Find workshops, info sessions, conferences, and key application dates all in one place.
Undergraduate students interested in applying to the College New Venture Challenge (CNVC) are encouraged to attend this workshop. During the session, we’ll review the different components of the application and answer questions. Time will also be reserved for optional quick pitches where students can share their venture ideas and connect with peers.
The event is open to all. This workshop brings together the ETA community to talk about the ETA journey through a woman’s lens. The event will feature women across the full arc of ETA — those evaluating whether to search, currently searching, and leading the companies they acquired. The first panel addresses questions that precede...
This session covers the full arc from identifying when you’re ready to hire to recruiting, onboarding, and managing people effectively on a small business budget, including the strategic use of interns. Speakers will address how AI is reshaping hiring: from AI-assisted job description writing and candidate screening to onboarding tools that help small businesses deliver...
The Private Equity and Venture Capital Lab (PE/VC Lab) was created for Chicago Booth MBA students to learn firsthand about the PE and VC industries. Through the combination of an intensive internship at a PE or VC firm and an academic course, students become active participants in the analysis of real-world investment decisions made by...
Chicago Booth Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Faculty Advisor to the Svider Private Equity Program, Chris McGowan, will present on and discuss the changing PE landscape and the necessary skills for career changers focused on a transition into PE. Chris McGowan is the general partner of CJM Ventures (CJMV), a Chicago growth equity and private...
The Booth Investment Thesis Challenge (BITC) encourages students to form teams to conceive and propose an original investment thesis they wish to work on. Selected teams work with mentors at private equity firms over a span of three months to develop an investment thesis based on proprietary research and recommend an execution strategy. At the...
The Chicago Booth Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) is a VC simulation that allows students to think and act as venture capitalists and helps the school identify top student representatives for regional and national intercollegiate competitions.
Join the Polsky Center and Cathy Kiriakos, director of the Center for Applied AI at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, for an informative workshop on prototyping your MVP with AI tools and making the most of your credits. Whether you're pre-idea, mid-build, or preparing to pitch, you'll leave with concrete next steps...
Please join us for a kickoff for the 31st annual Edward L. Kaplan, ’71, New Venture Challenge. This session will introduce students to one of UChicago’s premier startup accelerator programs. Attendees will learn more about the application process, program structure, and resources available throughout the competition. 5:00 – 5:30 pm CT – Faculty Presentation 5:30...
The clean energy transition is often described as unstoppable — driven by falling costs, improving technology, and market momentum that no policy shift can reverse. But is that confidence warranted? Or does the pace and shape of the transition still hinge on decisions being made right now? Join us for a conversation with two leaders...
Relationships drive revenue, but most small business owners network reactively, showing up when they need something rather than building the kind of consistent visibility that generates referrals and opens doors over time. This session helps members develop an intentional networking strategy and build referral pipelines that work without feeling transactional. The speakers will address how...
Join the Polsky Center’s entrepreneurs-in-residence (EIR) and investors-in-residence (IIR) for in-person advising. Fresh coffee and pastries will be provided. The EIRs and IIRs below will be available. Cass Ziegel and Dipa Mehta will be hosting "Ask Me Anything" group discussions and Mus Chagal will facilitate a group discussion on "From Prototype to Product." Everyone else...