Chicago Booth houses one of the nation’s first social venture competitions: the John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC). Since 2011, the SNVC has helped jump-start more than 100 companies and nonprofits.
Our startups are connecting farmers with technology, teaching high-school students financial skills, and more. SNVC companies have raised more than $35 million in philanthropic dollars, grant support, and venture capital funding.
What is the SNVC?
Offered in partnership with the University of Chicago Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the SNVC is a competition for startups with a social mission at their core.
SNVC teams enroll in New Social Ventures (BUS 34115), a Booth course that complements the SNVC program.
The SNVC is open to for-profit and nonprofit startups. Successful applicants must have a plausible plan for financial sustainability—either through equity investment, direct revenue, grants from philanthropy, government funding, or some combination. Six to seven finalists compete every June for $100,000 in prize money to further their social ventures.
Learn more about the SNVC and Apply
For details on eligibility requirements, key dates, and how to apply,
visit the SNVC page.
To receive updates on upcoming SNVC events and other programs offered through the Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program, sign up here.
“The SNVC resonated with what I have thought we needed to be doing at Booth for people who want to change the world. How do we help them learn to do that? It’s rewarding to see this many MBA students wanting to make a difference, spending a lot of time coming up with ideas and plans on how to make things happen.”
—John Edwardson, ’72, speaking to Chicago Booth Magazine in 2015
SNVC Social Impact Stories
SNVC startups are tackling complex problems around the world and garnering widespread attention for their work. Learn more about three notable SNVC companies: LuminAID, Hello Tractor, and BallotReady.
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