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The Rustandy Center’s Social Venture Studio (SVS) at Chicago Booth provides a launchpad for social entrepreneurs to turn ideas into real-world impact. Backed by a team of experts, SVS is open to all University of Chicago students who want to explore, build, or launch a social venture, no matter the stage of development. Beyond the program, SVS aims to support participants toward long-term success and equip them with the skills and networks they need to scale their impact.

The inaugural SVS cohort launched in January. In this story, SVS members Noah Alfman and Shai Basys share more about their involvement with the program. Alfman, an MPP student at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, explains how SVS has helped him tackle the issue of economic mobility and psychological well-being among young adults. Basys, an MBA student at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, shares how SVS has helped her develop solutions to simplify compliance for US childcare and development centers, reducing administrative burdens for early-childhood educators.

Why Join SVS?
Noah: I came to the University of Chicago to learn what drives social and economic inequality and what prevents people from having choices, a sense of agency, and hope for their future.

My main motivation for joining SVS was to leverage the resources of the Rustandy Center, assemble a team, and present ideas to others. More than anything, SVS has shown me the power of collaboration. There’s just no substitute for the value of working in teams and learning from the perspectives of others, whether that be peers or mentors. The resources and sense of community at SVS are invaluable, and the Booth ecosystem is full of opportunities to mix my passion with strategy.

Shai: Building a startup while pursuing an MBA is a balancing act. While my Booth curriculum offers amazing business skills like operations, marketing, sales, product development, AI, and financial modeling that are applicable to many career pathways, SVS bridges the gap between academic learning and practical startup building. 

The SVS cohort gave me the frameworks, tools, and network I needed to start applying my coursework to build my venture, CareLumi. For me, SVS embodies the belief that “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” Through this community, I’ve been able to refine the problem and revise our business model with continuous feedback and support from my peers, the staff, and faculty.

What Social Challenges Are You Interested in Addressing?
Noah: There are many systems creating psychological pain and stifling economic mobility for young people. Some of those systems are deeply entrenched in our society, like the policies, legislation, and institutions we’ve created.

I believe that education is one of the ways we could prevent a lot of the pain young people are facing before it even happens. Providing education (not solely through the traditional classroom-student structure) at scale is one of the efficient routes to creating meaningful change that can give individuals agency—a feeling of hope that they can create change in their own lives—and empower them to change those more entrenched systems.

I want to promote accessibility to the key drivers of economic mobility and equip people to flourish psychologically. My venture, Heroes, is an educational ecosystem that helps young people fulfill their fundamental needs, reach their potential, and find meaning in the service of others.

Shai: The US is facing a childcare crisis. Early-childhood educators and developmental therapists face a crisis of being overwhelmed, undervalued, and underpaid. The administrative burdens, lack of resources, and high turnover among educators not only affect a child’s quality of care but also prevent us from truly preparing future generations for an ever-changing world. By creating more efficient processes, leveraging technology, and championing policy reforms, I want to ensure every child receives the support they need and that no caregiver is overwhelmed by a system that should be there to help.

CareLumi aims to eliminate the administrative burden of care, starting with the early-childhood education and care (ECEC) sector. As an AI agent that automates compliance processes and data collection, CareLumi uses computer vision to assess handwritten forms, flagging illegible documents for correction before submission to state agencies; collects data from childcare center management systems, video surveillance, and wearable technology to autofill compliance forms and track child development data; cuts missed deadlines through calendar syncing and alerts for time-sensitive requirements; and monitors staff ratios, tracks background check expirations, and securely stores documentation for audits.

By reducing barriers for new providers and freeing up time for educators, CareLumi aims to save centers $1,600/month in staff hours redirected from paperwork to childcare, while reducing the risk of costly compliance violations and improving overall operational efficiency. Our agent helps them focus on what they do best—caring for children.

How Has SVS Helped You Build Your Social Venture?
Noah: Entrepreneurship often begins as an individual pursuit, and there are pros and cons to that. The SVS ecosystem is a place to see that you’re not the only one obsessed with an idea. On the more practical side, the mentors, access to resources, and peer learning are invaluable.

Shai: The Rustandy staff, faculty, and EIRs have been amazing! We’ve pivoted our solution and business model because they’ve helped us learn how to ask the right questions early. SVS office hours helped us define our North Star and think more strategically about our business model and unit economics—not just from the customer view but also for beneficiaries and users. The SVS staff also connected us with partners at the university and in the city who are now supporting our pilot. At every stage of our journey, attending the weekly SVS classes is helping us develop, refine, adapt, and validate our venture model. We still have a lot of work today, but I feel more confident going into the John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge course to launch our pilot.

What Has Been the Most Rewarding Part of Joining the SVS Cohort?
Noah: I think many of us come to graduate school with some level of imposter syndrome, especially when working on deeply personal ventures. Even if you’re committed to your idea, it doesn’t stop doubtful questions from arising, like: “Are my ideas going to work? Will people be willing to join the cause?” SVS is a space to get affirming answers to those questions as well as discover that everyone else is having them too. 

As I get more immersed in the social entrepreneur ecosystem here at Booth, I’m building new friendships with very impressive peers and meeting more mentors to learn from.

Shai: Learning from my peers! This is the first real experience I’ve had at Booth where I could interact with other students from the different graduate schools. It’s amazing to bounce ideas off of students at the med school, policy, law, and social work schools. It’s really helped our team think about the systemic issues of a broken early childhood care and development system in the United States, and think laterally about all of the tools we have to address this problem from technology to policy.

How Can We Keep Up with Your Venture and Continue to Support Your Mission?
Noah: Stay up-to-date on our work and learn more about us by visiting our website, . Sign up for our newsletter for updates, see the rest of our products and services, and learn more about us.

Shai: You can connect with CareLumi on ! We post updates, and we’d love to have more supporters follow our journey.