Music, film, fashion, sports, gaming, immersive tech — Chicago’s creative industries are converging with world-class manufacturing, enterprise infrastructure, and a rising founder community. What’s been missing is a stage.
The Chicago Media & Entertainment Tech Summit fills that gap: a high-impact gathering of founders, investors, and industry leaders at the forefront of the creative economy.
Presented By:
Good Chaos
Coleman Foundation
Dell Technologies
Community Partners:
World Business Chicago
Women in Music Chicago
Music Tectonics
RLD Foundation
VRAR Chicago
Shure
Capitalize VC
Pro 4:7 Ventures
Mindset Ventures
Unreal Engine Chicago
Chicago Innovation
mHUB
Frontier Mission Network
McEntee Law Group
A lot of networking events revolve around the same question: “So, what do you do?”
We’re trying something different.
Join us during TechChicago Week for the Milna Launch Party — an evening of good people, food, drinks, music, and the first public look at what we’re building.
Milna started as a Chicago event series for deeper conversations. Now, it’s becoming something bigger: an app and community that helps people stay close through voice stories, thoughtful prompts, and simple rituals.
On July 23rd, during TechChicago Week, we’re bringing the next chapter to life at TeamWorking by TechNexus.
Expect a room full of founders, operators, creatives, community builders, and other people who are tired of surface-level networking. There’ll be DJs, a silent disco, limited merch drops, games, and live recording stations.
Come hang, meet someone new, and leave with one better question to ask someone you love.
Hosted by Milna and TeamWorking.
What to expect
– DJs + silent disco
– Food + your first drink included
– Short founder story and first look at what we’re building
– Games + activations
– Limited merch drops
Schedule
6:00 PM — Doors open, food, drinks, music, and games
7:00 PM — Welcome + first look at Milna
7:15 PM — Silent disco and more fun
9:00 PM — Event ends
Startup Grind Chicago is proud to bring you the 10th Annual Summer Launch Party, featuring THE most unique pitch competition you’ve ever seen.
It’s a night of food, drinks, community vibes, and the world’s greatest pitch competition.
HOW IT WORKS:
-We’re selecting up to 8 startups to pitch on stage. APPLY TO PITCH HERE – APPLICATION LIVE UNTIL JUNE 21
-All attendees get a handful of fake money handed to them at the door. This is how you vote later on.
-Each startup gets 2 minutes to pitch with NO slides, followed by Q&A from our judges panel.
-After all the startups have pitched, the founders have 10 minutes to go into the crowd and try to ‘raise capital’ from the audience. You decide how you’d like to dole out your fake money. Whoever has raised the most money after the 10-minute scramble is declared the winner!
The winning startup gets a cash prize, a package of direct 1-on-1 investor intros, software credits, and more!
Join us for our “Pixels & Prosecco: Women in Tech Mixer” powered by Pagame Project fully in-person networking event during the 2026 TechChicago Week! We will also be celebrating our 1 year anniversary of www.PagameProject.com as a new GenAI tech startup based in Chicago, IL founded by our CEO/Mompreneur, Lynette Correa-Velez, M.Ed. & team!
Tech for Good: Youth Mentoring & Innovation Gathering brings together nonprofit leaders, technologists, educators, funders, and community partners interested in how technology can strengthen mentoring and support youth-serving organizations.
Hosted during Chicago Tech Week by SEL+ and SELvie, this curated gathering will create space for meaningful conversation around mentoring innovation, AI-enabled support tools, coordinated care, and scalable community impact. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with others working at the intersection of technology and youth development across Chicago.
Light refreshments and snacks will be provided. Attendance is intentionally limited to encourage authentic connection and collaborative discussion.
In a climate shaped by layoffs, career pivots, and rapid technological change.
More people are asking the same question:“What can I build for myself?”
Hosted during Chicago TechWeek in partnership with TechNexus, this event brings together founders, investors, creatives, and operators for an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, AI-era opportunity, and building with limited resources.
This is not another startup fantasy panel.
