Through participation in SPITC, students are afforded the unique opportunity to develop an original investment thesis, receive personal mentorship from seasoned private equity professionals, and present the thesis to the hosting firm.
In addition, firms will provide a $5,000 “success fee” to any of the student team(s) whose work:
- significantly advanced the knowledge the firm has of the target sector;
- produced actionable ideas; or
- produced a thesis the firm would like to pursue further.
Should the firm decide to offer any of the team members additional opportunities to continue working on the thesis—internships, consulting positions, etc.—these would be negotiated outside the scope of this program.
Upon awarding the $5,000, the host firm has an exclusive right to advance the investment thesis for a period of nine months, either independently or with the students’ continued involvement. During this time, students are not allowed to shop their thesis to other firms. However, student teams may always work on their own to further advance their investment thesis; the firm’s exclusive right does not prohibit advancement of the research by the student team members themselves.
The University of Chicago does not retain any rights to the students’ work products.