Graduate and PhD Students

The Collaboratorium unites UChicago students with researchers, technologists, and faculty who want to explore the commercialization opportunities and business applications of their work. A great opportunity for Booth students, other graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, alumni, and faculty to connect, the program includes an opportunity for scientists and researchers to pitch as well as network with students about their cutting-edge research and technologies.

Students are able to easily book one-on-one meetings with industry experts and experienced entrepreneurs who provide critical guidance, feedback, and connections. Fill out our “Get Started with the Polsky Center” online form to subscribe to our weekly Mentorship email (sent on Tuesdays) to book appointments directly with our list of mentors.

The Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Investors-in-Residence programs provide mentorship and coaching to University of Chicago students. Successful Chicago-based entrepreneurs are available to meet throughout the academic year, and have provided key insight and mentorship to dozens of companies. We also host regular small group sessions and workshops with the EIRs and IIRs over breakfast and lunch.

The Edward L. Kaplan, ’71, New Venture Challenge (NVC) is a top-ranked accelerator program in the nation. Companies that have been successfully launched through the NVC include Grubhub, Braintree/Venmo, and Simple Mills. Currently enrolled graduate students need to apply to the NVC with a team in the Winter Quarter and accepted teams enroll in the Spring Quarter class, which will provide support to advance the business and connect with investors.

The John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC) is the social track of the New Venture Challenge and is run by the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation. It has helped businesses and nonprofits like LuminAID, Hello Tractor, and BallotReady. Currently enrolled graduate students need to apply to the SNVC with a team in the Winter Quarter and accepted teams can enroll in the Spring Quarter class, which will provide support to advance the business and connect with investors.

By providing sector-specific expertise from University research faculty and industry partners, the accelerators are designed to help startups from across the globe reduce technical and market risk as they position their innovations for real-world impact.

The Polsky Summer Accelerator program gives student teams the opportunity to work intensively and solely on their businesses and social enterprises in a collaborative and dynamic environment over the summer. There are two tracks of the accelerator: The Build Accelerator allows students to spend their summer building the key elements of their venture, and validating assumptions around their market or customers. The Launch Accelerator allows more advanced startups to spend their summer fundraising for their venture, selling, and gaining and maintaining momentum.

The Polsky Center’s Entrepreneurship Essentials (E2) is a workshop series is designed to help entrepreneurs get specific support on an area of their business. Taught by subject-matter experts, the E2 workshops range in everything from marketing strategy, sales, competitive analysis, and more.

How did Grubhub grow from a startup to a $7 billion food delivery giant? How did Braintree get a jump on the mobile payment market? The founders of those and other successful companies delve into their entrepreneurial journeys in a podcast series from the Polsky Center. Get inspired by their stories and listen now.

Operated by the Polsky Center, the Polsky Exchange is a 34,000 square foot startup hub featuring co-working space and a full calendar of programming and workshops designed to help entrepreneurs translate their ideas and technologies into startups.

Student-led startups that are accepted into one of Polsky’s accelerator programs may be eligible for startup investment in the form of a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE). SAFE is a standard convertible equity investment instrument first introduced and used by Y Combinator for seed funding. Polsky Center programs that offer SAFE investments include all tracks of the New Venture Challenge, the Polsky Accelerator program, and the Polsky Founders’ Fund Fellowship (PF3).

The Polsky Founders’ Fund Fellowship (PF3) is a resource available to graduating University of Chicago students who are committed to growing a company after graduation. Student entrepreneurs will receive $24,000 in funding in the form of a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) to sustain momentum as they continue to work on their ventures.