Interested applicants expecting to meet all of these requirements are encouraged to contact us by filling out this online form. Qualified applicants will meet with staff from the the Polsky Center to discuss their fundraising plans.
- Qualified startups must have a significant affiliation with the University, which means the startup must either be built on University-owned intellectual property, or faculty, alumni, students or staff must be on the founding team.
- One source for potential companies will be the Polsky Center’s technology commercialization and licensing team, which is working to increase the number of companies arising from inventions and intellectual property developed by University researchers.
- It is expected that most qualified companies, including ones built on university-owned patents, will have completed one or more of the Polsky Center’s programs, such as the NVC; the John Edwardson ’72 Social New Venture Challenge; the College New Venture Challenge for undergraduates; the University of Chicago Innovation Fund, which invests in startups at an earlier stage; or the Polsky Accelerator or Incubator, both of which provide one-on-one coaching, office space and other resources to entrepreneurs.
- An established venture capital firm is required to lead the company’s investment round and is expected to take a seat on the startup’s board.