Launched in 1996, the Edward L. Kaplan, ’71, New Venture Challenge (NVC) is one of the top accelerators in the U.S. designed to help companies affiliated with the University of Chicago turn ideas into viable businesses. Run by the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the program includes five tracks to serve the diverse entrepreneurs at the University of Chicago. The Alumni New Venture Challenge (ANVC) track serves University of Chicago alumni who are launching early stage ventures.
In this first year, the ANVC will launch in five regions: East Coast (NYC), Midwest (Chicago), West Coast (Bay Area), Europe (London), and Asia (Bangalore). It will follow a similar rigorous, milestone-driven structure that is found in all tracks of the existing NVC. Semifinals will be hosted in each local region and the finals will be held in Chicago on May 2, 2019 during Reconnect Weekend.