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- 🤝 Chicago Communities on the Rise
Hey Friends! 🚙 👋🏽
Welcome to the 36th edition of the Driver’s Seat! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.
📍 Today’s Lineup:
🤝 Chicago Communities on the Rise
đź’° Illinois Federal Funding
đź“Š Chart of the Week
đź—ş Events Around the City
🔙 Previous Issues of the Driver’s Seat
Let’s dive in! 🚙 💨
🤝 Chicago Communities on the Rise
“To build an audience, you help people. To build a community, you help people help each other.”
Over the past year, I’ve seen a rise of niche tech communities / meetup groups in Chicago.
This tells me that there’s a growing desire for our tech ecosystem to connect, collaborate, and build together.
But more importantly, there’s intentionality behind why people are gathering.
The most productive communities optimize for intentional curation. They solve a very specific purpose.
Anyone can become a community builder, and I’ve shared my playbook for getting started in a previous edition👇🏽
Here are a few niche tech communities in Chicago that are on the rise:
AI Tinkerers Chicago is designed for AI practitioners to connect and show off mini-projects utilizing foundation models such as language models and generative AI. The next meetup takes place on Dec 5th. Learn more.
Genesis is the largest community of Gen Z entrepreneurs in the Midwest. Learn more.
imnotArt curates physical and digital NFT exhibitions / experiences for artists and innovators in Chicago. Learn more.
Keep It Crypto is a community for tech enthusiasts / creative minds to come together and explore the limitless possibilities of technology. Their first event (this week) will highlight women in tech. Learn more.
Build Illinois is an entrepreneurial community at UIUC that hosts events for creatives, artists, and founders. We’ll be hosting a hackathon with the Build crew next year. Learn more.
CPG Speakeasy connects early stage brands with the resources to accelerate their products. Learn more.
đź’° Illinois Federal Funding
Illinois has received significant federal funding from the Biden Infrastructure Bill in 2023, which will spark innovation across various tech sectors.
Confirmed Funding
We’ve secured $14B for more than 333 projects. Notable allocations include:
Infrastructure Transportation: $10.2B invested in major infrastructure transportation projects.
Public Transit: $1.7B allocated for enhancing public transit systems.
Midwest Hydrogen Hub: $1B dedicated to establishing this cutting-edge facility.
High-Speed Internet Access: $1B to connect 643,000 households with high-speed internet.
Clean Water Infrastructure: $751M for improving water infrastructure.
Energy and Grid Resilience: $305M aimed at boosting energy efficiency / fortifying the power grid.
EV Charging Networks: $85M to expand EV charging infrastructure.
Pending Funding
Additional projects that are awaiting approval:
Clean Energy Program: A proposed $1B from the EPA for clean energy initiatives.
Semiconductor Facility: A plan for an $11B semiconductor facility, promising to revolutionize the local tech landscape.
Innovate Illinois: A partnership being led by three of our major universities, which will focuses on science, technology, and climate initiatives, capitalizing on opportunities provided by the CHIPS and Science Act ($52B), the Inflation Reduction Act ($369B), and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ($1.2T)
Expect to hear more in the coming months as pending funding becomes grant awards.
đź“Š Chart of the Week
Chicago sits on the lower end of inflation (% change) in major cities.
This is important for our tech ecosystem because it’s connected to the cost of living / operational expenses that are crucial factors for startup success.
Lower inflation rates contribute to a more stable economic environment, attracting more tech investment / talent to our region.
We’ll continue to see startup salaries go much further in Chicago compared to hubs like SF / NYC.
🗺️ Events Around The City
Chicago Founder Night Out
Hosted by Founder Institute
Tuesday Nov 28
Bridging Tradition and Technology
Hosted by MATTER
Tuesday Nov 28
CPG Meetup
Hosted by CPG Speakeasy
Wednesday Nov 30
Women in Web3 Meetup
Hosted by Keep It Crypto
Thursday Nov 30
I’m heading to Cornell Tech this week to host our final AI Meetup on Campus of 2023. 👇🏽
If you’re a founder in nyc and want to meet up, shoot me a note!
đź‘‹ See you next week!
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for even more Chicago startup news and photos of my favorite restaurants in the city.
"Our infrastructure is keeping pace with our ambition.
If you travel from Hyde Park through Fulton Market and north to Evanston, you will see a string of lab facilities that are newly open or well under construction, ready to house the next generation of innovators."
Great… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
— Landon (@landon20s)
6:23 PM • Nov 16, 2023