Here are our picks for the best networking events, fireside chats and pitch sessions in Chicago for the month of August. If you have a submission, feel free to email ugandhi@americaninno.com.
Week 1: August 1 - August 6
Wednesday, August 2
Disrupting work with wearable tech: Join Lockheed Martin, TechNexus, Proxfinity and more as meetup group We Are Wearables Chicago will explore how the emerging trend is changing HR, safety, communications, or workplace efficiencies in various industries. Free to attend, held at TechNexus.
Thursday, August 3
Free Coworking and Financial Advising at COCO West Loop: Try coworking for a day free of cost at COCO West Loop, along with a bonus: Lake Growth Financial advisors will be on hand to discuss financial planning from 10am to 2pm. Free.
Data Analytics + Business Intelligence: Join Chicago's fintech incubator FinTank as it continues its Data Analytics + Business Intelligence (BI) series, showcasing how to best leverage company data to make smart decisions. "The purpose of the monthly BI meetup is to foster networking, collaboration, and ideation among BI developers and business professionals", according to FinTank. Free.
Product Innovation: the process and strategy of value delivery: A panel of product managers from Capital One, EX3 Labs, Tempus and Catalytic, with experience across product stages and innovation levels will engage audience on how to tackle innovation with process, strategy, and experimentation. $10 to attend, held at Pivotal's Merchandise Mart space.
iVenture (UIUC Accelerator) Summer Demo Day: Join University of Illinois student entrepreneurs as they pitch their startups to investors after a summer spent in the accelerator program on campus. This event is free and open to the public, held at Avant.
Week 2: August 7 - August 13
Monday, August 7
MIT Sloan Women's Alumnae Panel: Creating Ideas Made to Matter - Chicago: Attend a networking event featuring a panel of local Sloan alumnae. The event includes a networking component, a TED-style talk, a panel, and a networking reception to discuss "Ideas Made to Matter". Event held at the Marriott hotel downtown, free to attend.
Wednesday, August 9
Next Gen: Entrepreneurs You Should Know: From mental health apps to AI to culinary creations, 5 young Chicago-area teen entrepreneurs (including these two which we have previously profiled) that are already turning ideas into reality will share their perspectives on the 1871 stage. Free to attend.
FBI's View on Cybersecurity and IoT: FBI Special Agent Daniel Wierzbicki will talk to the Midwest's premier and largest IoT group, the Connected Intelligence Foundation, on the cyberthreat and security view from the FBI and potential impact on IoT. Held at 1871, free to attend.
The Ever Changing World of Fintech: According to Deloitte Consulting’s Interim Hub Review this year, Chicago ranked at #5 out of 44 global fintech hubs. Listen to representatives from the brokerage, equity crowdfunding, lending, and financial reporting industries. A Q&A session will follow the panel. Free event, held at Morningstar.
Thursday, August 10
The Innovation Doctor Is In: Chicago Innovation and the Executive's Club of Chicago brings a panel of "doctors" -- innovation experts from Illinois Tech, Northwestern, and the School of the Art Institute -- to "diagnose" underlying "ailments" of startups Modobag, Edovo, the Mom Project and Proxfinity, while "prescribing business cures." Event held at mHub, tickets start at $20.
Beyond.Uptake Showcase: Chicago-based predictive analytics company Uptake has a fellowship program designed to connect "data professionals at non-profits, foundations, and social enterprises to experts in data science." Join the first round of data fellows in learning more about problems they have spent the last six months applying data science towards. Free to attend and held at Uptake's offices.
Week 3: August 14 - July 20
Tuesday, August 15
Networking & Resume Workshop With ITA: Join the Illinois Technology Association's Director of Talent Programs Trisha Degg to gain a better understanding of best practices in networking, interviewing and other career strategies. Event organized by nonprofit group Girl Develop It. $10, held at TechNexus.
Wednesday, August 16
Taking The Lead: Women Leaders in Tech Sales: Join Sales Assembly for an opportunity to network and connect with women sales influencers and leaders, and hear from 5 women who have navigated building a career in tech sales. More information here, email hello@salesassembly.co for an event registration code. The event will be held at Sprout Social's new HQ and will include a time for networking.
Illini Startups presents: Raising Money on Kickstarter (hosted by mHub and Tovala): How did Tovala use Kickstarter's platform to go from nothing to 2.5 times their funding goal, and then onto a successful seed funding round as well? Illini Startups brings Tovala's Peter Fiflis (Illini Ph.D. ’16), the Product Lead at Tovala who saw the startup's smart oven go from MVP to shipping, and Alex Solomon, Marketing Director (who has a background in advertising strategy) to speak at mHub. Free to attend.
Chicago Inno's ChicagoFest 2017: On Wednesday, August, 16th at Galleria Marchetti in River West, we'll be hosting Chicago Fest, our annual summer celebration of and for the city's innovators, featuring lawn games, live music, cold libations, food trucks, tech talk, the Coolest Companies Competition, and much, much more. It's a fun, social fest that's set up specifically for you, our readers. Learn more and get tickets here.
