Most other business schools and graduate entrepreneurship programs host a single day or weekend business plan competition as their New Venture Challenge. The NVC at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business is different. It is not just a competition. Instead, it is a year-long business launch program that is recognized as the #1 university accelerator program in the nation. It features three distinct phases:
- Phase I: In the Fall quarter, attend events hosted by the Polsky Center to learn about entrepreneurship, meet teammates, and generate ideas. Eligible teams must develop their business feasibility summary and apply by January 30, 2020.
- Phase II: Selected teams will enroll in a Spring quarter class where they will develop a full business plan, practice pitching, and receive mentorship from faculty, coaches, and experienced investors.
- Phase III: The program will culminate at the end of the Spring quarter where top finalist teams will be invited to compete for $1 million in cash and in-kind prizes and pitch in front of an esteemed panel of investors and judges at the NVC Finals on June 4, 2020.
Application Deadline // Applications for the 2020 cycle will open in the Fall 2019 quarter and will be due by Thursday, January 30, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. CT. If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Hannah Mannino.
In order to apply for the 2019/2020 New Venture Challenge, please click the link below. You will be prompted to create a profile for the Reviewr application platform, where you will submit all necessary components of your NVC application. A detailed description of these components is outlined below.
Apply here: https://app.reviewr.com/s1/site//NVC2020
BASIC APPLICATION QUESTIONS
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Students must speak to the following topics about their business in short-answer responses. This section will serve as the Executive Summary to a team’s application.
- Business description
- Problem this business is addressing
- Customer segment this business addresses
- Potential market size
- Competing or substitutable products
- Why is this the right team to launch this business?
- Current status of the business and/or estimated time to market
FEASIBILITY SUMMARY
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Students must develop a 8-page feasibility summary outlining a business or idea. Common elements of a feasibility summary include: value proposition, customer segments, competition, intellectual property, customer engagement, revenue model, operations, management team, progress to date, business risks, and business analogues.
Formatting:
- 10-12 pt legible font
- 1 inch margins
- 8-page maximum (judges are not expected to read any appendices)
PITCH VIDEO
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Students must create a 2-minute elevator pitch video articulating the following. Teams should upload the video to YouTube (you can leave it unlisted) and submit the URL on the Reviewr site when prompted.
- What problem are you solving?
- What is your solution?
- What evidence do you have that the problem is real or substantial?
- Why are you the team to solve this problem?
- How will the New Venture Challenge enable you to reach your goals?