Support the Center

Polsky Center programs and activities depend solely on gifts and endowments. Since no tuition dollars are used, we rely heavily on alumni and friends to support our efforts. To make a contribution, please visit Chicago Booth’s Annual Fund website and select “Support the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship” from the drop down menu.

Please read more about the specific opportunities to support the center below. Please also read testimonials from student-entrepreneurs Grace Lee, '10, and Rebecca Wenngatz, '10, as well as Bob Gillespie, current part-time student, about the value of supporting Chicago Booth's entrepreneurship education.

Sponsor Programs and Events

We invite you to become involved with our programs and events. Your contribution plays a vital role in our continued growth and success.

Entrepreneurial Internship Program
This summer internship program provides Chicago Booth first-year students the opportunity to intern with emerging entrepreneurial companies or private equity firms in the traditional and socially conscious arenas. Read a more detailed program description (PDF). Companies that are eligible to host an intern may fill out our social and traditional company applications (PDF).
Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Conference
This conference helps Chicago Booth students explore entrepreneurial possibilities through keynote speakers and panel discussions featuring leading professionals and academics in the fields of entrepreneurship and venture capital.
Small Business and Alumni Entrepreneurship Conference
This conference targets alumni entrepreneurs and small business owners who have immediate concerns for how to grow their businesses. Each conference focuses on a particular issue, such as building a workplace for growth or buying a business.
Exploring Entrepreneurship: A Chicago Booth Conference Series
This full-day conference targets specific industries that encompass entrepreneurship. The first conference was launched in 2006 and looked at the Chicago futures trading industry.
New Venture Challenge
The Edward L. Kaplan New Venture Challenge (NVC) is the premier business plan competition at Chicago Booth. Read a more detailed sponsorship packet (PDF) to find out how you can support this dynamic competition.
Private Equity Conference
This conference gives Chicago Booth students the opportunity to learn more about the private equity and venture capital industries. The event's title sponsor is Beecken Petty O'Keefe & Company, but we rely on other sponsors to subsidize costs.
Venture Capital Investment Competition
The Glencoe Capital Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) begins at Chicago Booth as a day-long, school-wide investment competition that provides students the opportunity to play the role of venture capitalists to real-life entrepreneurs. Read a more detailed sponsorship packet (PDF) to find out how you can participate as a sponsor.

Support Students

The center educates future entrepreneurs, and your contribution can affect their development in the following ways:

Scholarships
The Polsky Center currently awards two scholarships to entrepreneurial students. One is the Herman Family Fellowship for women in entrepreneurship, and the other is the Vashee Promising Entrepreneur Award.
Elfman-Wareham Private Equity and Venture Capital Lab
Unique to Chicago Booth, the Private Equity and Venture Capital Lab is both an internship and a class. Through a competitive application process, students are paired with private equity and venture capital firms, then take a class to discuss their experiences. Students taking the lab may be evaluating a current portfolio company or researching a new opportunity.
Travel and Lodging Support
Students have the opportunity to participate in a number of nationally known business competitions during their time at Chicago Booth. The Polsky Center subsidizes travel and lodging costs in order to minimize the financial burden on students.

Other Ways to Give

For more ways you can support entrepreneurship at Chicago Booth, email Ellen Rudnick, executive director of the Polsky Center.