Funding & Scholarships

Funding & Scholarships

The Polsky Center provides capital to student, faculty, staff and alumni-led startup companies through capstone programs such as the Edward L. Kaplan, '71, New Venture Challenge, the George Shultz Innovation Fund, and the Polsky Accelerator. In addition, the Polsky Center offers paid fellowships and scholarship awards for students interested in entrepreneurship and private equity who have demonstrated leadership both inside and outside of the classroom.

Edward L. Kaplan, ’71, New Venture Challenge

Offered to: Startups Led by Students and Alumni at the University of Chicago
Launched in 1996, the Edward L. Kaplan, ’71, New Venture Challenge (NVC) is recognized as one of the top-ranked accelerator programs in the nation. Through the NVC, the Polsky Center has graduated more than 330 startup companies and created thousands of jobs for the economy. NVC startups have raised more than $1 billion in funding and achieved more than $7.5 billion in mergers and exits. Companies that have been successfully launched through the NVC include household names such as Grubhub, Braintree/Venmo, and Simple Mills. The Rattan L. Khosa First-Place Prize, in addition to other specialized prizes and awards, are announced at the Polsky Innovation Showcase immediately following the finals. There are five tracks of the New Venture Challenge and startup teams for more than $1 million of investment each year. Learn more here.

George Shultz Innovation Fund

Offered to: IP-Based Startups and Inventions at the University of Chicago
The George Shultz Innovation Fund invests in promising startups from an ecosystem that includes the University of ChicagoArgonne National LaboratoryFermilab, and the Marine Biological Laboratory. The mission of the George Shultz Innovation Fund is to help researchers turn their innovations into ventures that advance cutting-edge technologies, generate significant financial returns, and create lasting impact for humankind. Learn more here.

Polsky Build and Launch Accelerators

Offered to: Startups Led by Students and Alumni at the University of Chicago
The Polsky Center Accelerators give teams the opportunity to work intensively and solely on their businesses and social enterprises in a collaborative and dynamic environment over the summer. The program has two tracks to better suit the needs of different stage teams. The Build Accelerator allows students to spend their summer building the key elements of their venture, and validating assumptions around their market or customers. The Launch Accelerator allows students to spend their summer fundraising for their venture, selling, and gaining/maintaining momentum. Read more.

Polsky Founders’ Fund Fellowship Program (PF3)

Offered to: All University of Chicago Students
The Polsky Founders’ Fund Fellowship (PF3) is a resource available to graduating University of Chicago students who are committed to growing a company after graduation. The goal of the program is to provide entrepreneurs with funding to sustain momentum on ventures. Learn more here.

Canfield Private Equity Fellowship

Offered to: Chicago Booth Students
The Canfield Private Equity Fellowship was established in 1998 by Phil Canfield, MBA ’96, managing director at GTCR, to support incoming students pursuing careers in private equity. This fellowship is awarded to students with prior investment banking or private equity experience who plan to pursue a career in private equity. The Canfield Fellowship is granted to students who have demonstrated commitment to a career in private equity, past academic achievement, and a track record of professional accomplishments. The Canfield Fellowship includes a financial award, as well as the opportunity to meet Phil Canfield. NOTE: This fellowship is only open to Chicago Booth students. Recipients will be selected based on information provided in their application to Chicago Booth.  

Herman Family Fellowship

Offered to: Chicago Booth Students
The Herman Family Fellowship was established in 1995 by Karen and Michael Herman, MBA '64, to provide incoming female students with an opportunity to pursue their entrepreneurial interests. In addition to joining the fellows group, this fellowship provides an opportunity to participate in annual reunions hosted by the Herman family and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. NOTE: This fellowship is only open to Chicago Booth students. Recipients will be selected based on information provided in their application to Chicago Booth.

Hyde Park Angels Venture Capital Award

Offered to: Chicago Booth Students
This graduating Full-Time, Evening, or Weekend MBA Program student will be selected based on demonstrated leadership and interest in VC through the courses he or she has taken and his or her participation in VC programming. This may include participation in the VCIC competition; participation in VC internships, potentially through the Elfman Wareham Private Equity and Venture Capital Lab; volunteerism with VC conferences and events; and leadership in the student Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital student group. The student must also have met a minimum 3.5 GPA taken in the entrepreneurship sequence. NOTE: This program is only open to Chicago Booth students. 

Madison Dearborn Partners Private Equity Award

Offered to: Chicago Booth Students
The Madison Dearborn Partners Private Equity Award is a monetary award granted to a graduating student who has demonstrated leadership and interest in private equity through the courses he or she has taken and his or her participation in private equity programming. Recipients are chosen through a nomination process by entrepreneurship faculty and staff. NOTE: This program is only open to Chicago Booth students.  

Moulder Student Entrepreneur Award

Offered to: Chicago Booth Students
The Moulder Student Entrepreneur Award, sponsored by Lonnie Moulder, MBA '97, provides a monetary award to a graduating student who has launched or significantly grown a new venture while at Chicago Booth and benefited from Polsky Center programs and the entrepreneurship curriculum to advance the venture. Recipients are chosen through a nomination process by entrepreneurship faculty and staff. NOTE: This program is only open to Chicago Booth students.

Resurgence Fellowship

Offered to: University of Chicago Students
The Resurgence Fellowship program will offer a limited number of fellowships to University of Chicago students and provide them with an opportunity to support innovation and business development in the clean energy and sustainability space. Student fellows will work with startups participating in Resurgence, the Polsky Center’s cleantech accelerator program, to support key aspects of business development. Learn more here.

Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA) Fellows Program

Offered to: Chicago Booth Students
The Polsky Center is proud to launch the Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA) Fellows Program in the 2024-25 academic year. This program is designed to provide tailored opportunities and resources to Chicago Booth students who plan to enter the ETA space immediately or within a few years of earning their MBA. Led by faculty advisors Mark Agnew, MBA ‘06 and Brian O’Connor, MBA ’08, the ETA Fellows Program runs from October to May and provides students with access to curated opportunities and resources, including educational deep dives on topics relevant to ETA professionals, cohort events and field experiences, 1:1 leadership coaching and mentorship, and a dedicated research and travel budget. Learn more here.

Rattan L. Khosa, ’79, “Against All Odds” Student Entrepreneurship Award

Offered to: Chicago Booth Students
This award is open to any Full-Time, Evening, or Weekend MBA Program student who has overcome significant obstacles and demonstrated a spirit of entrepreneurship to launch or significantly grow a new venture.  This student will have benefited greatly from Polsky Center programs and the entrepreneurship curriculum to advance the venture. The venture should have an established revenue stream and sustainable business model and be poised for growth post-graduation. While there is no minimum GPA required, the student must have achieved the entrepreneurship concentration and shown leadership at Booth and in the greater business community. Recipients are chosen through a review process by entrepreneurship faculty and staff in the Spring Quarter.

Vijay and Sita Vashee Promising Entrepreneur Award

Offered to: Chicago Booth Students
The Vashee Promising Entrepreneur Award, generated from the Sita and Vijay Vashee, '77, and Promising Entrepreneur Endowment Fund, provides a monetary award to a graduating student who has demonstrated leadership in entrepreneurship. Recipients are chosen through a nomination process by entrepreneurship faculty and staff. NOTE: This program is only open to Chicago Booth students.

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