Finalists Selected for the 2026 John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge

This week, seven teams were named finalists in the 2026 John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (Edwardson SNVC). The teams, which are developing social ventures focused on a wide range of issues from affordable housing and agriculture to combating human trafficking and expanding access to ASL education, will compete in the Edwardson SNVC Finals on Wednesday, May 27, for a minimum of $400,000 in investment.
 
The SNVC is the social impact track of the University of Chicago’s nationally ranked business launch program, the New Venture Challenge. Hosted by Chicago Booth’s Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation, the SNVC has supported more than 250 student-led social ventures that have collectively raised more than $305 million.

“We are continually impressed and inspired by the innovation the Edwardson SNVC teams bring,” said Robert H. Gertner, the Frank P. and Marianne R. Diassi Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Strategy and John Edwardson Faculty Director Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation. “This cohort is no exception, and brings ingenuity and dedication to addressing and solving the social and environmental problems that challenge the Chicago community and beyond.”

2026 Edwardson SNVC Finalist Teams Include:

Faction Labs is a tech-enabled digital agency that brings the targeting, content, and
analytics capabilities of billion-dollar presidential campaigns to small and mid-sized political campaigns, advocacy organizations, and nonprofits.

Functional Housing is building a full-suite unit acquisition platform that master-leases entire market-rate apartment buildings in desirable urban neighborhoods, and subleases units at deeply affordable rates to residents referred by homeless-services nonprofits. It provides integrated property management and case services that help residents achieve self-sufficiency and graduate to independent living.

HandsIn is an AI-driven, web-based ASL e-learning platform that addresses the critical shortage of accessible sign language education. Unlike traditional, static video courses, HandsIn utilizes real-time gesture recognition. Its interactive, supplemental learning tool provides a flexible and accessible environment for learners to develop their ASL skills.

Haqqo corrects a systemic market failure in Pakistan's rice sector where farmers lose half their crop value to middlemen who weaponize desperation. Haqqo is a direct procurement and decision intelligence platform that purchases paddy from farmers with same-day payment, processes and ages it through partner mills, and optimises sale timing using a proprietary intelligence model. Revenue is generated through downstream trading margin, not farmer fees, aligning incentives with farmer outcomes.

Lighthouse Solutions deploys autonomous AI decoy agents—operating 24/7 across digital platforms—to identify, document, and help prosecute predators before they harm real children. Lighthouse is building the foundational proactive AI infrastructure for digital crime prevention, starting with the most urgent use case: human trafficking and child sexual exploitation.

Perennial Ownership is succession-planning software for community institutions, helping the businesses they serve compare exit options that preserve local ownership, jobs, and legacy. Perennial combines financial data with owners’ retirement, community, and impact goals to identify viable transition paths, including employee ownership and management buyouts, that meet owner needs while keeping local economies strong.

VergeSci is the community layer for academic research to strengthen access and opportunity. The platform connects university students to research labs through an alignment-based recommender system and creates the infrastructure between universities with longstanding collaborations that lack a shared system of record.

The SNVC Finals are open to all members of the UChicago community and the general public. Register to attend in person at Harper Center or tune in online.