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The 2023 Build and Launch Accelerator Demo Day
The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation today announced the 16 startups selected to participate in the 2025 Polsky Accelerators, 10-week summer programs open to all University of Chicago students and recent alumni.
Teams selected this year represent a variety of units from across UChicago including the College, Harris School of Public Policy, Chicago Booth School of Business, and alumni.
Ten teams were accepted into the Build track of the accelerator, designed for early-stage ventures. In this track, students spend their summer building the key elements of their venture and validating assumptions around their market or customers. Each Build team also receives a $7,000 non-dilutive grant.
The other six teams were accepted into the Launch track of the accelerator, designed for investment-ready teams to focus on fundraising, selling, and gaining and maintaining momentum. It includes a $10,000 investment in the business, networking opportunities with venture capitalists, and assistance in building pitch and fundraising decks.
All teams accepted receive funding including more than $100,000 in in-kind services such as web hosting and incorporation help, coaching from Polsky Center staff, mentorship from alumni entrepreneurs and Chicago-area investors, and weekly programming designed to help them overcome many of the hurdles to launching a business.
The teams selected for the Build and Launch tracks of the 2025 Polsky Accelerator are:
BUILD ACCELERATOR
CareLumi // CareLumi uses AI agents to automate compliance workflows for the early care market, helping childcare centers, pediatric therapy providers, and state agencies save time, reduce costs, and focus more on delivering quality care.
Coclo // Conveniently described as “Depop for campus”, Coclo is a circular fashion marketplace for college students. With AI listing assistance and streamlined meetup scheduling, the app makes buying and selling secondhand clothing on campus easier than ever. Coclo helps students declutter, makes high-end fashion brands accessible, and drives sustainability by reducing fashion waste.
CoThera // CoThera is a digital mental health companion that offers college students continuous, personalized support through guided reflection and real-time engagement on familiar communication channels. By generating actionable insights not only for the student, but for campus providers and administrators as well, CoThera bridges gaps in care, making mental health support more accessible, proactive, and data-driven across the university community.
Get Patched! // GetPatched! is a home diagnostic solution for patients with possible type 4 (delayed type hypersensitivity, poison ivy-like) allergies who are not able to or interested in having testing done in an office setting.
Hydrastack // Hydrastack is a technology platform that empowers casino gaming companies to build and deploy games with newfound speed and flexibility. Our ambition is to modernize the industry—and ultimately extend our technology to other industries that rely on similarly antiquated systems.
Indor // Indor is building a digital marketplace that allows small businesses to connect with athletes, form brand partnerships, and track the success of the brand relationships.
Levelrie // Levelrie is building the Spotify of Fashion to streamline the way women shop and style their closet. It is vertically integrating the shopping and styling journey: from outfit inspiration and shopping the looks, to using our Smart Closet tool to integrate what a user already owns into their shopping journey.
Neon Seoul // Neon Seoul is an alcoholic beverage company with a vision to bring soju – Korea’s national drink – to the American mainstream with an all-natural flavored soju that reimagines this iconic spirit for a new generation.
PantherNet // PantherNet is a digital platform designed to connect new clients and tattoo artists.
Uncle May’s Produce // Uncle May’s Produce is a scalable marketplace addressing inefficiencies in the food economy of historically marginalized communities.
LAUNCH ACCELERATOR
Exalt Data // Exalt is an AI-powered, subscription-based data platform that delivers real-time, geo-specific polling and insights to help public leaders, campaigns, and businesses authentically engage communities, starting with the Indian diaspora in the United States.
Gotchu // Gotchu is a peer-to-peer food delivery platform built on a social network that connects people through food. Friends, co-workers, and communities deliver to one another, making delivery more personal, affordable, and reliable than traditional services.
Grid CoOperator // Grid CoOperator is dedicated to enabling a resilient power grid and maximizing clean energy through intelligent planning and strategic investments in technology and infrastructure. Its mission is to drive sustainable energy solutions that benefit both the environment and society, ensuring a sustainable and more resilient future for all.
Ivy // Ivy’s Smart Matter technology shapeshifts into any object. Whether you’re looking to decorate a space with a moving sculpture or upgrade your 3D prototyping game, Ivy is here to make that happen.
(P)rind // (P)rind is crafting delicious high-protein, lactose-free, oven-baked parmesan pops from repurposed rinds—an overlooked, nutrient-dense byproduct.
Roxxem // Roxxem is an AI-powered platform that helps the 80 million global language teachers transform any song into interactive lessons and games.
To learn more about the Build and Launch Accelerators, contact Paul Cavalieri.
