Monday
Workplace of the Future - Real Estate is an engaging, interactive event series that gives individuals a glimpse into the next set of technologies that will shape the way real estate professionals work. The event will demonstrate how mixed reality, virtual reality (VR) and holographic technology is changing the way real estate is designed, bought, sold and furnished. Event at 1871 starting 9am and costs $50 to attend. More information here.
Tuesday
Cracking the code on diversity and inclusion: Join this 90 minute “think tank” style workshop that brings together startup founders, investors, tech executives, tech professionals, students, and other stakeholders in Chicago's tech ecosystem for a CANDID working session. In 90 minutes, they work together, inside the TLAS format, identify and align on the THREE most impactful, measurable solutions that could be implemented immediately. Event at 1871 starting 5:30pm, free to attend. More information here.
Technori hosts its monthly startup showcase at the Chase Auditorium in the Loop, with a special focus on women entrepreneurs this month to celebrate Women’s History Month. Kristi Ross of fintech platform dough/TastyTrade will be giving the keynote -- along with an all female roster of startups presenting. Technori also comes off two record-breaking showcases, where 4 companies have gone on to raise more than $300,000 equity crowdfunding from their stage. Tickets cost $20 and include a networking portion with what is frequently a packed house of Chicago tech enthusiasts.
Chi Hack Night/Smart Chicago's Women in Tech series welcomes Chicago Federation for Women as they share their Talk It Out initiative, a conversation series designed to spark understanding about gender bias and the ways it affects women and men. All Chi Hack Night events free to attend, more information here.
Mobile Growth meetup will be hosted at WeWork Grant Park, welcoming another round of mobile leaders (this time from Orbitz and Sprout Social) to share their growth stories and strategies. Free to attend, more information here.
#ILookLikeADeveloper: In an effort to get more women interested in coding and empowered to pursue the work they love General Assembly is partnering with several organizations to host a night of coding and fellowship. Come hear a quick panel of a few of their favorite female developers tell how they got in the industry, what the day to day looks like, which language to learn and then try your hand at writing your first line of code! Free to attend, held at GA’s SPACE location. More information here.
Wednesday
Chi Hack Night/Smart Chicago welcome a panel of creators and founders in Homan Square, with speakers Allyson Scrutchens of Forward Planning and Dima Elissa of VisMed-3D. More information here, free to attend.
Thursday
Both the University of Chicago and Northwestern University will be hosting startup showcases -- the former with the Polsky Incubator Demo Day and the latter hosting national competition Cupid’s Cup for the first time. Both events are free and open to the public.
Chi Hack Night/Smart Chicago conclude their month long partnership on women in tech with a panel of amplifiers of community voice. Speaking will be Andrea Hart of City Bureau, Aviva Rosman of Ballot Ready, and Tiana Epps-Johnson of Center for Tech and Civic Life -- at the DuSable Museum of African-American History. More information here, free to attend.
Friday
Building on previous community conversations, March's Connect Chicago Meetup will be a collaborative discussion about creating pathways from tech/digital skills training to entry level jobs. This Meetup will be centered on brainstorming new ideas, partnerships, and interventions for employment pathways in small groups. Framing the conversation will be Sprint and the nonprofit Youth Guidance who will discuss their emerging work in this area and the role cross-sector partnerships can play. Event starts at 11am at the Chicago Community Trust in the Loop, free to attend. More information here.
1871 will host its flagship collegiate entrepreneurial challenge, Campus 1871, all weekend that welcomes approximately 100 students from Chicagoland universities for an immersive startup extravaganza. The weekend will include Startup 101 crash courses, keynote speakers, mentorship, pitches, and a grand prize for the winning team. While registration is closed at this point for students who wish to participate, follow along @1871Chicago and #Campus1871 on Twitter for updates all weekend.
Columbia College hosts the launch of Startup Weekend Chicago for Creative Enterprises. Startup Weekends are 54-hour events designed to provide superior experiential education for technical and non-technical entrepreneurs. The weekend events are centered on action, innovation, and education. Tickets start at $25 and are meant for developers, designers, students and community members alike. More information here.
Saturday
Have you always wanted to learn how to build a web page but haven't had the time? Or maybe you're curious about a career in web development, but don't know if it's right for you? If either of these describes you, or you would just like to learn some code; set aside your Saturday and come to Coding Dojo's free, one day Intro-to-Code Workshop and learn the basics of web development. More information here.
