Christopher McGowan

Christopher McGowan is an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and serves as an Investor in Residence and Faculty Advisor to Booth’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. With a 29-year career in private equity, he co-founded CJM Ventures in 2011 after roles at AEA Investors and Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP), where he oversaw $2B+ in equity investments across industrial, consumer, and energy sectors. He teaches Booth’s Private Equity/Venture Capital Lab and Sterling Partners Investment Thesis Challenge, entering his 13th and 11th years respectively in 2023.

• Education:
  • B.S. in Theoretical Mathematics from Columbia University’s College of Arts and Sciences
  • MBA from Harvard Business School
• Investment Leadership:
  • General Partner, CJM Ventures (Chicago/London-focused growth equity)
  • Current board roles: 8th Light, Author Capital Partners, BigStep Cloud, Consumer Ventures, Innovare, Just Hot Tubs, Kinzie Capital, Leadership Lyceum, MetalSoft, Salem Cyber
  • Former board roles: Boise Cascade (NYSE:BCC), Kenna Security (acquired by Cisco), Rise Interactive (acquired by Quad), Autism Home Support Services
• Entrepreneurial Engagement:
  • Chairman, Hyde Park Venture Partners Fund I Limited Partner Advisory Committee
  • Chairman, Valley Growth Ventures Advisory Board
  • Active angel investor in 40+ startups including BallotReady, Clearcover, GeoFeedia, ShipBob, Techstars
• Institutional Involvement:
  • Former Trustee, Court Theatre (University of Chicago)
  • Former Board of Directors member at University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (9 years, including Development Committee leadership for $80M Lab+ campaign)
  • Current President of Friends of Walter Payton College Prep and SHSAA Board Trustee for Stuyvesant High School