UPenn proposal deck

Make Penn’s IP inventory feel like a modern marketplace — and convert it into buildable ventures.

This is not “another portal.” Arns is a conversion + orchestration layer that sits on top of Penn’s existing systems and turns each record into a governance-aware execution object: disclosure-safe, persona-framed, and action-routable. The sequence stays simple: diagnose → ship SmartCards (Step 1) → promote high-signal assets into Blueprints (Step 2) → activate through Penn’s ecosystem (PCI + schools + labs + entrepreneurship + Pennovation + corporate sponsors) — without replacing underlying infrastructure.

Five-step activation sequence (Penn-ready)

SmartCards are the portfolio’s “front door.” Blueprints are derived from the highest-signal SmartCards. Metrics make outcomes legible to leadership and fundable to external partners.

Step 0: Today’s reality
Step 1: Produce SmartCards
Step 2: Generate Blueprints
Step 3: Select pathways
Step 4: Metrics & ROI
Open: Penn ecosystem
Open: Metrics module
Open: OS Map
Open: Thesis

What’s different about Arns

Category
  • Not a database: an engineered conversion layer on top of Tech Publisher / Inpart / Wellspring / PDFs / catalogs.
  • Not a chatbot: structured modules that output proof objects and next steps (no “know what to ask”).
  • Not isolated listings: bundling + orchestration increases deal size and venture readiness.
  • Not a rebrand: it’s a measurable operating function embedded with PCI and the schools.

Why this is Penn-native

Ecosystem
  • PCI as governance core: disclosure tiers, approvals, routing policy, and reporting.
  • Penn Engineering + Wharton + Perelman: persona overlays tuned to real stakeholder pathways.
  • Pennovation + Venture Lab + Innovation programs: Blueprints become studio-grade execution objects.
  • Climate + sustainability capacity: Blueprints can route to sponsors, grants, and pilots with impact reporting.

Penn ecosystem activation (what this plugs into)

Arns is designed to amplify Penn’s existing strengths. The “front door” becomes modern and instrumented, and the back end becomes routable across real programs, leaders, and units.

  • Penn Center for Innovation (PCI): portfolio governance, licensing, sponsor routing, reporting.
  • Penn Engineering: lab-to-market translation, capstone-to-spinout, prototyping pathways.
  • Engineering Entrepreneurship / Venture Lab: founder formation + venture execution rails.
  • Wharton entrepreneurship + corporate reach: sponsors, pilots, buyers, and venture studios.
  • Perelman School of Medicine + Penn Medicine: clinical pathways, validation, translational partners.
  • Climate / sustainability capacity: sponsor-ready, grant-ready impact framing and reporting.
Today’s reality

Why current portals don’t convert (even the “best” ones)

Whether it’s a commercial portal, a university catalog, a PDF library, or an “AI search” wrapper — the shared model is static listings + contact links. That creates discovery, not motion. Arns is the missing layer: translation as infrastructure — engineered conversion that produces proof objects, routing, and governance.

What breaks in the status quo

Mechanics
  • Discovery ≠ comprehension: stakeholders find records but can’t simulate the system fast enough to commit.
  • Comprehension ≠ diligence: no structured proof objects, no agreed success criteria, no next-step artifacts.
  • Diligence ≠ motion: unclear routing (license vs sponsor vs spinout) and no persona-specific CTA.
  • Isolated assets: no bundling → no system-level offer → deal size stays small.

What Arns changes at Penn

Outcome
  • SmartCards: each Penn listing becomes a modern “front door” with narrative + routing + governance.
  • Execution interfaces: persona modules that produce next steps without “prompting genius.”
  • Blueprints: venture packages derived from measurable signal + bundle feasibility + Penn-fit mapping.
  • Metrics: a leadership-grade dashboard that ties Arns outputs to PCI KPIs and school priorities.
SmartCards

Step 1: Produce SmartCards — crafted conversion assets for every Penn listing.

SmartCards are Penn’s new IP “front door” — and a portable artifact. Each one is standardized, disclosure-safe, and instrumented to route stakeholders into the correct next step. Blueprints (Step 2) start only after SmartCards generate measurable signal (intent, routing outcomes, and bundling viability).

