Fireside chat and founder story: Michael Polsky

5:00–6:00 pm Chicago Booth Harper Center, Room 104

5807 S Woodlawn Ave

Advancing STEM Careers with an Entrepreneurial Mindset

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Join the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation for a conversation with Michael Polsky, founder of clean energy giant Invenergy, as he digs into the special challenges of STEM-focused careers and how cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset can help all science, technology, and business innovators find success. Moderated by Jay Schrankler, head of the Polsky Center.

// About Michael Polsky

Michael Polsky is a Ukrainian-born serial entrepreneur, energy expert, and visionary.

An engineer and energy pioneer for over four decades, Polsky is the founder and CEO of Invenergy, the largest privately held developer, owner, and operator of sustainable energy and infrastructure solutions in the world. Prior to Invenergy, he founded two other successful energy companies.

Driven by Polsky’s vision, Invenergy has led the clean energy revolution, expanding from thermal generation to wind and solar, and is now paving the way for next generation technologies including energy storage, offshore wind, transmission, and clean water. In 2022, the company’s 2,000 employees celebrated 30-gigawatts of clean energy projects developed across 30 U.S. states and four continents since Invenergy's inception 21 years ago.

Invenergy invests heavily in project communities through an impact program shaped by Polsky’s philanthropic values. His humble roots ignited a commitment by him and his family to giving back to many causes including education, entrepreneurship, climate and sustainability, healthcare, women’s rights, immigration, veterans, and arts and culture. Most recently, Polsky’s philanthropic efforts have been focused on his native Ukraine to ensure the well-being of Ukraine’s people, the nation’s victory, and ultimate reconstruction.

Michael Polsky is the namesake of the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago.

Event Type

Broad Audience

Feb 14