20 Teams Advance in the 2022 John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge

This week, a record-setting 20 teams advanced to the next round of the 2022 John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (Edwardson SNVC).

With the announcement, teams move on to Phase II of the startup competition, which allows University of Chicago students to work throughout the Spring Quarter to launch a nonprofit or for-profit enterprise with a social mission at its core.

Finalists will compete for at least $150,000 in cash prizes at the Edwardson SNVC Finals on Wednesday, June 1.

Operated by Chicago Booth’s Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation and UChicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Edwardson SNVC is the social impact track of the university’s nationally ranked business launch program, the New Venture Challenge.

This year marks the 12th year of the Edwardson SNVC, which has helped to jump-start more than 150 startups that have gone on to raise more than $42 million. Notable alumni include solar-powered light company LuminAID, online voter guide BallotReady, Nairobi-based tractor leasing company Hello Tractor, autism therapy provider AIM Clinics, Chicago-based nonprofit Debate it Forward, and the 2021 winner, SAEF Legal Aid.

2022 Edwardson SNVC Teams Include:

Aloe Points provides shoppers with a sustainability scorecard of products and offers them rewards-based points for making the greener choice. (Booth)

Aprendi is a visual content management platform that helps practitioners (i.e., individuals who work with children with mental health disorders) efficiently create, customize, and share high-quality therapeutic visual tools with other practitioners and families. (Booth)

Capitalize is an intelligent, inclusive community-powered platform built by and for the future of finance. The platform will make it easier for aspiring and practicing investors, asset and fund managers, foundations, entrepreneurs, and social impact leaders to connect, build, and share knowledge, careers, content, and community for environmental, social, and economic justice. (Booth)

CapsID is a platform diagnostic tool that can accurately detect the presence of active viruses versus viruses in their inactive, non-contagious states. The primary goal is to distinguish between infectious and non-infectious COVID-19, then expand to include influenza and STIs such as HPV and Herpes. (Booth, Biosciences)

CasaNow is a one-stop shop micro-financing real estate platform for underrepresented minorities in the US. The online platform’s innovative approach to mortgage financing provides a holistic approach of digital media, financial records, and virtual experiences to access mortgages or to start building your credit score. (Booth)

Cashless is a barter marketplace that helps individuals and small businesses find a broader and often untapped market for their products and services through barter exchange. It combines the traditional system of bartering with a digital platform, enabling access to resources and opportunities that may otherwise have been unavailable or untapped. (Booth, Harris)

Common(Unity) Properties is a social impact for-profit development organization that collaborates with cities to design and build vibrant communities for vulnerable populations. (Crown, Harris)

Counselors for America (CFA) is a two-sided nonprofit expanding comprehensive school-based mental health by providing under-resourced public schools with full-time mental health providers and behind-the-scenes support to universally screen and proactively treat student mental health; while building a subsidized pathway to clinical licensure and employment for school mental health providers. (Booth, Crown)

Demi is on a mission to make composting mainstream by partnering with apartment buildings to offer convenient and affordable biodegradable composting bins and pick-up services, all easily managed through a mobile app. (Booth)

Forge Robotics leverages next-generation technology to reduce carbon emissions from gas pipeline leaks and increase safety in communities. (Booth)

IMAGO is a medical software that transforms the way doctors formulate patients’ clinical diagnoses. Instead of narrative reports, IMAGO generates visual reports that improve overall communication among doctors and patients, decreasing errors and healthcare costs. IMAGO’s goal is to provide global access to therapy and quality care to low-income individuals. (Harris, Booth)

ImmersionED is an EdTech company that partners with video game companies to draw on their already existing games and use those as a backdrop for homework assignments that will be layered into the games and made available through the platform on your computer. (Booth, Divinity)

Mizaru is an online marketplace changing how the world works together to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. Mizaru’s platform connects people with disabilities with on-demand, pre-vetted freelance service providers. They currently focus on sign language interpreters and facilitators empowering Deaf and DeafBlind people to live more independently. (Booth)

Pickles Group provides free peer-to-peer support and resources to kids affected by a parent’s cancer. Having a parent or guardian with cancer can be a lonely, isolating experience. Pickles kids develop resilience, have fun with friends who get them, and heal along the way. (Booth, Harris)

ReHive is a deal flow and fundraising platform that helps climate adaptation innovators raise catalytic capital. Their mission is to accelerate the world’s transition into a just and resilient reality by providing a platform that integrates impact management and seamless fund flow for investors and high-impact innovators to scale impact. (Harris)

Strong Haulers is a software company that empowers COVID Long Haulers to manage their energy, predict and prevent their symptom flares, and take ownership of their health. (Harris)

TeachMe is a non-profit education platform for teachers teaching in developing contexts across the globe. They provide high-quality, tailored resources, access to a global peer network, and personalized opportunities for online learning and development. TeachMe’s mission is to unlock teachers' potential by providing an online classroom that builds their capacity. (Harris)

TechPass is a platform that gives underrepresented tech students a personalized roadmap and connections to their first tech job. Employers obtain visibility, pipeline, and early exposure to candidates - while students get employer-approved guidance as they showcase their whole selves. (Booth)

Together.science provides students with a free web-based tool to author and check math work individually or in a group, and teachers with an effortless way to demonstrate, share, and assign work, and grade submissions. (Booth)

University Blood Initiative is on a mission to revolutionize the blood world to create a sustainable and equitable blood supply by empowering the next generation of diverse donors. They recruit, train, continuously support University chapters and pair them with independent blood donation centers. (Social Science, College)

To get the latest on news and events planned around this year’s John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge, sign up here.

To join us (in-person or online) for the 2022 Edwardson SNVC Finals on Tuesday, June 1, register here.