Teams Move Forward in the 2025 John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge

This week, 19 teams advanced to the next round of the 2025 John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC). The Phase II teams will spend Spring Quarter working toward launching their nonprofit or for-profit social ventures with hopes of progressing to the SNVC Finals on Wednesday, May 28, where six to seven teams will compete for a minimum of $150,000 in investment.

The selected teams plan to launch organizations with forward-thinking solutions, such as helping households minimize food waste and save money; developing rapid diagnostic tools for underrepresented infectious diseases; and empowering women in India with market-relevant skills. SNVC participants include University of Chicago students from Chicago Booth; the Harris School of Public Policy; the College; the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice; and the computational social science and computer science programs.

The SNVC is the destination for student entrepreneurs looking to create ventures with a social mission. Managed by Chicago Booth’s Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the SNVC is the social impact track of the university’s nationally ranked business launch program, the New Venture Challenge. 

This year will be the 15th SNVC, a significant milestone. Since its founding, the SNVC has served as a launchpad for mission-driven startups, fostering a growing network of alumni dedicated to addressing some of the world’s pressing challenges.

Since 2011, the SNVC has helped launch more than 200 startups that have collectively raised more than $260 million. Notable past winners include the solar-powered light company LuminAID, the online voter guide BallotReady, the autism therapy startup AIM Clinics, and the B2B e-commerce platform Sokowatch, which serves Africa’s informal retailers.

2025 Edwardson SNVC Teams Include:

Aakar Nepal equips underserved high school students in Nepal with the skills and support to be agents of change in their communities. In a fellowship program, students identify a social issue, design and implement a solution, and receive training, mentorship, and peer support. By fostering personal development, community engagement, and support networks, Aakar Nepal cultivates the next generation of resilient leaders.

Abel is a 15-minute-a-day partner for small businesses in India that helps them make smarter decisions to grow their cash. It uses data from existing informal systems, and delivers powerful insights and simple, actionable, tailored next steps to help small-business owners optimize cash flows, increase revenues, and cut costs.

ATLAS Guide is a decentralized, ML-powered platform that coordinates communities to combat homelessness. By integrating real-time service mapping, donor engagement, and recipient feedback, ATLAS optimizes resource allocation for nonprofits, mutual aid groups, and policymakers, ensuring more efficient aid distribution and data-driven social impact.

CareLumi is an AI agent eliminating the administrative burden of compliance paperwork for US childcare and development centers. By automating complex reporting workflows and integrating with local and state compliance systems, caregivers can save 15 to 20-plus hours a week to focus on what they do best: caring for children.

CHIPy is a program that allows community college students the opportunity to design civic tech prototypes for a city, gaining valuable skills in machine learning and AI ethical decision-making under industry professional mentorship.

CoThera is a digital mental health companion that provides continuous, personalized support through familiar communication channels like texting or WhatsApp. Using advanced AI, CoThera engages students in reflective conversations, tracks emotional patterns, and integrates with campus mental health services to extend access to care and provide population-level mental health insights.

Counting To Calculus (CTC) is a high-impact math tutoring program dedicated to transforming math education. Our streamlined curriculum integrates real-world applications to build strong mathematical foundations, increase participation in advanced math, and showcase math as a beautiful and practical discipline. By fostering mastery and efficiency, we empower learners to excel personally and thrive in STEM fields.

Emerging Donor Alliance (EDA) is a nonprofit whose mission is to accelerate proactive charitable giving among young professionals. EDA will partner with employers to provide regular experiential learning opportunities for Gen Z employees to hone in on the causes they’re passionate about, build meaningful connections with local nonprofits, and develop positive philanthropic habits for years to come.

Exactics develops rapid diagnostic tools for underrepresented infectious diseases to expedite at-home and clinical diagnoses, improving treatment plans and outcomes. Exactics has developed QuickLyme®, a patented 15-minute at-home test for Lyme disease, and is currently adapting our patented platform to create a multiplex assay for malaria and similarly presenting diseases.

FitKind™ is building an inclusive fitness community for people who are overlooked or feel out of place in the fitness industry. Through digital programming and community-driven support, we are catalyzing a cultural shift in fitness focused on equity, belonging, and transformation.

Heroes empowers young adults to become more capable, generous, and responsible individuals. Through online writing programs, mentorship, and education, Heroes promotes psychological well-being and economic mobility—empowering people to reach their potential and derive meaning in the service of others.

Ideyforyou is an AI-driven platform that helps domestic violence survivors access safety and support through social connection, bypassing hotline services. Users can connect based on identities, interests, and career goals, creating a robust support network. The app features Circe, an AI safety tool that detects altercation sounds, alerts the user, and notifies trusted contacts if violence is logged. Additionally, Gida AI provides emergency rental or housing assistance by connecting users with landlords or subletters in their preferred area, without traditional requirements.

Papaya Privacy Co. empowers web users to take control of their online privacy with a browser-based AI agent that automatically clicks cookie banners, blocks trackers, and facilitates ethical data monetization. By seamlessly automating consent decisions and offering a transparent data marketplace, Papaya ensures that users can protect their privacy while benefiting financially from their data.

Reduse helps households minimize food waste and save money by seamlessly tracking pantry items, managing grocery lists, and providing personalized recommendations. By preventing waste due to lack of visibility, Reduse ensures users always know what they have at home and how to use it before it expires.

ReLive connects retirees with purpose-driven, flexible work opportunities and a social network that fosters community. Through skill-based employment and meaningful connections, retirees stay active, engaged, and valued while employers benefit from experienced talent. Launching first in Singapore, ReLive redefines retirement as a phase of connection, growth, and impact.

Rise Reforming, Inc. seeks to turn the tide on the plastic disaster. We use a modular, patent-pending technology to produce cheap and climate-positive chemicals from plastic waste. Our products will help decarbonize the chemical manufacturing industry and its users while combating plastic pollution.

Total Values Analytics uses its portfolio construction tool to enable investors to navigate the trade-offs among impact, risk, and return in a way that is individualized to them. By credibly quantifying and optimizing among these trade-offs, we aim to leverage global capital markets ($275T) as a greater force for good.

Vidyasha is combining “education” (Vidya) and “hope” (Asha), and aims to empower out-of-school and out-of-job women in India with market-relevant skills in early childhood education. Vidyasha fosters financial independence, builds resilience, and reduces gender-based violence. It aims to create a trickle-down effect, generate sustainable livelihoods, and help mothers rejoin the workforce.

Walk Lahore is a social venture leveraging deep learning to optimize infrastructure investment in resource-constrained economies. We partner with governments to reduce costs, enhance decision-making, and eliminate inefficiencies in infrastructure development—driving impact while ensuring financial sustainability.