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Polsky Bridge

Polsky Bridge is a quarterly program that connects top UChicago student founders to the San Francisco startup ecosystem. Each quarter, three student ventures are selected through a competitive application and travel to San Francisco for three days of investor meetings, alumni office hours, site visits, and partner conversations.

Before the trip, selected teams work with Polsky Center staff to build a customized agenda that names the investors, alumni, founders, and companies they most want to meet. Founders drive most of the schedule, while the Polsky Center adds shared programming and handles logistics. The trip is based at the Third Coast Foundry.

Founders leave with active investor relationships and a clear next step for their company.

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Program Timeline

Pre-Trip Work

Selected teams work with the Polsky Center before departure to build a customized list of target investors, alumni, founders, and companies.

The Trip: December 14 – 16

  • Day 1 : Arrive late morning and settle into the Third Coast Foundry. Evening dinner with Polsky Center alumni and guests, focused on building relationships.
  • Day 2 : A full day of curated meetings, including investor office hours, alumni one-on-ones, site visits, and partner conversations. Evening dinner with select guests.
  • Day 3 : Close-out meetings and a shared debrief across teams, with an optional activity before departure.

Application and Eligibility

Application deadline: November 6, 3:00 p.m. CT

Polsky Bridge accepts applications on a rolling basis, with a hard deadline each quarter. Selected teams complete pre-trip planning with the Polsky Center and then spend three days in San Francisco. Teams that are not ready are invited to apply again the following quarter.

Application

Teams apply with a specific plan: who they intend to meet, what they hope to accomplish, and why the timing is right for them. Selection is competitive, so applications should be specific. Strong applications are anchored in at least one of the following:

  • An active fundraising strategy with San Francisco-relevant investors
  • Clear alignment with the Bay Area ecosystem, such as tech, AI/ML, data, or deep tech
  • Exceptional traction or a specific, compelling need, such as key hires, strategic partnerships, or target customers

Eligibility

Polsky Bridge is open to current University of Chicago students building their own ventures. Teams must meet the following requirements:

  • At least one founder is a current UChicago student
  • Up to two founders per team travel to San Francisco
  • Founders are available for pre-trip planning and all three days of the trip