Event SBDC Small Business Week Event: Retail Readiness – Getting Your Product on the Shelf May 7, 2026 Retail Readiness: Getting Your Product on the Shelf is a focused workshop designed to help small businesses prepare their products for retail success, from local boutiques and online marketplaces to...
Event Entrepreneurship Essentials (E2): Finding Your “Best-Fit” Customers, Led by Liz Fischer April 14, 2026 Join the Polsky Center and Liz Fischer, growth-stage tech CEO and Chicago Booth MBA ’15, for an informative workshop for founders and startup leaders who want to stop chasing every...
Event George Shultz Innovation Fund Finals May 28, 2026 The George Shultz Innovation Fund finals will feature startup teams who have been selected as finalists for potential investment. Each team will pitch to the advisory committee, consisting of advisors,...
News CavilinQ Secures $8.8M Seed Round to Unlock Utility-Scale Quantum Computing CavilinQ has raised $8.8 million in seed funding to develop scalable quantum computing architecture based on pioneering research at the University of Chicago. The round was led by QVT, with...
Program AI Research Commons Midwest Fellows Program Accelerate AI startups through technical resources, mentorship, investor connections, and commercialization support.
Event UChicago Deep Tech Demo Day July 20, 2026 The UChicago Deep Tech Demo Day is a premier showcase of next-generation deep tech ventures, taking place on July 20th during TechChicago Week. Set against the backdrop of a city...
News The Coasts Don’t Own Innovation. They Just Own the Capital. Innovation is no longer confined to a few coastal cities. We know that well in the Midwest. Across the region, our universities, research labs, and entrepreneurs are launching companies in...
News NVC@30 Fireside Chat with Sebastian Rivas Explores Building Andes from NVC Winner to Real Estate Asset Platform As part of the NVC@30 Fireside Chat series, the Polsky Center welcomed Sebastian Rivas, MBA ’21, founder and CEO of Andes, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey, his experience in the...
Page About Us about us Advancing innovative ideas and technologies from the University of Chicago ecosystem to the world. The Polsky Center’s roots trace back to the University of Chicago’s longstanding commitment to...
Event Tech Enablement Workshop Series: General AI Assistant (Prompt Engineering) June 18, 2026 This hands-on workshop shows founders how to use AI as a strategic writing partner for proposals and customer communications, without losing their business voice. Participants will learn how to teach...
Program Our Process and Advisory Committee Our Process The George Shultz Innovation Fund invests in promising startups from an ecosystem that includes the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermilab, and the Marine Biological Laboratory. The...
News The Polsky Center Joins Statewide Effort to Attract NSF Quantum X-Labs Teams to Illinois The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation is joining the State of Illinois and quantum organizations across Chicago to provide funding, facilities, and venture-building support for teams pursuing quantum technologies through the U.S. National Science Foundation’s X-Labs initiative.