Thursday, August 17
Passing the Torch: Next-Gen Chicago Innovators: 1871 CEO Howard Tullman will join Catalytic CEO Sean Chu, ThinkCERCA CEO Eileen Murphy and Outcome Health CEO Rishi Shah at this City Club of Chicago luncheon. Tickets start at $35 for members and include lunch. There will be a livestream available as well.
Saturday, August 19
Women in Linux Summit 2017: Women in Linux is a community supporting women in Linux-centric tech careers. According to its website, the group "hosts an active educational podcast, a job board for open Linux career opportunities, and a database of scholarships and resources for students in computer sciences, engineering and tech." It will host a virtual summit on Saturday, August 19 with presentations and opportunities to connect and network. Tickets start at $75.
Weeks 4: August 21 - August 27
Monday, August 21
Solar Eclipse: On Monday, August 21, Chicago will have the best possible partial view of a solar eclipse it's had in 92 years. The Adler Planetarium and other organizations are hosting viewing parties for kids and adults alike, for those not making the trip to Carbondale, Ill., which is one of the best places in the country to view the eclipse in total. Chicago Magazine has a neat guide on helping you decide if making the trip to Carbondale is worth it.
Tuesday, August 22
iPhone Photography for Picture Perfect Photos: This digital media class will teach small business owners on how to use a smartphone device to jumpstart any project with high quality. Learn everything from lighting, to angles, and how to take self portraits. The instructor, A’darah Jackson, is the Lead Visual Branding Strategist at Queensview Creative Studios. Free to attend and held at DePaul's Loop campus, register here.
Wednesday, August 23
Smart Scaling for Startups: Join Chicago Inno and Chicago Business Journals at this event held at 1871 and sponsored by CDW. Two panels moderated by Chicago Inno's own Jim Dallke will discuss obstacles that companies and entrepreneurs face at different stages of growth. CDW will also share more about their business solutions that have helped companies grow. Panelists represent a cross section of startups, established companies, entrepreneurship educators, angel investment professionals and more. Tickets are $20.
Marketing for the Greater Good: How To Put A Dent on Poverty & Homelessness: Organized by VisualFizz, this event seeks to better utilize tech for the greater good of our communities, specifically for the challenge of homelessness. The event will start with a small breakout session to discuss current state of the topic, important questions, problems, variables, and finally, solutions. Tickets are $15, and the event will donate 50% of ticket proceeds towards "taking immediate action to help improve the current state of the problem(s) in our Chicago communities", if a plausible solution is discovered at the event.
STEM Stars: Help Your Daughters Shine In STEM: Join mHub for a girls-only evening hosted by GE Fuse in partnership with great local maker organizations for women and girls. According to the event description, "girls will be provided hands-on opportunities to learn about laser cutting, 3D printing and electronics; hear from a variety of young women in STEM careers; and get a chance to have fun with science, technology, engineering and math." There will also be a separate program for parents who wish to stay, while the girls explore the event in a science-fair setting. Free to attend, register here.
Thursday, August 24
3.8 Launch and Mixer: Join Northwestern University, MATTER, Horizon Pharma and Takeda as they launch "3.8" (named after International Women's Day), an initiative designed to further representation of women in healthcare startup leadership. Only 21% of board members for Fortune 500 healthcare companies are women, while women make up half the workforce of these companies, according to published data. 3.8 aims to bridge this gap by placing established female healthcare executives on the boards of MATTER member companies. Free to attend the launch event, register here.
Northwestern's Summer Demo Day: NU incubator The Garage’s Summer Pre-Accelerator Program, Wildfire, will host its end-of-summer demo day, with 12 student teams showcasing startups for a prize pool of $10,000 of capital. Open to the public and free to attend, held at NU's Evanston campus.
Five to Nine: The 2 Year Bash: Five to Nine is an offline and online community in Chicago aiming to connect young professionals, innovative entrepreneurs, educators and more over shared experiences, panels, and networking events. The community will celebrate its 2nd anniversary with a networking bash in the Loop. Tickets are $15-25.
Week 5: August 28 - August 31
Monday, August 28
Machine Learning and Public Policy: Commemorating a new evening master's program in public policy at 1871, the University of Chicago Harris School will host a panel on applications of machine learning techniques to policy problems, particularly those that hinge on making predictions. Register here to attend this free event.
Tuesday, August 29
Polsky Accelerator Summer Demo Day: One of the more highly regarded startup accelerators in the country, the University of Chicago's Polsky Center has seen alumni companies going on to raise over $10 million in funding, with successes like BallotReady and MoneyThink. This summer, 9 teams headquartered at the Center received investment, office space, mentorship and more over the course of the summer -- and will present to an event open to the public at the school's downtown campus. Free to attend, register here.
Chicago Startup Founder Night Out: Join the Anita Borg Institute's Chicago chapter & The Founder Institute for an evening of great networking. Local Chicagoland entrepreneurs & technology CEOs will be in attendance to share business ideas. Pay your own tab.
Wednesday, August 30
1871 & IHCC Hispanic Technology Showcase: After a challenging incubator journey with 1871 and the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Latinx entrepreneurs will pitch their businesses to the Chicago innovation community. Register here to attend this free event.
