Civic Tech in Chicago — May’s Top Events

| MSFT Chicago Staff

How do you spend your May in Chicago? Weekend architecture tours? Picnics by the river? Trips to the Lakes?

For us, May is all about civic tech. Here are our top picks for events this month:

May 3

Spring 2017 Graduate Student & Postdoc Innovation Mixer
5:00pm-7:00pm
Polsky Exchange – Promontory Point Meeting Room 1452 E 53rd St, 2nd Floor, Chicago

The UChicago Graduate Student and Postdoc Innovation Mixer is an opportunity for graduate students and postdocs cross the University of Chicago to experience the Polsky Exchange, meet one-another, and spark interdisciplinary collaborations. This will be a great opportunity to meet other like-minded individuals and even find new teammates for any research project or business idea you’re working on.

Chicago AquaHacking Kick-off Event
8:30am-11:30am
Illinois Institute of Technology Downtown Campus Institute of Design, 7th Floor 565 West Adams Street, Chicago

AquaHacking is an annual multi-disciplinary hackathon for generating ideas to conserve the Great Lakes. Hosted by the Canada-based de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation, AquaHacking 2017 will focus on ideas to solve challenges facing Lake Erie. Join us for a kick-off meeting for Chicago’s AquaHacking team! Teams to develop solutions to pitch in late May to compete in semi-finals in June (teams will meet as-needed through May to develop solutions).

May 4

Blue Sky Social at WeWork
6:00pm
WeWork 20 W. Kinzie St., Chicago

Join us as Blue Sky Innovation hosts the latest event in its networking series, Blue Sky Social, presented by Gentleman Jack. This event will take place at WeWork Kinzie ⇒, a coworking space in River North.

May 9

2017 Clean Energy Trust Challenge
8:30am-7:00pm
Venue SIX10 610 S Michigan Ave, Chicago

Clean Energy Trust invests in the entrepreneurs leading the clean technology revolution from the Midwest. Our vision is to develop a thriving, frictionless innovation ecosystem in the Midwest for energy and resource technology startups.

The Clean Energy Trust (CET) Challenge is our flagship program in which we invest $1 million in promising early-stage cleantech startups. The final event combines live pitches with presentations by leading clean energy thinkers and doers.

What began in 2010 as a simple business plan competition to jumpstart the local ecosystem with cash prizes totaling $140,000 has now grown into the most competitive and high-profile investment opportunity for cleantech startups in the Midwest.

Since the first CET Challenge, startups have received $4M in funding, raised over $100 million in follow-on funding, and created over 300 new jobs.

May 16

ADA 25 Advancing Leadership lunch
12:00pm-1:30pm
Microsoft 200 E. Randolph Street, Chicago

Please join Steve Solomon of Exelon and Shelley Stern Grach of Microsoft for lunch to explore how Chicago’s civic landscape can become more inclusive.

We will introduce you to ADA 25 Advancing Leadership, a growing Chicago network of leaders with disabilities, and brainstorm how we can help infuse this missing dimension of diversity in Chicago’s civic life.

May 18

Bunker Labs 3rd Annual Muster Across America
12:00pm-7:30pm
1871 Chicago 222 West Merchandise Mart Plaza, 12th Floor, Chicago

Bunker Labs, a 501(c)(3) organization committed to veteran entrepreneurship is excited to announce the 3rd annual “Muster” conference. This year we invite veterans, corporate partners and innovators to come, bring their best ideas and develop new connections and insights. Last year’s event drew over 350 participants and won praise as “the most exciting innovative veterans’ event I have ever been to.” This year’s program will bring together over 400 participants and partners for a full day of veteran entrepreneurs networking, keynote speakers, and will feature our Launch Lab where we’ll build an entire business in ONE day.

May 23

“Cybersecurity: Its Impact on Our Daily Lives”
12:00pm-1:30pm
Holland & Knight 131 S Dearborn St., Chicago

Experts discuss the reality of cyber attacks and the need for security in business, government, banking, and our private lives.

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