ETA Fellows Program
The Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA) Fellows Program is designed for Chicago Booth students who plan to enter the ETA space immediately or within a few years of earning their MBA.
Led by faculty advisors Mark Agnew, MBA ’06, and Brian O’Connor, MBA ’08, the ETA Fellows Program runs from October to May and provides students with access to curated opportunities and resources, including educational deep dives on topics relevant to ETA professionals, cohort events and field experiences, 1:1 coaching and mentorship with the ETA Advisory Committee, and a dedicated research and travel budget.
ETA Fellows are selected annually through a competitive application and screening process that challenges students to articulate their ETA career interests, goals, and milestones. Fellows are selected by a committee comprised of Polsky staff, Booth ETA faculty, and external advisors.
Key Dates and Deadlines
Application Timeline:
- April 28, 2026 // Information Session – Recording now available
- Friday, June 5, 2026, at 3 pm CT // Intent to apply form due
- Monday, July 6, 2026, at 3 pm CT // Application opens
- Monday, August 31, 2026, at 3 pm CT // Deadline to apply
- September 1-10, 2026 // Committee comprised of ETA faculty, Polsky Center staff, and external advisors will review applications
- Week of September 13, 2026 // Candidates will be notified of their status
2026-2027 Chicago Booth ETA Fellows Program begins in September 2026 and ends in May 2027.
Application and Eligibility
The ETA Fellows Program takes a broad view of the ETA career path and is designed to support students pursuing various acquisition models, including traditional search, self-funded search, incubated search, and CXO paths.
- The ETA Fellows Program is designed for students committed to pursuing ETA within a few years of graduating from Chicago Booth.
- The 2026-27 ETA Fellows Program is open to Chicago Booth MBA students currently enrolled in the Full-Time, Evening/Weekend, and Executive MBA Programs with graduation dates between December 2026 and December 2027. International students are eligible.
- Preference is given to students who have participated in Chicago Booth and Polsky Center ETA offerings.
- Applicants must be in good academic standing and must remain in good academic standing throughout their participation if accepted into the program.
- In the application, applicants will be asked to:
- Discuss their involvement in Booth’s ETA offerings.
- Articulate their goals and motivations for participating in the ETA Fellows Program.
- Describe their interest in ETA, including their personal career plans.
Program Expectations
- ETA Fellows must be able to commit to a full academic year of in-person programming, including attendance at monthly cohort gatherings.
- ETA Fellows will be asked to sign the Founders Pledge at Chicago Booth, a nonbinding agreement to give back to Chicago Booth if they are successful.