The Entrepreneur-in-Residence program provides mentorship and coaching to the University of Chicago community. Four successful Chicago-based entrepreneurs are available to meet with students, alumni, and faculty throughout the academic year. We also host regular small group sessions and workshops with the EIRs over breakfast and lunch.
Michael Alter was CEO of The Tie Bar—the No. 1 e‐commerce destination for stylish men’s accessories. Prior to The Tie Bar, Michael was a cofounder and CEO of SurePayroll, a SaaS technology company that is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Paychex®. Michael co-founded SurePayroll in 2000 after six years with McKinsey and Company, where he was a cofounder and leader of its service operations practice.
Jim Gray founded optionsXpress Holdings, Inc., an online options, futures and stock brokerage, which fundamentally changed how retail investors use exchange-traded derivatives for investing and strategic portfolio management. Charles Schwab acquired optionsXpress in 2011. Currently, Jim is CEO of G-Bar LP, one of the nation’s largest independent options, and futures trading firms.
Alex Hodgkin, MBA ’14, has spent the bulk of his career in investment banking and entrepreneurship. He has worked at Salomon Smith Barney and Headwaters MB. He is the co-founder and managing partner of Intrinsic, a financial services firm providing valuation opinions and transaction advisory services to venture- and private equity-backed companies and high net worth individuals.
Chris is the general partner of CJM Ventures, a private equity firm focused on buyouts and growth equity investments in companies located near Chicago. In 2011, Chris retired as a managing director from Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP), where he co-headed their basic industries practice for the last five years of his 12-year career there.
Mark Tebbe is the founder of several start-ups, including two NASDAQ-listed companies: Lante and Answers Corp. He was also the former operating executive at Lake Capital. In addition to being an EIR at the Polsky Center, Mark teaches the Entrepreneurial Discovery and New Venture Challenge classes at Chicago Booth as well as serves as the Chairman of ChicagoNEXT, the City’s economic development organization for technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Guy Turner, MBA ’10, cofounded Hyde Park Venture Partners in 2011 from Boston Consulting Group, where he focused on corporate strategy across a variety of industries. He spent his early career as a mechanical engineer with Raytheon and General Electric.
This site uses cookies and other tracking technologies to assist with navigation and your ability to provide feedback, analyze your use of products and services, assist with our promotional and marketing efforts.