Autism in Motion Clinics, a startup that aims to provide autism therapy to children in rural communities throughout the U.S., won first place and $45,000 at the University of Chicago’s Social New Venture Challenge on Tuesday.
The startup, founded by George Boghos and Frankie Schiller, aims to set up and operate autism clinics in markets that have substantial and underserved populations of children with the condition. AIM currently has a pilot program running in Arkansas.
Coming in second place at the challenge were startups Shakti and Vouch Circle, which were each awarded $15,000.
Shakti, a mobile-based platform that allows illiterate women in India to access information about legal and public health resources, was founded by Meghana Chandra and Mariana Botero. Vouch Circle, founded by Wenting Xi, Sukrutha Sujai, Valentina Diaz and Zach Taylor, is a professional networking platform for people in underserved communities.
Other finalists included Gather Activism, Insights for Impact, Mighty and Unbreakable.
"Many of this year’s SNVC teams are already operating in the U.S. or abroad, which allowed judges to evaluate not just the teams’ ideas, but also validation from their beneficiaries and customers,” said Robert H. Gertner, a professor of strategy and finance at Chicago Booth, in a statement. “We are so proud of all the teams who presented and look forward to seeing what they do next.”
The annual challenge, in its 8th year, is a program run by the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation at UChicago’s Booth School of Business and the college’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation that aims to coach and award student entrepreneurs whose company has a social mission behind it. In addition to the $75,000 the three winners received this year, they will also split $30,000 in other specialized awards. Additionally, all the finalists will share more than $200,000 worth of services, including office space, legal and other professional resources.
More than 70 judges helped pick the finalists and provided feedback to startups in the challenge. Some of the judges included Susan Crown, the founder and chairman of the Susan Crown Exchange, William W. Towns, the executive director of Benefit Chicago, and Tasha Seitz, a partner with Impact Engine.
Since the SNVC launched in 2011, it has helped jump-start more than 100 companies and nonprofits, which have gone on to raise over $10.4 million. Among them are notable Chicago startups, such as LuminAID and BallotReady.
“Each year, I’m more impressed with the commitment and enthusiasm UChicago students have for making a meaningful impact on social issues,” said John Edwardson, retired chairman and CEO of CDW, in a statement. “As the SNVC has expanded its reach at Booth and across the university, the social entrepreneurs who participate have developed even stronger business models and pitches. I’m proud to support their work.”
On May 30, UChicago will host another student entrepreneur competition, the New Venture Challenge. It is ranked one of the top accelerator programs in the U.S. and its winners have included top Chicago tech companies, such as Grubhub and Braintree.
