Polsky Center at the University of Chicago’s Post

We are excited to announce that Polsky Center at the University of Chicago has signed a strategic agreement with Orange Grove Bio (OGB), an integrated biopharmaceutical company, to support pipeline development, entrepreneurial training, and funding opportunities. The agreement brings together OGB’s experience in the diligence and financing of novel therapeutics with the University of Chicago’s industry-leading research to catalyze the successful commercialization of new ideas.

The Polsky Center at the University of Chicago is excited to see two of our staff members share their expertise at the 11th annual Business Smart Week, hosted by Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago from July 29 through August 1. Joining the panel discussion, “Facing and Managing Frontal Divides: Challenges, Solutions and Opportunities for Minority Businesses,” Polsky Center Managing Director Samir Mayekar will speak alongside Aurora Austriaco, Greg Bush, Jr., Anita Charlot, BRMP®, Arielle Johnson, MPA, and moderator Niki St Pierre, MPA/MBA on the specific hurdles and opportunities for success that minority businesses must navigate in today’s challenging economic environment. Additionally, Polsky Center Senior Assistant Director Isra Omar will add her expert take to the panel, “Breaking Down Barriers to Business Growth and Access to Capital,” moderated by Mark Hands, sharing how the Polsky Small Business Growth Program is contributing to a more diverse small business and entrepreneurial ecosystem in Chicago and helping South and West side businesses scale for success. Register now: https://lnkd.in/gNNDDUnd

The Polsky Exchange is hosting several focus groups in support of local business owners. Selected participants will receive a $50 gift card for 60-90 minutes of engagement. If you are interested in participating in a focus group and providing your feedback on local businesses’ branding, websites, social media, and more, fill out this short form below ⤵️

👏 Congratulations to the University of Chicago inventors (current and former) who were recently awarded patents! Matthew Ackerman Donna Arvans Philippe Guyot-Sionnest Xin TANG + others 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘴𝘬𝘺 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘗 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴. Have an idea? Connect with us at polskylicensing@uchicago.edu.

This month’s episode of the ETA Insider 🎙, hosted by Brian O'Connor, MBA '08, features Rob LeBlanc, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at ambit partners. The discussion highlights the growing momentum of ETA in various countries and delves into fund deployment, geographic investment distribution, and the potential for ETA in major economies outside of North America. Listen to this episode and more ⤵️

The Polsky Center is welcoming five new faces this summer taking on roles across two new fellowship programs. The Polsky Innovation Fellowship features three 4+1 students with technical backgrounds to support analytical and marketing work for the entrepreneurial ecosystem: Isis Decrem, Alexander Mosher, and Matthew Chang. The Polsky Science & Technology Fellowship consists of two PhD students in the sciences who focus on screening new invention disclosures for potential intellectual property protection and analyzing the commercial landscape: Montserrat Kwan and Dean Zhou. Read more about each student ⤵️

We are excited to announce the 15 startups selected to participate in this summer's Build & Launch Accelerators. The 10-week summer program is open to all University of Chicago students and recent alumni with early-stage or investment-ready startups. Read more ⤵️