New Venture Lab Client Application – 2016-17

New Venture and Small Enterprise Lab Class Application 

Thank you for your interest in working with students from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The New Venture and Enterprise Lab Class is an excellent way to tap the talent and expertise of Booth students through a structured, 10-week class during which you will receive a delivered project and they will earn academic credit towards their MBA.

The New Venture and Enterprise Lab Class places teams of 4-6 students with early-stage startup companies to help them move forward on a critical project. Students are highly motivated to learn about life at a start-up company by working on a live project.

Below is more information about becoming a participant company. The first step for qualifying companies is to define the student project. Please feel free to contact me to talk in more detail about putting together a meaningful project.

I can be contacted at mikedmoyer@gmail.com or (773) 426-6353 

Eligible Businesses: (Please apply even if you don’t feel you meet the criteria)

  • Business managers must be able to regularly meet with students in the Chicago area.
  • No virtual businesses.
  • Businesses must have at least 4 full-time employees.

 To participate in the New Venture Lab, a client must:

  • Provide a description of the company and project to be included in course materials.
  • Attend the first class of the quarter to provide a short presentation of the class (last week of September) regarding the company and project as well as meet with the team.
  • Host the team in your office during class time of the second week to meet other members of your management team, learn more about your products and services and the environment of an entrepreneurial venture.
  • Hold frequent meetings with the team and provide guidance during the entire project.
  • Attend a final presentation of the results of the project.
  • Provide written feedback to the professor on the team and student team members.
  • Reimburse the University $2,000 to cover expenses.

 NOTE: The scope of the project is to be strategic as opposed to tactical. If you wish the team to find specific sales leads and to conduct sales, this class is not appropriate for your business.

 The Process:

  • Please complete the form below.
  • Approximately 5 weeks before the class commences, I will determine which projects offer the best experiences for our students.
  • I will then schedule a meeting with selected entrepreneurs to learn more about their businesses and the projects in which the students will engage.
  • Once students have registered, the students can select their top three choices for projects and then I match students with the businesses based on interest and their experience and skills.
  • If none of the students indicate an interest in working with a business, then I will not go any further with that business as a class project. This decision will be made a week before the class starts.

  Please answer the following questions: