The dog days of summer have crept up! Keep going nonstop with us with these top picks for civic tech events in Chicago:
All Month
Chicago Innovation Awards (make your nominations by July 31st!)
The Chicago Innovation Awards make Chicago a recognized hub of innovation by igniting a new narrative for our region, strengthening its economic future and building the spirit of innovation throughout the community.
July 6
500 Startups @ UChicago
5pm—7pm
Polsky Exchange – Promontory Point Meeting Room 1452 E 53rd St, 2nd Floor, Chicago
500 Startups is a global venture capital seed fund headquartered in Silicon Valley with over $350M in capital. The most active seed investor in the world, 500 Startups has invested in 1,800 technology startups across 60 countries the world since 2010.
On July 6, join Entrepreneur in Residence Mark Goldenson for an expert presentation on fundraising. Mark will dive into the details of creating a pitch deck with slide-by-slide tips and give advice on applying to 500 Startups next batch. Come with questions!
Dinner will be served.
July 11, 18, 25
Chi Hack Night
6pm—10pm
Braintree office 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, 8th Floor, Chicago
The Chi Hack Night is a free, weekly event in Chicago to build, share and learn about civic tech and tools to create, support, or serve public good.
Join us every Tuesday from 6-10pm on the 8th floor of the Merchandise Mart to hear from interesting speakers, learn from each other and work on civic projects. Non-techies are very welcome!
July 12
Chicago Innovation Summit
1pm—7pm
Harold Washington Library Center 400 S State St, Chicago
Chicago Innovation, The Executives’ Club of Chicago, and the Chicago Public Library have joined forces for the 2nd annual Chicago Innovation Summit. Featuring top innovation minds and leaders, this half-day event will unveil new ideas and strategies to help grow your business, as well as a showcase featuring innovative technologies of tomorrow.
July 13
The Future of IoT
9am—11am
TechNexus 20 N Wacker Dr, 12th floor, Chicago
The Internet of Things is moving from the “cool products” phase into a more mature, fully developed world where the focus is shifting from IoT-enabled products to how to establish the IoT-enabled Enterprise. Accommodating this shift will fundamentally be a function of leveraging the underlying data, and will require considerations about architectural deployment, security, privacy, and data primacy and governance.
ITA Tech on Tap: Cogeco Peer 1 on ITA Roofdeck
5:30pm—7:30pm
Civic Opera Building 20 N. Wacker Drive, 15th Floor, Chicago
You are invited to join Cogeco Peer 1 and ITA on the Civic Opera Building Roofdeck to celebrate summer, network and collaborate with your peers in the Chicago tech community.
July 18
Diversity & Inclusion: What, How & Why
9am—11am
TechNexus 20 N Wacker Dr, 12th floor, Chicago
Diversity and Inclusion has had quite the spot in the news lately as companies are trying to become more educated when it comes to attracting a diverse workforce and creating a more inclusive environment to help retain these employees. What does diversity in the workforce really mean? How should inclusion programs be implemented? Is there ROI in these programs or are they just the ‘right thing to do?’
Join a panel of professionals that are taking great strides in making their companies diverse and inclusive.