Booth-Kellogg ETA Conference
At a Glance
If you attend one ETA event a year, this is the one: the density of investors, searchers, and operators in a single Chicago day is unmatched.
- Pricing
- One-Time, Registration priced by attendee type, and the 2026 page (13th annual, October 30, 2026) posts the tiers: a student ticket at $125, a Booth and Kellogg alumni ticket at $150 and general admission at $200 (etaconference.com, September 2026).
- Best For
- Anyone deciding between search paths who wants a year of conversations in one day: capital providers, current searchers, and operators all attend
- Roadmap Stages
- 1. Learn & Choose Your Path
Pros and Cons
Pros
- The academic anchor event of the ETA calendar, with the deepest investor attendance of any single day
- Panels run from first-decision questions through operating, so it serves every stage
- University hosting keeps registration accessible relative to industry conferences
Cons
- One day in one city; if you miss October in Chicago you wait a year
- Networking density favors people who arrive with a clear ask and follow-up plan
- MBA-centric framing; self-funded main-street buyers are a minority of programming
What Searchers Say
Widely treated as the ETA event of the year; searchers and funds plan travel around it, and capital providers active in the category sponsor or attend. Searchfunder threads regularly organize meetups around the date.
Compared Head-to-Head
On the Calendar
Booth-Kellogg ETA Conference October 30, 2026, with the city, the way in and the price the host publishes.