P33, the innovation-focused group that aims to boost Chicago's tech sector, has named co-founder Chris Gladwin as its new board chair following Penny Prtizker's appointment earlier this month as U.S. special representative for Ukraine's economic recovery.
Pritzker will take a leave of absence from P33's board of directors while she completes her service.
One of the creators of P33 and a board member since the organization's inception, Gladwin came to P33 as a six-time startup founder. He currently is the CEO and co-founder of Ocient, a data-analytics platform. He helped lead Cleversafe, a business he founded, to a $1.4 billion exit in 2015.
Born out of a desire to make Chicago a top-tier tech hub globally, P33 will look to continue to elevate Chicago tech sector through grant and federal funding opportunities, strategic partnerships and more. The group helped bring Gotion's $2 billion electric-vehicle battery factory to Illinois.
Gladwin sees his new role as less about "replacing" Pritzker and more like "taking the baton" from a trusted partner as he looks to continue to drive inclusive entrepreneurial opportunities and growth in Chicago. He shared his thoughts with Chicago Inno about taking the reigns from Pritzker in an interview here that has been edited for length and clarity.
How do you think your time as a startup founder has helped inform you for this role?
Founding multiple startups in Chicago has afforded me the opportunity to connect with and forge deep connections with local entrepreneurs and leaders in this city. Even before becoming board chair for P33, I’ve been dedicated to helping the upcoming entrepreneurs in this city forge these same kinds of connections, as they’re not only valuable when starting off as a new founder, they're hugely important to developing the inclusive, top-tier technology hub P33’s mission is dedicated to.
What are some of the big trends in Chicago tech that you're paying attention to most right now?
I think many current and future tech entrepreneurs are aware that, to be a business leader today, you can’t just be focused on the business; you also need to consider your organization’s impact on and commitment to a sustainable future. At Ocient, we’ve prioritized maximizing power efficiency and minimizing the carbon emissions of our high-performance data processing and analytics solutions, and I’m excited to work alongside entrepreneurs like Garry Cooper (CEO of Rheaply and a P33 board member) and others who are driving innovation in a variety of fields with sustainability at their core.
How do you think your time as a startup founder has helped inform you for this role?
I’ve had the privilege of putting together and leading some of the most intelligent, collaborative and driven teams throughout my career, and they’re such an important part of the success of any organization. As I step into this role as board chair for P33, the learnings I’ve gathered from building great teams will certainly roll into how I guide our P33 team as we continue our mission to drive impactful growth here in Chicago.
