Introducing the Polsky Center

In recent years, Chicago has emerged as a hub for entrepreneurship. With world-class tech talent, a variety of industries, and top-rated incubators, Chicago has grown to rival the coasts as an innovation community.

At the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, we work to help drive Chicago’s entrepreneurial revolution — and are proud of the role we play in not only Chicago’s, but the national and global entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Since 1998, the Polsky Center has provided immersive, experiential education and venture creation resources for University of Chicago Booth School of Business students and alumni who are interested in entrepreneurship, private equity, venture capital, and taking their existing businesses to the next level. And in recent years, we have worked hard to expand these offerings to the entire University of Chicago community.

The Polsky Center’s premier start-up launch program, the Edward L. Kaplan, ’71, New Venture Challenge (NVC), is designed to help student teams turn their ideas into viable businesses. Launched in 1996, and currently celebrating its 20th anniversary year, the NVC is recognized as the #1 university accelerator program in the nation. The program has graduated more than 100 companies, including GrubHub and Braintree, and has created thousands of jobs across the globe.

The work of the Polsky Center doesn’t stop there — from our annual conferences featuring industry experts and insiders, to countless workshops for private equity professionals and entrepreneurs at any stage, to a faculty and staff made up of experienced entrepreneurs and passionate individuals — Polsky is a leading source of expertise and resources for those that possess an entrepreneurial mindset.

We’re excited for what the future will bring. This blog is a way for us to take part in the vibrant conversation that is happening around entrepreneurship — and to offer our perspective on this exciting field.

In the coming weeks we’ll be rolling out a variety of content — everything from first-hand accounts on the challenges in starting a new venture, to expert advice from our experienced Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, as well as our perspectives on the latest developments in this ever-changing field.

We’re excited to add our voice to this growing community of entrepreneurs on Medium. We invite you to follow and engage with us.