OVERVIEW //
No matter if you’re from the class of ’85, or ’17, entrepreneurs face many of the same challenges, and the Polsky Center believes that great things can happen when founders get together to learn and share their stories with each other. Held in Chicago, San Francisco, and New York, this invite-only program includes faculty-led sessions on topics of greatest interest to growth-stage entrepreneurs, such as scaling the sales organization, HR, leadership, organizational strategies, and company culture.
The next Alumni Growth Forum event will be held on Friday, May 1, 2020 in Chicago. The day will begin with a morning session led by Professor Michael Alter around the topic of scaling the sales organization. The afternoon will include breakout group discussions, a fireside chat with a successful entrepreneur, and networking. Registration will open in February. If you have questions or are interested in attending, please contact Gorana Kolar in the Polsky Center, Gorana.Kolar@ChicagoBooth.edu.
The Alumni Entrepreneur Growth Forums are made possible by the generous support of alumnus Leon Wagner, MBA ’77.
PAST EVENTS //
Chicago, October 2015
Faculty speakers included:
- Mark Agnew, ’06, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship
- Harry Davis, Roger L. and Rachel M. Goetz Distinguished Service Professor of Creative Management
- Michael Gibbs, Clinical Professor of Economics; Faculty Director of Executive MBA Program
- Steve Kaplan, Neubauer Family Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance
- Mary Shea, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Marketing
- Craig Wortmann, Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship
- Luigi Zingales, Robert C. McCormack Distinguished Service Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance
Guest speakers included:
Michael Small, ’81, former President and CEO of Gogo, Director of First Midwest Bancorp
Michael Alter, former CEO of Tie Bar, Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship at Chicago Booth
Bay Area, June 2016
Faculty speakers included:
- Michael Alter, Adjunct Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship
- Ellen Rudnick, MBA ’73, Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship; Sr. Advisor for Entrepreneurship
- Craig Wortmann, Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship
Guest speaker:
Uzi Shmilovici, ’11: Founder and CEO, Base
New York City, April 2017
Faculty speakers included:
- Ellen Rudnick, MBA ’73, Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship; Sr. Advisor for Entrepreneurship
- Craig Wortmann, Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship
- Stacey Kole, Clinical Professor of Economics at Chicago Booth; Deputy Dean for MBA Programs
Guest speaker:
Roopa Gandhi, MBA ’96, President and Cofounder, GEP
Chicago, September 2017
Faculty speakers:
- Nicholas Epley, John Templeton Keller Professor of Behavioral Science and Neubauer Family Faculty Fellow
- Starr Marcello, AM ’04, MBA ’17, Executive Director of Polsky Center; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship
- Ellen Rudnick, MBA ’73, Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship; Sr. Advisor for Entrepreneurship
Guest speaker:
Amanda Lannert, CEO, Jellyvision
Bay Area, September 2018
Faculty speakers:
- Mark Agnew, MBA ’06, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship
- Starr Marcello, AM ’04, MBA ’17, Executive Director of Polsky Center; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship
- Ellen Rudnick, MBA ’73, Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship; Sr. Advisor for Entrepreneurship
Guest speaker:
Eyal Lifshitz, MBA ’09, Cofounder and CEO, Bluevine