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Social Entrepreneurship Programs

Social New Venture Challenge

The Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program

The Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program jump-starts businesses and nonprofits built on social missions. Among them: solar-powered light company LuminAID, African tractor-leasing company Hello Tractor, and online voter guide BallotReady.

The program is part of a powerful entrepreneurial support system at the University of Chicago that provides the resources that startups need to succeed.

Resources available through the program help UChicago students and faculty connect research with practice and go from idea to impact.

To receive updates on upcoming events and new programs offered through the Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program, sign up here .

By the Numbers

By harnessing the expertise of our faculty, alumni, and global network, we help student social entrepreneurs increase their odds of solving seemingly intractable problems. And in keeping with Booth’s multidisciplinary approach, we track our outcomes and the successes of our alumni.

$35M

Amount raised by startups that went through the John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC)

100

Companies and nonprofits launched from SNVC

16

SNVC teams in 2020

SNVC

The John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge is one of the nation’s first social venture competitions. Our startups are easing the administrative burdens of child-care providers, teaching high-school students financial skills, and more.

Offered in partnership by the Rustandy Center and the University of Chicago Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the SNVC is the cornerstone of the Rustandy Center’s Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Chicago.

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Pie for Providers: SNVC Winner

The winner of the 2017 SNVC, Pie for Providers, offered a software-based, back-office solution for child-care businesses, allowing them to enroll in government subsidy programs, manage licenses and accreditation, and maximize tax deductions.

Read More about the startup's founder »

Tarrson Social Venture Fellowship

The Tarrson Social Venture Fellowship at the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation is the capstone social entrepreneurship resource, providing funding and advising to graduating students or recent alumni of the University of Chicago while they raise philanthropic or venture capital for their social enterprise.

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Rustandy Center Blog

Discover more social entrepreneurship stories in the Rustandy Center blog.

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Experiential Learning

The social impact curriculum at Chicago Booth combines the school’s foundational teachings in finance, economics, and operations with real-world experiences.

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Impact Investing

The MIINT competition allows student teams to conduct diligence on early-stage impact investments and then pitch those investment ideas to venture capitalists.

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Leverage Your Social Sector

Share the Rustandy Center’s mission with friends and connections committed to tackling social and environmental problems.

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Chicago Booth

Social Entrepreneurship Programs

The Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program

By the Numbers

$35M

100

16

SNVC

Pie for Providers: SNVC Winner

Tarrson Social Venture Fellowship

Related Content

Rustandy Center Blog

Experiential Learning

Impact Investing

Leverage Your Social Sector

Contact the Rustandy Center