Tommy Ma spent years watching Silicon Valley’s ripest opportunities remain out of reach for even the most well-capitalized global investors. The problem? Not capital, but access. Today, as co-founder and managing partner at Armaro Capital, Tommy is bridging the gap, underpinned by his lifetime of experience connecting people across communities, industries, and geographies.
Booth entrepreneur Ade reflects on the pivots, failures, and resilience that shaped his startup journey — from an early venture shutdown to co-founding a new brain-health startup now competing in the Social New Venture Challenge. His story is ultimately about learning how to “wobble well” when entrepreneurship doesn’t go according to plan.
Booth’s first student-led Breast Cancer Awareness Run/Walk brought together 40+ participants who logged over 120 miles in support of early detection, healing, and community
Booth recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the UChicago China Forum, bringing together over 300 students, diplomats, founders, and academics for a full day of dialogue on U.S.-China collaboration. Co-hosted by the Greater China Club and CSSA, the event featured panels on AI, fintech, consumer brands, and healthcare innovation. The Forum underscored Booth’s ongoing commitment to global exchange and thought leadership.
How is AI transforming the world – and how can future business leaders keep up? At Chicago Booth’s 7th Annual Technology Conference, students, alumni, and tech innovators from companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Capital One gathered to explore how emerging technologies like AI are reshaping industries and everyday experiences.
Professor Mike Minnis gives an inside look at his role supporting Booth’s faculty, from hiring leading researchers to shaping curriculum. He reflects on memorable faculty debates, shares what’s ahead with the new Applied AI group, and offers advice on how students can build meaningful connections with professors.
The new GBC executive team, “Boothies on the Ground,” is committed to making the MBA experience more connected, transparent, and valuable with a fresh slate of initiatives - from earlier Booth-wide programming, to increased advocacy feedback sessions - the team aims to meet Boothies where they are, both literally and figuratively.
Will Blanchard, an entrepreneurial “3rd Year” in the part time program has been awarded $50k in prize money for his business WattShift. The Chicago based technology company creates energy optimization algorithms to help homes use cheaper, greener power.
Recent changes to Booth’s class bidding system, driven by the integration of new Master’s in Management (MiM) and Master’s in Finance (MiF) programs, have left MBA students frustrated and concerned. Issues like uneven bid point allocation, lack of communication, and increased competition for popular courses are disrupting academic plans and class dynamics. With tensions rising over fairness and the quality of the Booth experience, students are calling for urgent administrative action to address these challenges.
For the first time, Booth students played a role in choosing artwork for the Harper Center, voting overwhelmingly for abstract prints by Chinese American artist David Diao. This collaborative initiative, led by Professor Canice Prendergast, allowed students to voice their preferences between Diao's colorful pieces and Japanese photographer Daidō Moriyama's monochromatic urban scenes. Boothies helped shape their environment, bringing a personalized, expressive touch to their classroom space.
Dana Fink recounts the Booth Wine Club experience competing in blind bordeaux tasting at the French Consulate in New York.
PEOPLE AND CAREERS
Torn between FOMO and exhaustion? One overcommitted 2Y has perfected the art of doing everything, sleeping almost never, and pretending it is all “for the community.” Here are his unhinged tips for maximizing your pay-it-forward karma and surviving Booth with dignity mostly intact.
Community has been at the heart of everything we’ve done so far. We’ve focused on creating more moments of connection through events like Mix-It-Up Dinners, Fall Ball, and other opportunities for Boothies to spend time together outside the classroom. On the program-value side, we’re continuing to make flagship experiences more affordable and accessible by subsidizing keynote events, scaling up successful initiatives from prior years, and still creating space for new, experimental ideas. We’re incredibly proud to have established clear boundaries between the MBA program and the specialized master’s programs. And for transparency, we’ve committed to being visible and approachable. That means quarterly tabling on campus, regular updates, and finding creative ways to keep students informed about how decisions get made and where student fees go.
Meet your newly elected Graduate Council Representatives from Booth: Charles Wang (Full-Time), Claire Chen (Evening/Weekend), Yao Dong (Evening), and Chad Schmerling (PhD). From advocating for inclusive governance and organizing cross-school engagement to championing student concerns and interdisciplinary collaboration, these leaders are committed to building a more connected, responsive, and vibrant campus experience for all Boothies.
Balancing coursework, recruiting, and treks stretch the MBA calendar, adding dating to the mix raises a new set of strategic questions. This piece examines how students approach relationships in that compressed environment, from maintaining a pre-MBA partnership to deciding whether to date within the class or look beyond campus.
NEWS
Tommy Ma spent years watching Silicon Valley’s ripest opportunities remain out of reach for even the most well-capitalized global investors. The problem? Not capital, but access. Today, as co-founder and managing partner at Armaro Capital, Tommy is bridging the gap, underpinned by his lifetime of experience connecting people across communities, industries, and geographies.
Booth entrepreneur Ade reflects on the pivots, failures, and resilience that shaped his startup journey — from an early venture shutdown to co-founding a new brain-health startup now competing in the Social New Venture Challenge. His story is ultimately about learning how to “wobble well” when entrepreneurship doesn’t go according to plan.
Booth’s first student-led Breast Cancer Awareness Run/Walk brought together 40+ participants who logged over 120 miles in support of early detection, healing, and community
Booth recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the UChicago China Forum, bringing together over 300 students, diplomats, founders, and academics for a full day of dialogue on U.S.-China collaboration. Co-hosted by the Greater China Club and CSSA, the event featured panels on AI, fintech, consumer brands, and healthcare innovation. The Forum underscored Booth’s ongoing commitment to global exchange and thought leadership.
How is AI transforming the world – and how can future business leaders keep up? At Chicago Booth’s 7th Annual Technology Conference, students, alumni, and tech innovators from companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Capital One gathered to explore how emerging technologies like AI are reshaping industries and everyday experiences.
Professor Mike Minnis gives an inside look at his role supporting Booth’s faculty, from hiring leading researchers to shaping curriculum. He reflects on memorable faculty debates, shares what’s ahead with the new Applied AI group, and offers advice on how students can build meaningful connections with professors.
The new GBC executive team, “Boothies on the Ground,” is committed to making the MBA experience more connected, transparent, and valuable with a fresh slate of initiatives - from earlier Booth-wide programming, to increased advocacy feedback sessions - the team aims to meet Boothies where they are, both literally and figuratively.
Opinion
This piece challenges the culture of silence in business schools and asks – what kind of leaders are we becoming if we refuse to speak up for what we believe in?
Was Vegas really better under the Mob, or are we just remembering the free steaks? In this piece, Christian Bohren (‘26) unpacks the city’s evolution and the psychology behind why the past feels better than it was.
For Chahat Kapila, the year 2023 wasn’t just about matriculating at Booth—it was also the year she rediscovered the joy of reading for leisure. What started as a holiday deep dive into Manacled, a Harry Potter-meets-Handmaid’s Tale fanfiction, turned into a year-long literary journey spanning fantasy, murder mysteries, and more. Along the way, she gathered book recommendations from fellow Boothies, covering everything from startup struggles to Bollywood fandoms. Whether you’re looking to reignite your love for reading or just need your next great read, there’s something here for everyone.
Humor
Apartments at Booth are a funny thing. From the rambunctious nature of MPP to the bilingual hallways of Cascade to the lesser-known quirks outside the Loop, each residence exudes its own unique character. Let’s poke fun at how each of them plays a role in defining the Booth experience.
For anyone seeking solidarity after striking out in interviews or looking for how not to comfort a friend who didn’t land the job, well-intentioned but less than tender words of encouragement from Laura’s dad.
Evening/Weekend
Between late-night study sessions, endless cups of coffee, and life's unexpected curveballs, the Booth part-time MBA journey is anything but ordinary. This is a candid, slightly chaotic, and a very real take on the growth, resilience, and friendships that shape the experience. If you've ever questioned your sanity mid-quarter (or mid-caffeine crash), this love letter is for you.
It’s during this time of the year in April when a majority of regions in South Asia celebrate their traditional new year. It usually falls right around the middle of April, coinciding with the end of the harvest season and the beginning of a new season (while we hope we’ve seen the last of flurries here in Chicago). This year, it runs very close to Eid as well. There’s no better time than now to put the club in the spotlight!
Life & Culture
A feature of Harriet Spears (Booth ‘25) and Samriti Chandi (Booth ‘26) new nonprofit, Emerging Donor Alliance (EDA), a finalist in the 2025 Social New Venture Challenge accelerating philanthropy among young professionals in Chicago
In a world where laptops, tablets, and phones are always glowing, the classroom has quietly become just another place to multitask. But what if we are robbing ourselves of the very education we came here for? Luke argues that real learning requires the courage to disconnect.
“Most of us sprint through Harper Center in search of caffeine, classes, or free lunch, never realizing we are passing a world-class art collection. We took the Harper Art Tour with Professor Canice Prendergast, and now we can’t unsee the masterpieces hiding in plain sight.”
Starting my MBA, I pictured a life with skyscraper views, a quick commute to school, and just enough comfort food nearby to survive my lack of cooking skills. MPP checked every box, and added an indoor pool as a bonus I pretend I use regularly.
MPP isn’t just an apartment building. For many Boothies, it serves as our unofficial dorm, social hub, and crisis response center all in one.
Recent changes to Booth’s class bidding system, driven by the integration of new Master’s in Management (MiM) and Master’s in Finance (MiF) programs, have left MBA students frustrated and concerned. Issues like uneven bid point allocation, lack of communication, and increased competition for popular courses are disrupting academic plans and class dynamics. With tensions rising over fairness and the quality of the Booth experience, students are calling for urgent administrative action to address these challenges.