Chicago Inno (June 6) -- Over the last decade, universities across the state have launched and grown venture competitions to nurture home-grown talent. The University of Chicago’s New Venture Challenge, one of the first university venture programs, has risen to the top tier of accelerators nationwide. Universities such as Northwestern, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have used their venture competitions to complement entrepreneurial energy on campus.