The Polsky Commercialization Fellowship offers PhD STEM students at the University of Chicago the opportunity to create new ventures around promising research and develop leadership skills during a competitive fellowship. The structured, milestone-driven program supports students in translating their research into real-world impact through a comprehensive 8-month experience.

Fellows are enabled to facilitate the technical and commercial development of the University’s labs’ most promising scientific research and help achieve the Polsky Center’s mission to bring new ideas and breakthrough research to market.

Designed to teach PhD students how to apply their research and to commercialize it to the world. the program offers students and their faculty advisors access to targeted venture creation resources and networking opportunities through the Polsky Center.  Fellows are expected to commit about 8 hours per week to the fellowship during the summer, fall, and winter quarters. Fellows are compensated a total of $5,000 over the course of the fellowship.

Eligibility

· University of Chicago PhD candidates who will be enrolled as full-time students throughout the fellowship

· Candidate is currently working on a research project or technology that they are actively seeking to commercialize

· Candidate must have letter of support from faculty advisor and confirmation of good academic standing from Dean of Students

2025 Cohort Information 

The Polsky Founders’ Fund Fellowship (PF3) is a resource available to graduating University of Chicago students who are committed to growing a company after graduation, and have a viable plan for growth. The goal of the program is to provide entrepreneurs who have demonstrated progress with their ventures in the last 6 months with funding to sustain momentum on ventures.

To apply, fill out the online application below. All responses require complete honesty and fall under Booth’s and the University of Chicago’s Honor Code. The Polsky Center reserves the right to reach out to the entrepreneur to seek further clarification on any answers provided.

The application deadline is Wednesday, June 4 at 3PM CT. Please contact Paul Cavalieri (Paul.Cavalieri@ChicagoBooth.edu) with questions.

In order to qualify, an applicant’s business should be at a point where it has received credible traction and the entrepreneur must demonstrate that he/she is fully committed to working on the business for the foreseeable future. Applicants should have:

• An incorporated business
• A live product/service and paying customers
  a.     If your business is in an industry that has a long product or sales cycle (e.g., biotech, deeptech), please provide a detailed timeline of your milestones, the anticipated value inflection points (quantitative or qualitative) at these milestones, and how you plan to acquire your first customer.
  b.     This criteria may be waived on a case by case basis for IP-based ventures with a long path to market. These ventures will receive additional review from the Deep Tech Ventures team at the Polsky Center.
•  Demonstrated progress on the venture in the past six months and clearly articulated and measurable milestones for future venture growth
• A full-time focus on their startup venture (minimum 40 hours per week)
• Good academic standing with a 2.33 GPA or better
• A graduation date between December 2024 and December 2025
• Entrepreneurs whose startups have received external funding (i.e., institutional investment), which allows them to receive a salary/personal income are not eligible for PF3. If, after receiving a PF3 fellowship, a fellow successfully raises external funding, he or she must notify the Polsky Center to assess continuing eligibility.