Page Where Are They Now? Episode 3 Episode 3: BenchPrep April 29, 2021 Ashish Rangnekar, MBA ’11, grew up in a sleepy town in India where success looked like a white-collar job, not entrepreneurship. But early on...
Page Where Are They Now? Episode 1 Episode 1: The Story of NVC April 15, 2021 When it launched 25 years ago, the University of Chicago’s New Venture Challenge (NVC) was a pioneer in helping business school...
News Want Happier, More Productive Employees? Be a Coach, Not a Manager. The following article was written by Tim Kelly, investor-in-residence at the Polsky Center, and originally published in Crain’s Chicago Business on November 20, 2023. Read the original article on Crain’s....
Page Where Are They Now? Episode 5 Episode 5: Foxtrot May 13, 2021 Foxtrot cofounder and CEO Mike LaVitola, MBA ’14, has become expert at hearing “no.” He was not initially accepted into the New Venture Challenge,...
News Small Business Spotlight: ‘I Choose the Ladder’ Coaches Fortune 500 Companies on Employee Development, Retention Three years ago, Watchen Nyanue, MBA ’22 had a dream job as the senior vice president of marketing partnerships for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. The only problem? It wasn’t...
Page Polsky Council The Polsky Council comprises many of the country’s leading entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and private equity investors, who provide ongoing guidance and support to the Polsky Center.
Page Where Are They Now? Episode 9 Episode 9: Grubhub June 10, 2021 Matt Maloney admits he had a bit of an ego when he entered the New Venture Challenge. He had already launched Grubhub, had a...
Page Where Are They Now? Episode 6 Episode 6: Power2Switch May 20, 2021 As a Black founder, Seyi Fabode, MBA ’10, has experienced the challenge of investors taking him seriously. Fabode, an immigrant from Nigeria, recalls an...
Page Where Are They Now? Episode 8 Episode 8: PrettyQuick June 3, 2021 Coco Meers’ career has centered on helping women look and feel their best. When she caught the entrepreneurship bug and looked for a pain...
News Small Business Spotlight: Urban Roots Builds Business While Building Up Their Community Jimmie Williams, owner of social enterprise landscaping and snow removal firm Urban Roots, had his most successful year ever last year. He used that success to hire additional employees and...
News Building a Winning Culture Should be a Key Part of Your Intentional Business Strategy The following article was written by Ellen Rudnick, senior adviser and adjunct professor for entrepreneurship at Booth, and originally published in Crain’s Chicago Business on January 15, 2024. Read the...
News Navigating Access to Capital Resources During a Crisis On the first day of the Small Business Bootcamp series, panelists, Manuel Flores, Marcus Yancey, and Merly Thomas, shared the many capital resources available to Chicago business owners. The panel...
