Global New Venture Challenge (GNVC)
The Global New Venture Challenge (GNVC) is a track of the New Venture Challenge dedicated to Chicago Booth Executive MBA students worldwide.
Second-year students in the Chicago Booth Executive MBA program are eligible to apply to the GNVC and participate as one of their capstone course requirements.
A benefit of the GNVC is the participation of our alumni and members of the business community in the coaching and judging portions of the competition. More than 80 coaches, judges, panelists, and guest speakers participate in the GNVC each year.
The program is structured to meet the unique schedule needs of Chicago Booth executive MBA students. Since Chicago Booth has three global campuses—Chicago, London, and Hong Kong—each campus hosts its own semi-finals event. The top teams across all campuses are invited to participate in the global finals at the Gleacher Center in Chicago.
Key Dates and Deadlines
Applications are currently closed.
2026 Winner
Phinorm and Morton Labs tied for first place at the 2026 Global New Venture Challenge. The ventures, led by Chicago Booth Executive MBA students, were awarded $185,000 and $150,000, respectively. Phinorm provides on-device drone classification and location software for defense sensors, while Morton Labs is building computational infrastructure to accelerate fusion energy research.