As the nation continues to understand and recover from this year’s health and financial crises, we invite you to a discussion about finding success in entrepreneurship from the perspective of local founders, incubators, and investors. Over the years, Chicago has emerged as a tech hub that rivals the concentrated markets of our coastal competitors. Forbes reports that Illinois maintains a rate of startup growth at 68.85%, while Chicago holds the top slot for venture capital returns. Moreover, Inc. Magazine reports that Chicago has the highest concentration of women entrepreneurs in the nation. How has Chicago established itself as the Midwestern anchor for entrepreneurs and innovators? How has COVID-19 impacted this sector of business?

Chicago continues to grow its startup community and create innovative founders who lead new companies to sustainable success. The Executives’ Club invites you to join us on July 9^th for a conversation on what makes a startup company successful in Chicago and the effect of the global pandemic on local entrepreneurship.

A Harvard Business Review study showed companies spent $1.3 trillion in 2018 on digital transformation, yet the need to keep pace with ongoing operations interfered with their ability to complete the process, resulting in $900 billion in waste.

Enter COVID. Overnight, businesses and employees have been catapulted into a fully digital world. In this session, Margaret Mueller will engage Brad Keywell on how companies are frantically transferring their IT hardware investments to the cloud, the accelerating use of artificial intelligence, and the emergence of other tools that promise to increase productivity and revenue. Keywell will answer our burning questions, such as: How will COVID change what work looks like? In this new framework, how should companies adapt to survive now?  How are companies rethinking their strategies to thrive in the future?

The Executives’ Club of Chicago is pleased to present our annual Women in Technology Forum event. Originally scheduled in conjunction with Bring Your Child to Work Day on April 23^rd, this event remains a special opportunity for parents who are working from home to invite their children to listen in and participate this conversation. This discussion will focus on opportunities in Chicago to engage girls in STEM education and prepare them for studies and careers in technology. Whether you are a parent, child, manager, or CEO - our discussion will bring relevant insight for all. 

Chicago is poised to create an ideal pipeline for women in technology – top notch universities, the highest concentration of female founders in the US, and business and civic leaders dedicated to retaining tech talent. How can we create an inclusive environment, in both schools and businesses, which encourages women to enter and advance in the tech field?  

We are excited to bring you an expert panel of female tech executives, founders, non-profit leaders, and advocates to discuss how the Chicago community can support and bolster female tech talent from the classroom to career.  

We encourage all our guests to take advantage of a special offer to bring their child - boys and girls of all ages - to this event for free.

PLEASE NOTE: You will receive a second email on July 14 with the link to access the webinar. Please check your spam or junk folder in case the link is sent there.