Explore the Vast PE/VC and Entrepreneurship Resources within the Polsky Center

Polsky Center Industry Specific Resources

The Polsky Center also offers many hands-on learning opportunities aimed at helping students, researchers, faculty, and community members pursue their own entrepreneurial endeavors; furthermore, Polsky also offers resources to help individuals explore their interests in industries including but not limited to private equity, venture capital, entrepreneurship through acquisition, and social entrepreneurship.

For students interested in entrepreneurship, the Polsky Center offers a large number of programs and events. Some of the most popular include:

• New Venture Challenge (NVC): A top-ranked accelerator program that guides students through the process of launching a startup. NVC has launched 370+ companies that are still in business, raised more than $1.2B in funding, and accounted for $8.5B+ in mergers and exits.
• Booth-Kellogg ETA Conference: The Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) Conference, co-hosted by Chicago Booth and Kellogg School of Management, is an annual conference with over 900 attendees that features several panels and workshops covering everything from funding, searching for and eventually operating a business, and networking.
• Entrepreneurship Essentials (E2): Workshops designed to help students launch startups successfully, covering topics from marketing strategy to financial modeling.
• Build and Launch Summer Accelerators: Gives teams the opportunity to work intensively and solely on their businesses and social enterprises in a collaborative and dynamic environment over the summer. The Build accelerator allows students to focus on building the key elements of their venture and validating assumptions around their market or customers, while the Launch accelerator focuses on fundraising, selling, and gaining and maintaining momentum.
• Collaboratorium: The Collaboratorium unites UChicago students with researchers, technologists, and faculty who want to explore the commercialization opportunities and business applications of their work.

The Polsky Center also offers many programs and events for those interested in private equity, to name a few:

• Svider Private Equity Program: Offers resources and training for students pursuing careers in private equity, including workshops and mentorship from industry professionals.
• Private Equity and Venture Capital Lab: Combines an intensive internship at a PE or VC firm with an academic course, providing practical experience and insights into the industry.
• Private Equity Conference: Hosted by the Chicago Booth Private Equity Group and the Polsky Center, this annual event brings together investors, students, and entrepreneurs to network and share insights into the dynamics of investing in a constantly changing economy.
• Private Equity Alumni/Student Coaching Program: Matches Chicago Booth MBA students pursuing careers in private equity with members of the Polsky Center Private Equity Council and Chicago Booth alumni network for one-on-one mentoring and advising sessions.
• Sterling Partners Investment Thesis Challenge (SPITC): Enables Chicago Booth student teams to work with mentors at private equity firms over several months to develop original investment theses and recommend execution strategies.

For those interested in venture capital, some of the programming offered by Polsky includes:

• Innovation Fund Associates Program: Allows students to perform due diligence on startups applying for funding, offering hands-on experience in venture capital decision-making.
• Venture Capital Investment Competition: Provides a platform for students to simulate the VC investment process, enhancing their analytical and negotiation skills.
• Rattan L. Khosa SeedCon: Chicago Booth’s flagship entrepreneurship and venture capital conference. Through keynote fireside chats, panel discussions, and various networking sessions, SeedCon provides opportunities for entrepreneurs, investors, and passionate members of the startup ecosystem to explore emerging industry themes and connect over shared ideas.

Additional Resources Offered by the Polsky Center

What fellowship opportunities does the Polsky Center offer?

• The Polsky Founders’ Fund Fellowship (PF3) is a resource available to graduating University of Chicago students who are committed to growing a company after graduation. The goal of the program is to provide entrepreneurs with funding to sustain momentum on ventures. Each individual accepted into the fellowship gets up to $24,000 in the form of a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE), which is paid out to an incorporated entity in quarterly intervals of $6,000 over a period of one year.
• The Entrepreneurship Internship Program provides first-year Booth students who demonstrate continued interest in entrepreneurship the opportunity to gain experiential learning that is critical to becoming a successful entrepreneur. Through a competitive application process, students are selected to participate and receive financial support to supplement their entrepreneurial summer internship salaries.
• The Polsky Center also connects Chicago Booth students with entrepreneurs and small business owners on Chicago's South and West sides through the Small Business Growth Program. Students play an important role in advising community business owners on a variety of topics including growing their business, improving sales and marketing, increasing revenues, improving operations, and more.

What kind of programming does the Polsky Center offer to the public; furthermore, how can interested individuals stay connected to learn more about upcoming events?

Interested individuals can get involved through the Polsky Exchange. Operated by the Polsky Center, the Polsky Exchange is a startup incubator featuring work and meeting spaces, a Small Business Development Center, and a full calendar of programming and workshops designed to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their ventures. All upcoming events are featured on our website. Interested individuals can also sign up for our newsletters, which provide relevant news and also provide reminders for upcoming events, programs, and deadlines.