college Students
Explore entrepreneurship, join startup teams, build innovative ideas, and gain real-world experience while completing your undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago.
The front door of the Polsky Center for College students is Julie Colhoff. She is available to connect with you for 1:1 meetings, in person, or via Zoom. View her upcoming office hours and schedule a time to connect.
Form a team
Connect with other students who are building startups across campus.
Find a mentor
Book one-on-one meetings with industry experts and experienced entrepreneurs.
Build your startup
Access programming and funding to launch and grow your startup.
New Venture Challenge Program
College New Venture Challenge
Launch your startup as an undergraduate with mentorship, guidance, and hands-on support to build, test, and refine your idea.
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Minor
The Polsky Center is proud to support the Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor—an exciting opportunity for undergraduates to blend liberal arts learning with entrepreneurial skills.
Led by Chicago Booth and open to undergraduate students across all College majors, the minor emphasizes interdisciplinary thinking and encourages connections between entrepreneurship and students’ areas of study.
Find the right program for you
Entrepreneurship
Test assumptions, validate ideas, and engage directly with customers to better understand problem-solution fit.
Entrepreneurship Essentials (E2) →
Build foundational startup skills through workshops covering strategy, finance, marketing, sales, and venture development.
Build and Launch Accelerators →
Spend the summer advancing your startup through immersive programming designed to help founders at different stages.
Science and technology
Connect with researchers looking to explore the commercialization opportunities and business applications of their work.
Polsky Center I-Corps Program →
Build foundational startup skills through workshops covering strategy, finance, marketing, sales, and venture development.
Spend the summer advancing your startup through immersive programming designed to help founders at different stages.
Private equity
Engage with investors, operators, and industry leaders shaping the future of private equity.
Small business
South Side Business Development Internship →
Support local businesses through paid internships focused on strategy, operations, and growth.
Polsky Founders’ Fund Fellowship (PF3)
The Polsky Founders’ Fund Fellowship (PF3) is a resource for graduating University of Chicago students committed to growing a company after graduation.
Student entrepreneurs will receive $24,000 in funding via a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) to sustain momentum as they continue working on their ventures.