The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Chicago Booth

Student Resources

Students pursuing interests in entrepreneurship, private equity, and venture capital at Chicago Booth have a variety of resources available to them, whether they are seeking a network of contacts, starting a business, obtaining financial support, receiving career guidance, or connecting with like-minded entrepreneurial students.

Entrepreneurial Student Groups

Full-Time, Evening, and Weekend MBA students at Chicago Booth interested in entrepreneurial careers can join several student groups, which provide valuable leadership experience and networking contacts through conferences, guest lectures, social events, company visits, and more.

Financial Resources

The Polsky Center offers a number of financial resources for students interested in entrepreneurship during their time at Chicago Booth. These financial resources include awards and scholarships, like the Herman Family Fellowship for Women in Entrepreneurship and the Canfield Private Equity Fellowship, competition prizes that serve as seed money for new ventures, and funding for internships.

ARCH Venture Partners New Business Incubator

Winners and finalists of the Edward L. Kaplan, '71, New Venture Challenge business plan competition can develop their emerging companies in the ARCH Venture Partners New Business Incubator, housed within the Polsky Center.  This space, generously supported by ARCH Venture Partners, provides students with essential office support and faculty guidance.

Career Guidance

In addition to guidance provided by Career Services, entrepreneurship faculty members provide both curriculum and career advice. In addition, these faculty members provide access to the Chicago Booth network to help entrepreneurial students find business mentors and job opportunities.

View a workshop* on negotiating a compensation package at entrepreneurial firms by Ellen Rudnick, '73, clinical professor of entrepreneurship and Polsky Center executive director, and Ira Weiss, MBA '99, PhD '01, clinical associate professor of accounting.

*Chicago Booth log-in required.

Entrepreneurs Mentorship Program

The Entrepreneurs Mentorship Program (EMP) aims to enrich the educational experience of Chicago Booth students and help them advance in their entrepreneurial careers. The program pairs entrepreneurial students with seasoned alumni entrepreneurs for meaningful, one-on-one interaction. Alumni also benefit from forging strong connections with current MBA students and contributing to the vibrant entrepreneurial community at Chicago Booth. Participating mentors and mentees are asked to commit to one hour per month of in-person meetings. The program runs during the spring quarter but may continue if there is mutual agreement. Applications for this program are currently being accepted, and are due by February 17, 2012.  Follow this link for information and application instructions. If you have questions, contact Hannah Williams.

Resume Book

Current Chicago Booth students with a specific interest in pursuing an entrepreneurial career can be part of the Chicago Booth Entrepreneurship and Start-Up Resume Book, a free and searchable resume database created in partnership between the Polsky Center and Career Services. Chicago Booth alumni and others in the business community use the database to search for Chicago Booth students seeking full-time employment and internship opportunities. Students should use their user name and password for other Chicago Booth resume books, or create a new account using their nine-digit UCID number.

Useful Entrepreneurial Links

There's so much going on outside the Polsky Center in the area of entrepreneurship that we've compiled a list of helpful entrepreneurial resources.