The Polsky Center offers several hands-on learning opportunities aimed at helping students, researchers, faculty, and community members pursue their own entrepreneurial endeavors or careers in private equity, venture capital, entrepreneurship through acquisition, or social entrepreneurship. Don't miss out on a wide variety of experiential learning-based programs, events, workshops, conferences, and more.
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Programs & Events: Entrepreneurship
Alumni Entrepreneurs Growth Forum
Great things can happen when founders get together to learn and share their stories with each other.
Alumni New Venture Challenge (ANVC)
Polsky’s Alumni New Venture Challenge (ANVC) is open to all University of Chicago alumni across the globe looking to launch and grow their early-stage venture.
Build and Launch Summer Accelerators
The BUILD and LAUNCH Summer Accelerators give student teams the opportunity to work intensively and solely on their businesses and social enterprises in a collaborative and dynamic environment over th...
Collaboratorium
The Collaboratorium unites UChicago students with researchers, technologists, and faculty who want to explore the commercialization opportunities and business applications of their work.
College New Venture Challenge (CNVC)
The College New Venture Challenge (CNVC) supports UChicago College students in launching scalable ventures.
Customer Discovery Bootcamp
The Customer Discovery Bootcamp is intended for early-stage, student ventures to explore their problem-solution fit by engaging directly with potential customers and industry stakeholders.
E-Commerce Learning Lab
In collaboration with 37 Oaks, E-Commerce Learning Lab is for businesses seeking to add or increase e-commerce capabilities as a strategy for growth.
Entrepreneurial Internship Program
The Entrepreneurial Internship Program (EIP) gives full-time first year Chicago Booth students, as well as second year students continuing their coursework in the following fall, the opportunity to in...
Entrepreneurship Essentials (E2)
Entrepreneurship Essentials (E2) is designed to help you launch your startup successfully, with workshops ranging in everything from marketing strategy, sales, competitive analysis, financial modeling...
George Shultz Innovation Fund
The George Shultz Innovation Fund invests in proof-of-concept and early business development work for viable new startups created by faculty and students.
Global New Venture Challenge (GNVC)
The Global New Venture Challenge (GNVC) gives second-year students in the Chicago Booth Executive MBA program the rare opportunity to work closely with alumni and members of the business community and...
Innovate2Market
Supported by joint funding from the University of Chicago and UIUC through the Inclusive Innovation initiative, the Innovate2Market program is designed to empower community inventors and innovators to...
Investing Essentials
Investing Essentials is designed for students interested in learning about and pursuing careers in the private equity and venture capital space.
John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC)
In partnership with the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation at Chicago Booth, the Polsky Center runs the John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC), which is committed to contin...
Market Navigator
The Market Navigator is a customer discovery and market insight program designed to help Business-to-Consumer (B2C) businesses that have achieved product-market fit and initial traction to better unde...
New Venture Challenge
The Edward L. Kaplan, '71, New Venture Challenge (NVC) is a top-ranked accelerator program in the nation and is run by the Polsky Center.
On Deck Pitch
Designed to develop and refine pitching skills to effectively present to potential investors or lenders.
Polsky Center I-Corps
Supported with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and run by the Polsky Center, the I-Corps program is specifically designed for participants working on projects related to the STEM (s...
Polsky Exchange Capital Series
This Polsky Exchange Capital Series features presentations by capital providers and information about how to access different forms of capital. The series will commence with presentations from traditi...
Polsky Founders’ Circles
A virtual place where alumni founders can connect with fellow founders and receive coaching from an expert.
Polsky Founders’ Fund Fellowship (PF3)
The Polsky Founders’ Fund Fellowship (PF3) is a resource available to graduating University of Chicago and Chicago Booth students and decelerating Chicago Booth students who are committed to growing a...
Prototype for Success
The Prototype for Success program explores career paths at the intersection of business and emerging technologies.
Rattan L. Khosa SeedCon
Bringing together successful entrepreneurs and seasoned venture capitalists to share ideas and advice, foster creativity, and ignite the entrepreneurial-spirit within.
Rattan L. Khosa Student Entrepreneurs Program
The Rattan L. Khosa Student Entrepreneurs Program is a multi-pronged program for students launching businesses, managed by the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Science Commercialization Advisors
Science Commercialization Advisors provide the opportunity for industry experts and leaders to engage with UChicago researchers and ventures to help them determine their next step to commercialization...
Small Business Financial Fundamentals
The Polsky Small Business Financial Fundamentals focuses on supporting small businesses owners and help gain better financial management knowledge and skills.
Small Business Growth Program
The Polsky Small Business Growth Program focuses on supporting small businesses owners and helping them grow and scale their businesses to the next level of success.
Small Business Market Research Clinic
The Small Business Market Research Clinic pairs Booth students with businesses that are part of the Women's Business Development Center to carry out market research
South Side Business Development Internship Program
The South Side Business Development Internship Program creates an opportunity for College students at the University of Chicago to complete paid internships with Polsky Exchange community business mem...
The Idea Lab
The Idea Lab is a twelve-week program designed to help community members who have a business idea and want to proceed to move from idea to launch.
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