About the New Venture Challenge

The New Venture Challenge is the premier start-up program at the University of Chicago, helping students turn entrepreneurial ideas into viable businesses.

The NVC is one way the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship at Chicago Booth helps develop entrepreneurial leaders who add value to the global economy. The center supports entrepreneurial learning and collaboration through its cutting-edge curriculum, competitions, innovative hands-on learning experiences, leading faculty research, conferences, mentorship, and community and global outreach programs.

Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago

Whether starting a company from scratch, launching a new division in an established organization, or seeking to invest in new ventures, entrepreneurial skills are crucial to identifying and evaluating the factors that will make any undertaking a success. As organizations become leaner, more global, and more resource-constrained, the ability to be flexible and adapt quickly to change is increasingly important across all business segments.

The University of Chicago community has increasing demand for entrepreneurship, and it is the second-largest concentration at Chicago Booth. The school draws an impressive network of entrepreneurial students and alumni that is constantly growing. Chicago Booth's entrepreneurship curriculum integrates all business areas, including marketing, finance, operations, and strategy, and takes students beyond the classroom, and takes students beyond the classroom, extending entrepreneurial experience to real-world settings.

Through courses, labs, and competitions, students acquire the practical skills and experiences needed to start, finance, and manage their own business, as well as embark into a career in private equity. No matter their career path, students benefit from entrepreneurial skills, such as prioritizing resources, critical evaluation of new business or growth opportunities, building and motivating a team, understanding the customer, accessing capital, and assuring profitable growth.