What a SmartCard contains

Core
  • Plain-language translation: what it is, why it matters, what it replaces.
  • Persona overlays: student builder, inventor/PI, venture studio, corporate sponsor, PCI/TTO operator.
  • Multi-path router: license / sponsor / build with the right artifact + CTA.
  • Bundling signal: what complements it to become a system-level play.
  • Disclosure controls: public preview vs NDA depth with governance rails.

Why SmartCards unlock everything

Impact
  • Speed: stakeholders interpret in minutes.
  • Conversion: “contact us” becomes structured next steps.
  • Scale: 1:1 mapping across the full inventory.
  • Signal: view → intent → action instrumentation creates blueprint triggers.
  • Recruiting: the SmartCard “searches for” partners, builders, and sponsors.

Multi-Pathway Router inside every SmartCard

Built-in

Same underlying IP. Different stakeholder lenses. Correct pathway. Correct proof object.

License & Integrate

Fast

Make licensing and integration feel obvious: use cases, requirements, and a diligence packet.

Sponsored R&D

Partner

Translate into sponsor-ready workstreams: pilot outline, budget ranges, and success criteria.

Build a Venture

Spinout

Give builders a venture map: roles, risks, bundling logic, and first customers.

Path Navigator
Translation Infrastructure

From Penn’s current portals to a SmartCard front door — then modular translation + execution.

SmartCards are the foundation. Everything else is a modular execution layer that scales 1:1 across every listing and routes into Penn’s real ecosystem.

Problem

Step 0) Diagnose the conversion failure

A fast, disclosure-safe explanation of why “records + contact links” stall: framing + routing + proof objects are missing.

Core
Step 1

SmartCard Front Door (1:1 across Penn’s full inventory)

The modern, disclosure-safe entry point — built to route stakeholders into the right next step.

Modules

Optional modules (turn on/off per Penn governance + KPI)

Inventor/PI augmentation, team formation, sponsor rooms, classroom pipelines, climate impact framing — adopted a la carte without changing the core.

After SmartCard
What happens after a SmartCard exists (the invisible engine)
Arns runs a multi-layer pipeline: semantic indexing → signal scoring → bundle graph synthesis → Penn-fit mapping → governance gates. This determines what becomes Blueprint-worthy and where it should be deployed (PCI licensing, sponsors, venture studios, classrooms, Pennovation pilots).
Semantic indexing
IP
Converts unstructured listings into structured meaning: keywords, functions, constraints, and complementary components.
Comparable records
Bundle candidates
White-space tags
Signal scoring
Market
Scores intent and viability: who is searching, what they need, and what proof objects move them.
Intent capture
Routing outcomes
Blueprint triggers
Bundle graph synthesis
Corporate
Builds system-level offers by connecting complementary IP and matching to buyer requirements.
Larger deal size
Integration map
Diligence packet
Penn-fit mapping
Campus
Routes each Blueprint into Penn’s strengths: schools, labs, programs, Pennovation pilots, Venture Lab, sponsors, and student pipelines.
Pilot sites
Courses/studios
Sponsor rooms
Governance gates
Policy
Controls disclosure, approvals, audiences, and routing pathways — so motion is fast without risk.
Tiered access
Version logs
Approval workflows
Creation

Blueprint creation (translation → venture packaging)

Produces sponsor-ready, builder-ready, and studio-ready assets: system bundle, proof objects, pilot plan, and commercialization wedge.

Blueprints

Step 2: Once SmartCards exist, Penn’s portfolio becomes deployable infrastructure.

Arns unlocks two rails: (2a) Global Syndication (translated, governed distribution to builders worldwide) and (2b) Penn Execution (a configured marketplace + studio operating layer tied to Penn’s strengths).

2a) SmartCard Distribution (Global Syndication)

Distribution
  • Publish once, deploy everywhere: partners, studios, accelerators, classrooms, corporates, grants.
  • What ships: translated SmartCards + disclosure-safe summaries + routing CTAs.
  • Governance: visibility tiers, attribution, audit logs, NDA-gated variants if needed.

