Opening Words
There is no better introduction to Midway Ventures than a video that was produced by one of our senior associates, Christopher. During Winter Quarter, Chris helped Midway Ventures film and direct a cinematic Midway introduction video featuring some of our members to share more about the values that represent our organization and what we do. (Thank you for the amazing video, Chris!) The video nails what Midway is really about: the vibrant and diverse community, the entrepreneurial spirit, and bringing together the best people in startups and VCs.
Engagements
Midway had the privilege of working with 4 amazing startups this winter quarter. They come from a wide range of industries, from Fintech and social investing to healthcare biotech and AI-native B2B infrastructure. You can read up more about Midway did with the various startups this year:
Picnic with Polsky
We had the privilege of hosting over 70 students from Midway Ventures, Alpha Kappa Psi, and beyond for Picnic with Polsky, one of our favorite events of the quarter. Moderated by Sophie Yang from Midway Ventures and Yero Diamanka from Alpha Kappa Psi, the conversation brought together four incredible panelists: Oliver Drazsky, Founder of Kepos; Ilana Habib, Principal at Cintrifuse Capital; Brad Schnitzer, Managing Director of the Northwestern Medicine & Techstars Healthcare Accelerator; and Ritu Sreenivasan, Founder of MOOJ Foods and Chicago Booth MBA. Each of them opened up about their entrepreneurial journeys, the lessons they picked up along the way, and real, practical tips for students looking to build something of their own. Good food, great speakers, and a room full of passionate, driven college students interested in the Chicago startup ecosystem. Safe to say that everyone left feeling full and inspired.
Midway Socials
Of course, it is not all about serious business at Midway. This winter quarter, we made sure to have our fair share of fun too. We hosted a casual dinner at Minghin where we egregiously over-ordered dim sum (no regrets) and spent the evening talking about everything from VCs and startups to philosophy to winter break plans. We also threw a social at an apartment where the games got really competitive and the energy was just unmatched. At the end of the day, moments like these are what make Midway more than just a club, and more like a community built on more than just shared interests. We also brought back the family system, where every newer member in Midway gets paired up with someone more experienced.
Midway Ventures @ CNVC
The College New Venture Challenge (CNVC) is the undergraduate track of the Polsky Center's nationally ranked New Venture Challenge, one of the top startup accelerator programs in the country. Run as a credit-bearing course during Winter quarter, the CNVC brings together student founders to develop and pitch their business plans to a panel of investors, entrepreneurs, alumni, and faculty. This year, seven finalist teams competed on March 6 for a share of $330,000 in total investment.
We're very proud to have had two Midway members participate in this year's CNVC. Pranav competed with Convergence, and Lauren Mitchell made it all the way to the finals with Scout, a private markets infrastructure platform that helps financial advisors connect their clients with emerging private fund managers. It standardizes the entire process from discovery to diligence to distribution, making it easier for accredited investors to access differentiated private funds. Lauren and her team walked away with $60,000 in funding, a major milestone for Scout and a proud moment for Midway Ventures. We're incredibly excited to see where both of them take their ventures from here.
Conclusion
Winter quarter has been one for the books. From supporting four incredible startups across fintech, biotech, AI, and social investing, to hosting events like Picnic with Polsky, Midway has continued to grow in both depth and breadth of what we do. But beyond the deliverables and the events, what made this quarter truly special was the people. The new members who stepped up in their roles, the teams who put in countless hours of work in their engagements, and the community that constantly showed up for each other both inside and outside of Midway. We are so excited for what Spring has in store, and we simply cannot wait to keep on building.