It’s a space for real conversations about turning skills into income, ideas into businesses, and uncertainty into momentum, especially for people building without massive funding, insider access, or large teams.
We’ll explore:
• How to turn a career pivot into a business opportunity
• What makes an idea actually viable
• How founders are using AI and lean tools to launch faster
• How to start with limited capital, clarity, or time
• Identity, resilience, and access in entrepreneurship
• What it really takes to build something sustainable
What to Expect:
✨ Actionable startup insights
✨ Founder + investor perspectives
✨ High-impact networking
✨ Real conversations about building in today’s economy
✨ Free drinks included (21+)
This interactive event combines marketing, consulting, and the law to create a trifecta of insight designed to help businesses navigate the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence. The panel will feature professionals from all three industries who have hands-on experience guiding clients through growth, innovation, and strategic decision-making in an AI-driven economy. Expected topics include risk, ownership, and accountability; where AI is working (and where it is not); how AI will augment and replace jobs; the evolving talent landscape; and what smart companies can do now to prepare for the future. A portion of the event will be dedicated to audience questions and discussion. The panel will be followed by an on-site happy hour and networking reception.
SparkLabs Founders Dinner. Hosting 30-40 startup founders by SparkLabs, an early-stage VC firm that has invested in over 600 startups across the globe since 2013.
Overview
Explore how human-forward AI and diverse global talent communities empower teams to solve enterprise tech’s grand challenges at scale.
About the Event
Where Global Community Meets Operational Resilience and Inclusive Innovation. Presented by Randstad Digital in partnership with the REAL (Randstad Empowering All Latinos) Business Resource Group. Join us in person at the Metropolitan Club in Willis Tower for an exciting, high-energy activation all about how Human-Forward AI is changing the game!
As Big Tech continues to centralize elite AI expertise, Chicago’s core industries—Transportation, Finance, and Healthcare—face an urgent “Grand Challenge”: the Technical Velocity Gap. This event explores how a Human-Forward AI model can bridge this gap by combining local strategic leadership with a global, community-driven workforce. By tapping into high-growth talent ecosystems—including vibrant tech hubs across Latin America (LATAM)—we show how enterprise leaders can scale their engineering capacity while driving diversity and economic equity.
We’ll dive into solving some of the biggest, most complex enterprise challenges by leveraging the power of smart tech, continuous global collaboration, and human accountability over automated replacement. It’s a unique chance to connect, learn, and collaborate with passionate leaders and developers who believe in AI that supercharges human potential.
Come experience our high-impact, “Follow-the-Sun” rolling panel discussions, interact with live tech dashboards, and enjoy a curated global tasting menu! Don’t miss out on the buzz, the big ideas, and the future of the modern workforce.
Why you should attend:
Connect & Collaborate: Network with Chicago enterprise executives, tech innovators, and a vibrant developer community. Meet members of our REAL BRG to discuss building inclusive, cross-border talent strategies.
Interactive Tech Demos: Get a live look at the platforms and solution engines driving 24/7 innovation. Explore our torc live dashboard and a “Heritage Pulse” map showcasing how our global talent communities seamlessly hand off critical code across time zones.
Global Flavor Experience: Enjoy our “Time-Zone Tasting” featuring a curated menu of local Chicago spirits, authentic Nearshore LATAM small bites, and global fusion flavors that celebrate the diverse regions powering our engineering pods.
Experience Inclusive Tech Scale: Learn how leading organizations meet strict project deadlines and DEI goals simultaneously by utilizing managed, inclusive global talent teams.
Secure your spot today and see how we are building an “Always-On” ecosystem that keeps human brilliance at the center of AI innovation.
After several successful NYC events, we’re bringing the magic to Chicago!
Join us for an exclusive networking event, hosted and sponsored by Work Nouveau and JForce – two dynamic, women-founded businesses, united in their mission to connect women business owners, leaders, and entrepreneurs. Together, we’re creating opportunities to access vital resources, accelerate learning, and build a meaningful community.
Space is limited to allow for meaningful connection and intimate networking opportunities.