2b) Penn Execution Interface + Blueprint Marketplace

Activation
  • Configured to Penn: schools, labs, programs, PCI workflow, sponsors, Pennovation pilots.
  • Studio cadence: Blueprint rhythm + review gates + sponsor-ready proof objects.
  • Private-by-design: .edu gating, role-based access, sponsor rooms, approvals.

Blueprint views (toggle)

Same Blueprint. Re-framed for the stakeholder — studio, builder, or sponsor — without changing the underlying rigor.

Venture Studio Blueprint

A studio-grade operating package: system bundle logic, execution plan, roles, and first customer wedge — designed for action.

Purpose
Buildable venture definition
Output
Operating package + pilot
Trigger
High-signal SmartCard

System-level bundle

Defensible

    Go-to-market wedge

    Practical

      Founding roles

      Team

      Pilot package

      Action

      Commercial readiness

      Signal

      Metrics

      Leadership-grade metrics that tie Arns outputs to Penn outcomes.

      This is the “why this matters” layer for Penn leadership: a clean set of KPIs that show exactly how SmartCards and Blueprints increase licensing velocity, sponsor volume, venture formation, student engagement, and climate/impact throughput — without adding governance risk.

      Metrics Dashboard (tabs)
      Select a metric lens. Each KPI includes the Arns lever that drives it (conversion, routing, proof objects, bundling, governance).
      Activation Charter

      Approve an in-residence monthly activation partnership (not a one-off project).

      This charter embeds Arns as the SmartCard + Blueprint Architect-in-Residence — a standing operating function that converts Penn inventory into governed execution assets, instruments signal, and compounds outcomes across the portfolio. Step 1 establishes the artifact standard (SmartCards). Step 2 produces Blueprint-ready systems from measurable signal. Metrics (Step 4) makes results leadership-legible and sponsor-fundable.

      Charter scope

      Decision
      • SmartCard production cadence (monthly throughput agreed upfront).
      • Persona overlays for builder, inventor/PI, venture studio, corporate sponsor, PCI operator.
      • Routing + proof objects for license / sponsor / build pathways.
      • Disclosure + Penn brand governance baked into every output.
      • Blueprint Studio outputs triggered by measurable SmartCard signal.
      • Metrics dashboard tied to Penn priorities (conversion, velocity, pipeline, impact).

      Signal + reporting

      Measured
      • Time-to-understanding (stakeholder comprehension in minutes)
      • Conversion (view → intent → action, by persona)
      • Partner velocity (faster diligence, fewer loops)
      • Blueprint qualification (which SmartCards earn Step 2 output)
      • Module ROI (which pathways increase deals, sponsors, founders, or funding wins)

      Operating cadence

      Monthly
      • Weekly: queue + governance check-in (PCI + school liaisons)
      • Monthly: SmartCard releases + analytics report
      • Quarterly: Blueprint Studio round (top-signal set)

      What Penn provides

      Inputs
      • Portfolio prioritization queue (what matters most now)
      • Disclosure guardrails + Penn brand constraints
      • Single point of coordination (keeps velocity high)
      • Ecosystem context (programs, labs, courses, sponsors, pilots)

      What Arns delivers

      Outputs
      • SmartCards + routing artifacts (production cadence)
      • Analytics & KPI reporting (signal instrumentation)
      • Blueprint candidates + Blueprint Studio outputs
      • Configured Penn pathway stack + deployment roadmap
      FAQ

      Common questions

      How do you prevent over-disclosure?
      SmartCards are disclosure-safe by default: schematic visuals, controlled narrative, and module-level gating. Sensitive detail is reserved for NDA views and internal governance.
      Does this replace our existing database?
      No. Arns sits on top as an interface + conversion layer that works with any portal and any record system.
      Is this “just AI chat”?
      No. The value is the structured module system: persona overlays, routing, proof objects, governance, and metrics. The LLM is the engine; the deliverable is a repeatable operating interface.
      When do Blueprints begin?
      As soon as SmartCards go live and produce measurable signal. Step 2 is most valuable when Step 1 is instrumented.
      How do metrics work without “gaming”?
      Metrics are grounded in workflow events: view → intent → action, governance gates, diligence steps, sponsor handoffs, and outcomes. They are tied to proof objects (what was generated) and routing (what path was selected), not vanity clicks.