is the co–President of the Philadelphia Chapter of Ellevate Network, the chair of the BRIC (Business Resource Innovation Center) for the Free Library of Philadelphia and a member of the Innovation Business Development Advisory Council for United Technology Corporation and the Advisory Board for Charge-it-Spot.