Building Chicago | Chicago

About this event

Overview: Join General Assembly and 1871 for a panel conversation and showcase of people and organizations who are actively building Chicago and helping to position it as a global contender.

Come together with Chicago’s emerging organizations, corporations, entrepreneurs, and artists for a night of exploring Chicago’s progress as an innovative city. Get a sneak peek of some of the city’s most cutting edge innovations, as local creators present their latest ideas and forecast the tech trends for Chicago - and globally - in 2017.

What You’ll Take Away: A series of lightning talks with leading experts and builders who are pushing Chicago’s tech scene and social innovation to the next level. Interactive product demos that offer a peek into tomorrow’s unicorns. Beers, networking, and local collaboration opportunities on how we can drive Chicago’s future as a center of global innovation.

Why It Matters: We all know the power of the Chicago tech and business ecosystem - with venture capitalists investing $1.04 billion across 128 deals in Illinois in 2016 and Chicago ranking as the nation’s top city for return on startup investment - but there’s so much more to be done across support, diversity, and growth.