Chicago Booth Students
CAREER COACHING & ADVISING
If you looking to pursue a career in venture capital, the Polsky Center can connect you with career coaches and seasoned investors for one-on-one appointments.
Investors-in-Residence
The Investors-in-Residence (IIRs) program provides mentorship and coaching to Chicago Booth students interested in learning about and pursuing careers in venture capital. Successful Chicago-based investors are available to meet one-on-one with students throughout the academic year and host regular small group sessions and workshops. To book an appointment with an EIR/IIR, please fill out this form to request an appointment.
PROGRAMS, COMPETITIONS & EVENTS
If you want to gain resume-boosting practice in venture capital during your Booth experience, apply to one of the venture capital programs and competitions. In addition, you can join Chicago Booth’s Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital student groups or become an associate in our Innovation Fund Associates program.
Venture Capital Investment Competition
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. The University of Chicago participates in both the undergraduate VCIC (uVCIC) and MBA-level VCIC, the world’s largest venture capital competition with over 70 universities competing.
Innovation Fund Associates
The Innovation Fund Associates (IFA) program works alongside the Polsky Center’s George Shultz Innovation Fund. Student associates are trained to act as venture capitalists, performing due diligence on innovative ventures coming out of the University of Chicago ecosystem. The program is structured as an apprenticeship, where associates learn-by-doing as part of an interdisciplinary team. Associates deep dive into one investment opportunity per cycle and get a close-up look at the commercialization process and what it takes to move a technology from the lab into the real world application.
SeedCon
SeedCon is Chicago Booth’s flagship entrepreneurship and venture capital conference run by the Polsky Center in partnership with Chicago Booth’s Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Group (EVC). Through keynote fireside chats, panel discussions, and various networking sessions, SeedCon provides opportunities for entrepreneurs, investors, and passionate members of the startup ecosystem to explore emerging industry themes and connect over shared ideas.
VENTURE CAPITAL INTERNSHIP
To gain experience at a venture capital firm, Booth students can apply for the Merrick M. Elfman and Therese L. Wareham Private Equity and Venture Capital (PE/VC) Lab, which combines an intensive internship at a VC firm and an academic course.
Merrick M. Elfman and Therese L. Wareham Private Equity and Venture Capital Lab
The Merrick M. Elfman and Therese L. Wareham Private Equity and Venture Capital (PE/VC) Lab was created for Chicago Booth students to learn first-hand 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 seasoned investors and also learn to apply their academic frameworks to their internship experience.
Private Equity and Venture Capital Lab: San Francisco Initiative
The Private Equity and Venture Capital Lab: San Francisco Initiative is a track of the longstanding Elfman-Wareham PE/VC Lab. It is specifically designed for students pursuing full-time careers in venture capital and private equity in the Bay Area post-graduation and aims to provide those students with unique access to the Bay Area ecosystem. Through the combination of an intensive internship at a PE or VC firm and an academic course, students accepted into the program are expected to intern with an approved San Francisco-based host firm for at least two days per week for the full 10 weeks of the Winter quarter.