Omkar Bhave serves as Director of Investment Strategy for the Polsky Center, where he oversees and manages the George Shultz Innovation Fund which provides up to $250,000 in funding for early-stage deep tech ventures coming out of University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermilab, and the Marine Biological Laboratory.

In his previous role at UChicago, he has managed and grown research partnerships with multiple Fortune 500 companies. He is also a trusted advisor on strategic projects for the Polsky Center and UChicago leadership which include establishing a $25 million Deep Tech Venture Fund.

Omkar has a strong background in venture capital, business development, technology commercialization, and corporate engagement. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Omkar managed a significant portion of chemicals revenue for FutureFuel Chemical Company and guided the company to several new business development opportunities. He has worked as a process engineer at Pryor Chemical Company. He has also held research positions at the University of Arkansas where he authored papers in the biotechnology and chemicals space and presented at scientific conferences.

Omkar earned an MBA from Chicago Booth and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from The University of Arkansas. His hobbies include skiing, hiking, and traveling.