Social New Venture Challenge

About this event

On Tuesday, June 1, watch the virtual John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC) Finals, where teams will pitch their social ventures to a panel of distinguished judges from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CDT and compete for $150,000 in prize money.

The SNVC is the social impact track of the University of Chicago's nationally ranked business launch program, the New Venture Challenge.

New this year, all SNVC teams will be eligible to win an audience choice award for an additional cash prize, whether or not they're a finalist.

Read about this year's finalists, and view all the SNVC teams in the running for the award.

Students may not miss class to attend this event.

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Operated by Chicago Booth’s Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation and UChicago's Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge is the social impact track of the University of Chicago’s nationally ranked business launch program, the New Venture Challenge. Since 2011, the SNVC has jump-started more than 100 startups with social missions that went on to raise over $35 million in funding.

The startup competition is the cornerstone of the Rustandy Center’s Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program, a university initiative named in recognition of a 2016 gift by John Edwardson, ’72. Edwardson is retired chairman and CEO of technology solutions provider CDW and co-chair of Advance Illinois, an independent statewide education organization.

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