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 its inaugural year in 2019, the ANVC launched in five regions: East Coast (NYC), Midwest (Chicago), West Coast (Bay Area), Europe (London), and Asia (Bangalore). ANVC teams received regional support, resources, and programming from the Polsky Center and 32 alumni co-chairs. Semifinals were hosted in each local region and the program culminated at the global finals in Chicago during Chicago Booth Reconnect Weekend on Thursday, May 2, 2019, where finalist teams from each region pitched in front of a world-class panel of investors and established entrepreneurs for a chance to win up to $100,000 in funding. This year’s winner was Care Advisors, which helps hospitals get paid more from the government through its Medicaid enrollment software. Read more about the Finals here.