Finalists Named for the 2017 Social New Venture Challenge

Published on Friday, May 19, 2017

The Social Enterprise Initiative has announced the 7 teams moving on to the 2017 John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC) finals. Teams will pitch their social impact start-ups on Tuesday, May 23 at the Harper Center, Room C-25. Doors will open at 10:15 a.m. with remarks starting promptly at 11:00 a.m.

The SNVC is the social impact track of the university’s business launch program, the Edward L. Kaplan, ’71, New Venture Challenge (NVC) and a central component of the Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program at Chicago Booth’s Social Enterprise Initiative (SEI).

This year’s teams, their sectors and school affiliations are listed below:

Flipside uses smart content curation, factoring in social and behavioral science, to create a platform that introduces people on social media to the best articulation of different points of view. (College, Law School)

Direct Giving Lab is a platform for individuals to invest directly in their local communities through cash transfers to low-income households. (Booth, Harris)

JuryCheck is a web-based App that provides a comprehensive platform for criminal defense attorneys, courts, and criminal justice reform advocates to detect and monitor racial and gender underrepresentation in jury pools. (Law School)

VeteranStay makes travel lodging more affordable for U.S. military veterans, creating a network that allows traveling veterans to spend the night in the home of a volunteer host for below market rate. (Booth)

Provide offers a software-based, back-office solution to lower administrative burdens for child care providers, so t they can focus on offering high quality care to more low-income families. (Booth)

GoodWerk is an online platform that increases civic engagement by connecting citizens with candidates and causes that share their values. (Booth, A Better Chicago)

Jetson Benefits seeks to provide all segments of the workforce, including contract workers, a comprehensive and convenient experience to buying and managing portable benefits. (Booth)