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,...
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...
Page Venture Gallery Venture Gallery View startups founded from across the University of Chicago ecosystem in a range of industries. Welcome to the Venture Gallery! The Polsky Center provides “first look” and early...
News Small Business Spotlight: In the Age of Amazon, Kido’s Key to Retail Success is Knowing Your Community When Keewa Nurullah, a performing artist, had her first child, she encountered a whole new world of things her son needed – and was disappointed by what she found. Baby...
News New Money: InContext Solutions Raises $15M to Bring Virtual Reality to Retail InContext Solutions has raised $15.2 million in equity funding, according to an SEC filing. Founded in 2009, InContext uses virtual reality to help retailers simulate real in-store shopping situations in order...
News Climate Neutral Certified, Open Water Eyes Retail Space for Aluminum Canned Water In 2009, Nicole Doucet, MBA ’16, and Jess Page watched a documentary on ocean pollution that inspired them to co-found Open Water (previously Green Sheep Water), the first bottled water company...
Event Polsky Exchange Member Breakfast: E-Commerce & Retail January 28, 2026 This month’s Exchange member breakfast aims to bring together our community of entrepreneurs and innovators in the e-commerce and retail industry for an exchange of ideas, networking, and collaboration. It’s...
News How Local Stores Can Thrive this Holiday Season The following article was written by Abigail Ingram, executive director of the Polsky Exchange, and originally published in Crain’s Chicago Business on November 17, 2025. Read the original article. When...
News Disrupting Brazil’s Ice Cream Industry Lowko, previously known as MUU, was a finalist at the 2018 New Venture Challenge and has since launched in Brazil.
News Small Business Spotlight: Ms. Jetsetter Takes Flight Starting a travel accessory company at the beginning of a global pandemic isn’t easy. Just ask Tracey McGhee, founder of Ms. Jetsetter. “There were times when I thought that my...
Event Polsky Exchange Member Breakfast: E-commerce & Retail July 30, 2025 Calling all Polsky Exchange Members. Start your day right with coffee and treats at the Polsky Exchange. You don’t want to miss it! This month’s Exchange member breakfast aims to...
