Global New Venture Challenge (GNVC) Announces 7 Finalists to Compete for more than $100,000 in Investments

Published on Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Last year’s winner, fem-health company Yarra, celebrating.

Seven teams have been selected for the 17th annual Global New Venture Challenge (GNVC) finals, taking place on Friday, May 31st.

The GNVC is a track of the top-ranked Edward L. Kaplan, ’71, New Venture Challenge and is designed exclusively for Chicago Booth’s executive MBA students worldwide. It debuted in 2008 to accommodate the growing entrepreneurial aspirations of Booth’s executive MBA students on each of its three global campuses — Chicago, Hong Kong, and London.

>> Register to attend the finals event here

Each year the GNVC brings together more than 80 alumni and members of the business community to serve as coaches, judges, panelists, and guest speakers. Twenty-two teams were selected to compete in three different semi-finals, which were held at each global campus. The seven selected finalists will face off in Chicago on May 31st and present their ventures in person to a panel of distinguished judges to complete for more than $100,000 in investments.

This year’s GNVC finalists are:

Chicago

Autism GPT // Autism GPT aims to provide speech therapy for children with autism by harnessing generative AI. It is developing a digital speech therapist by utilizing cutting-edge research in the field of autism, providing children with an engaging, conversational therapy experience that enhances real-life speech therapy with additional digitally-assisted speech therapy services. This approach complements traditional speech therapy by offering unlimited, cost-effective sessions that are accessible anytime, anywhere.
Investable // Investable is an automated robo-advisor app linked to your payroll, making investing effortless. It deducts a small amount of post-tax dollars from your paycheck to purchase micro shares of ETFs tailored to your goals.

Hong Kong

Action3 // Action3 is a dynamic and innovative startup that aims to revolutionize how large manufacturing corporations in Asia tackle their environmental impact along the supply chain. It is developing a SaaS-based supply chain emission intelligence platform that empowers corporations to map out their cradle-to-gate production carbon footprint, offering crucial insights into their suppliers’ emissions profiles. By doing so, it provides companies with the tools to navigate the increasingly stringent mandatory carbon disclosure requirements and optimize their supply chain decarbonization strategies, ensuring they fulfill their net zero pledges.
Marinas Bio // Marinas Bio pioneers the sustainable production of seafood delicacies such as caviar through cellular agriculture, also known as bio-enhanced farming. It is targeting the luxury consumer markets in Asia and North America. Its mission is to meet the rising demand for ethically produced caviar and roe, minimizing environmental impact while offering superior taste and quality.

London

Close2Home // Close2Home is a next-generation employee benefit supporting first-time homebuyers and anyone planning for a new home. Accessed online and distributed via a B2B model, the solution will guide employees through a multistep savings process, including down payment goal setting, savings planning and account creation, and targeted access to support from down payment assistance programs. Client acquisition will focus on the 76,000+ American businesses with 250 or more employees.
Ella // Ella aims to elevate the end-to-end travel experience by creating personal and frictionless experiences at each stage of the traveler’s journey. In its early stages, Ella provides independent hotels with a new engagement channel to interact with their guests. Its mobile and web-based platform goes beyond basic online check-in, increasing guest satisfaction and driving revenue for hotels.
MyCFO.ai // MyCFO.ai is developing an AI-powered financial analytics tool delivering CFO insights for small to medium-sized businesses. Its machine learning powered algorithm seamlessly interfaces with cloud accounting platforms, analyzes financials, narrows down customer’s niche market and sources the financial performance of a relevant peer group from selected data sources used by Fortune 500 companies and financial analysts. It customizes the help and provides a mini-CFO offering with a subscription to access a fractional CFO.

The GNVC finals pitches and awards announcement will be streamed live. To view the livestream, you must register. More information about the teams will be featured in the GNVC Finalist Gallery as the finals approach.

The Global New Venture Challenge (GNVC) is the dedicated track of the Edward L. Kaplan, ’71, New Venture Challenge program that supports Chicago Booth Executive MBA students worldwide. Second-year students in the Chicago Booth Executive MBA program are eligible to apply to the GNVC and participate as one of their capstone course requirements. The program is run by the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in collaboration with the Executive MBA program at Chicago Booth. To learn more about the Global New Venture Challenge click here.