Retail investing doesn't need more hot takes. It needs transparent models, backtests, and plain-English explanations. That's the gap we built MarketCrunch AI to fill - and we're excited to be accepted into Penn's Venture Lab VIP-X | San Francisco accelerator to help us move even faster. Program details →
TL;DR: We're bringing institutional-style research tools to everyday investors: AI-selected picks, factor-driven ticker analysis, and honest backtesting - now supercharged by the Penn/Wharton founder network through VIPX - Penn's startup accelerator.
Why VIP-X matters
VIP-X | San Francisco is a four-month accelerator for Penn alumni and students building traction-stage startups in the Bay Area. It runs twice per year and surrounds founders with experienced operators, mentors, and Entrepreneurs-in-Residence. Learn more.
The network is strong - and it's working. Recent VIP-X SF cohorts include companies building in software and AI, like Lex and MakersHub, alongside high-growth consumer and mobility players such as KYTE. See cohorts.
Across Venture Lab, alumni regularly come back as mentors and EIRs - founders like Shanel Fields (MD Ally) and Rooshy Roy (AAVRANI) - creating a feedback loop for the next generation of teams. Read the Wharton Venture Lab story.
What MarketCrunch AI does
MarketCrunch AI is a research copilot for retail investors. Our dashboard helps investors triage noise and focus on evidence-based signals.
- AI Picks. Our system surfaces tickers with predicted directional moves and shows recent hit-rate/accuracy so you can calibrate conviction at a glance. Example: our AI Picks screen displays predicted changes with 90-day accuracy stats and confidence labels. Explore AI Picks. (Source: MarketCrunch AI Picks export.)
- Analyze any ticker. Each Ticker Analysis page summarizes backtesting (returns and Sharpe ratio), weekly min/max ranges, current trend/momentum/volatility signals, and the top factors that influenced the model - like 50-day EMA, RSI, Treasury and oil correlations, and volume. You'll also see news & sentiment and recent chatter in one place. See a sample analysis. (Source: DIA analysis export.)
- Alerts & Trending. Create alerts on names you care about and use Trending to discover what the community is researching. Trending. (Source: product navigation in exports.)
- Link your Brokerage: Get quant-based insights on daily price targets and weekly price forecase (min/max) delivered to your inbox for stocks and ETFs you already hold in your brokerage like Robinhood, Bank of America, Merill Lynch, eTrade, and more! (Join the waitlist)
Important: MarketCrunch is research, not investment advice. We link to investor-education resources like FINRA and the SEC for anyone new to markets. FINRA basics • SEC introduction
The research behind the product
We believe transparency beats mystery. That's why we publish our methods, factor rationales, and periodic results on our Medium publication (follow us here) and in the app.
A quick example from a recent predictive run on DIA (ETF for Dow Jones):
- Prediction confidence is displayed explicitly along with the recent accuracy of similar predictions (e.g., 4/5 accurate over five days).
- Backtesting compares our strategy vs. Buy/Hold with metrics like returns and Sharpe; in one export, the model showed 9.49% vs. 7.43% with Sharpe 0.83 vs. 0.73 on the test period.
- We publish weekly ranges (min/max bands) for context (e.g., $452–$459 vs. $455–$462 in a prior week). (Source: DIA analysis export.)
We'll continue to add factor explainability, refine risk modeling, and expand coverage of stocks and ETFs - always with reproducible methods and clear disclaimers.
What's next in VIP-X
Being part of VIP-X | San Francisco gives us access to operators and alumni who've shipped in fintech, AI, and consumer products - exactly the feedback we need to scale responsibly. Over the cohort, we're focused on:
- Factor transparency: clearer explanations of why a signal lights up.
- Portfolio workflows: alerts and watchlists that map to real investor habits.
- Education: more explainers connecting indicators (RSI, EMAs) to intuitive concepts.
If you're a Penn/Wharton founder, investor, or researcher building in markets and AI - we'd love to compare notes.
If you're a retail or seasoned investor, try MarketCrunch and share your experience with us!
Join us
- Try MarketCrunch: marketcrunch.ai
- Follow our research: Medium @marketcrunch.ai
- Learn about the accelerator: VIP-X | San Francisco
If you found this useful, follow for more on AI-powered investing research and product lessons from the VIP-X journey.