Vegan Ice Cream Shop Runaway Cow Wins South Side Pitch Competition

CHICAGO—The Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship (IJ Clinic)’s 12th Annual South Side Pitch announced Runaway Cow, a vegan ice cream shop, as the winner with the help of a live audience. Runaway Cow took first place among the five finalists from the more than 160 businesses that applied.

Runaway Cow was founded by Alison Eichhorn, who grew up in a family that ran an ice cream parlor, and her partner Aaron Gutierrez. The shop opened in 2024 in Bridgeport. The company plans to use its $15,000 in prize money to purchase additional equipment that will allow it to serve more customers.

“People tell me all the time, ‘You know—this would do really well on the North Side—why didn’t you open this up over there?’ That was never an option for us; the South Side is our home and our community. Runaway Cow belongs in our community,” said Alison. “This shop was built for the South Side. It is so validating to be recognized for a business plan that challenges the assumptions of what people think belongs on the South Side, but even more exciting to see that the South Side is embracing us.”

“In the same week that the Nobel awards went to economists who researched the economic growth that depends on innovation, South Side Pitch celebrated innovators in a part of the economy that is often overlooked or undervalued,” said Beth Kregor, director of the IJ Clinic. “This year’s finalists are challenging the conventional wisdom about who can be an entrepreneur and where entrepreneurs belong.”

In addition to the grand prize, this year’s South Side Pitch awarded cash prizes to all the participants.

2nd Place: ChiBrations $10,000

3rd Place: Ahead Academy $6,000

4th Place: Framewrks $3,000

5th Place: Tawney Coffee $1,000

ChiBrations took home the $1,000 community favorite award determined by audience voting and won a special $2,500 award from the University of Chicago Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation for its work in the community to bring about positive social change.

The pitches by the finalists were made to four esteemed judges: Kim Close, Executive Director and founder of the Foundation of Little Village; Averil Edwards, Managing Counsel at United Airlines; Kelly Evans, Vice President of Entrepreneurship & Economic Development at the Chicago Urban League; and Terrence Johnson, Executive Director of Greenwood Archer Capital. Prior to the event, finalists met with experienced business coaches to prepare and sharpen their pitches.

The IJ Clinic, based at the University of Chicago Law School, empowers Chicago’s low-income entrepreneurs through free legal services, resources, and advocacy. This year’s contest was sponsored by United Airlines, the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation.