Key Takeaways
- • Rayni, a B2B SaaS platform, won the Rattan L. Khosa First-Place Prize at the 2025 New Venture Challenge with a total investment award of $825,000, capturing the largest share of a record $2.267 million distributed among ten finalists.
- • The University of Chicago's Polsky Center announced eight recipients of the 2026 Polsky Founders' Fund Fellowship (PF3), which provides yearlong commercialization support for student ventures, demonstrating institutional backing for early-stage startup development.
- • Lighthouse Solutions won the 2026 John Edwardson, '72, Social New Venture Challenge with $400,000 distributed across student teams competing in the social venture category.
- • The Polsky Center received a transformative $12.5 million gift from Michael and Tanya Polsky in fiscal year 2025, signaling major institutional expansion in entrepreneurship programming and student venture support.
Summary
The University of Chicago's Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation has announced multiple cohorts of startup initiatives and significant funding allocations reflecting expanded institutional commitment to student entrepreneurship. At the 2025 Edward L. Kaplan, '71 New Venture Challenge, Rayni—a B2B SaaS platform—secured the competition's top prize, the Rattan L. Khosa First-Place Prize, with a total investment award of $825,000. The competition distributed a record $2.267 million across ten finalist teams, marking a substantial increase in capital available to early-stage ventures emerging from the institution.
In a parallel initiative, the Polsky Center selected eight students as recipients of the 2026 Polsky Founders' Fund Fellowship (PF3), a yearlong commercialization program designed to advance student-led ventures from concept through early-stage development. This fellowship cohort represents the institution's systematic effort to provide structured mentorship and resources beyond single-competition awards.
Lighthouse Solutions emerged as the winner of the 2026 John Edwardson, '72, Social New Venture Challenge, with $400,000 in aggregate funding distributed among student teams focused on social and impact-driven business models. This parallel track demonstrates the center's commitment to supporting ventures with explicit social mission components alongside traditional commercial ventures.
The institutional momentum reflects recent major philanthropic support: the Polsky Center received a $12.5 million transformative gift from Michael and Tanya Polsky in fiscal year 2025, earmarked for expanding entrepreneurship programming, student venture support, and institutional partnerships. This capital injection has enabled the center to increase both the scale and scope of its funding mechanisms and fellowship offerings.
In a parallel initiative, the Polsky Center selected eight students as recipients of the 2026 Polsky Founders' Fund Fellowship (PF3), a yearlong commercialization program designed to advance student-led ventures from concept through early-stage development. This fellowship cohort represents the institution's systematic effort to provide structured mentorship and resources beyond single-competition awards.
Lighthouse Solutions emerged as the winner of the 2026 John Edwardson, '72, Social New Venture Challenge, with $400,000 in aggregate funding distributed among student teams focused on social and impact-driven business models. This parallel track demonstrates the center's commitment to supporting ventures with explicit social mission components alongside traditional commercial ventures.
The institutional momentum reflects recent major philanthropic support: the Polsky Center received a $12.5 million transformative gift from Michael and Tanya Polsky in fiscal year 2025, earmarked for expanding entrepreneurship programming, student venture support, and institutional partnerships. This capital injection has enabled the center to increase both the scale and scope of its funding mechanisms and fellowship offerings.
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