5:40–6:00 PM — Fireside Chat: Edward Woodford, Founder & CEO, zerohash. A 20-minute conversation on the agentic commerce opportunity — where digital assets and fintechs plug into the new future of how goods are bought and sold, and how evolutions to modern money movement are impacting how all companies do business.
6:00–6:45 PM — Panel Discussion: “”Your AI Agent Just Bought Something: How Agentic Commerce is Changing Payments, Retail, and Consumer Behavior.”” Hear from curated execs and operators at Chicago/Midwest-based fintechs and explore how they are thinking about and implementing agentic workflows in their financial stacks.
6:45–8:00 PM — Networking, drinks & apps. An opportunity to connect over drinks and light bites, featuring a curated selection of Chicago-based CPG and beverage providers.
This evening is made possible with the generous support of Goldman Sachs.
A free six-week tech space for South Shore youth — hands on the tools, not just talk about them. We’re standing this up with Alderman Yancy, Lost Boyz, and Lawrence Hall, with support from the Solana Foundation and Oddities R Us.
“We suck at telling our story!” Ever said that to yourself? You have this great product but you’re either too technical, too in the weeds, or just say too much to get investors, customers, and stakeholders to listen.
Plenty of entrepreneurs think, “”If I could just get a 60 minute meeting, I know I could convince them!””
But to even have a shot at 60 minutes, it starts with what you say in the first. 60. seconds.
Join Startup Hypeman Founder Rajiv ‘RajNATION’ Nathan who will share how to craft a 1-minute elevator pitch that turns heads and gets people to say, “”wait wait — tell me more!”” You will learn:
-The mistake 90%+ founders make when asked, “”What do you do?””
-Why AI is making it harder to differentiate, not easier.
-How to reframe your message so it works on any audience.
-The exact 1-minute pitch formulas that have fueled over $120M in raises, 60+ pitch competition wins, and more.
You’ll also see examples of real pitches that have helped real startups raise anywhere from $25k in competitions to $25 million from investors.
You should attend if you are between MVP and Series A stages, and plan to fundraise and/or sell your product in the next year.
At the end of the session you’ll get information on how to get a spot on stage directly in front of investors and potential customers through our follow-on training program.
Mind blowing 2 day unforgettable workshop coming to Chicago! Ship 12 weeks of roadmap work in 48 hours. Bring one roadmap priority. Leave with production-ready work built alongside the Obvious team. This experience is made for CTO’s and tech execs from fast growing startups (series A-B). Must apply!
AI Conversations with Leading Experts—Where Art, Technology, Robotics, and Investment Opportunities Converge
Join groundbreaking conversations with leading AI, robotics, technology, and business experts exploring how artificial intelligence and robotics are transforming industries and creating new investment opportunities.
Attendees will gain insight into emerging technologies, recently filed patent-pending innovations, and forward-thinking solutions designed to address real-world challenges through AI, robotics, automation, and advanced technology. Discussions will highlight opportunities for investors, entrepreneurs, founders, developers, and industry leaders seeking to support or participate in the next generation of innovation.
The experience will also include practical education on building humanoid robots, developing robots for specific tasks, using powerful AI tools, and applying emerging technologies across business, healthcare, education, logistics, hospitality, manufacturing, entertainment, and other industries.
By combining art, technology, humanoid robotics, education, innovation, and business development, the event is designed to help attendees stay ahead of industry trends, identify new market opportunities, and understand how AI and robotics can be leveraged to solve global problems and create scalable ventures.
The event will also spotlight Order A Robot—the world’s largest on-demand robotics marketplace and robot encyclopedia, available on Apple and Google devices and on the web.
To register for upcoming events, download the Order A Robot app or visit the website, https://order-a-robot.com, and scroll to the Events section on the homepage. Complete the registration form, and event details, ticket information, and access instructions will be emailed to you.
Events will be held virtually & in person to exclusive guest as spacing permits. The location & virtual access link will be provided after registration.
Chicago Tech Connect, powered by Kennedy-King College, is a community event connecting Chicago residents to high-growth technology careers, training programs, and educational opportunities. Explore pathways in Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Software & Web Development, Cloud Computing, and Networking while connecting with industry professionals, educators, employers, and community organizations.
Designed for career seekers and aspiring tech professionals, the event features interactive AI workshops, hands-on AI Makerspaces, and direct access to continuing education, certification, career development, and work-based learning opportunities that can help participants gain skills, advance their careers, and succeed in the technology workforce.
Interested in learning how data centers impact our climate? Join the Illinois Environmental Council and Vote Solar for an interactive workshop to learn more about how hyperscale data centers’ outsized impacts on our energy, water, and local communities are also influencing climate change.
This interactive workshop brings together regional energy stakeholders, civic leaders, and innovators to address pressing challenges in energy affordability and grid optimization. Grounded in Chicagoland’s long-term energy, health, and prosperity goals, the session is designed to move from high-level strategy to immediate, collective action.
Rather than a traditional seminar, this event focuses on collaborative problem-solving. Participants will work together to define a singular point of focus for the region by addressing a core challenge:
“Regarding Affordability & Grid Optimization, to achieve Chicagoland’s energy, health and prosperity goals, a critical obstacle to collectively overcome in 12 months is _________.”
Through facilitated breakout sessions, attendees will collaborate at designated tables to develop actionable 12-month solutions and concrete 90-day sprint plans.
Not sure whether you should become a Software Engineer, Product Manager, Data Scientist, UX Designer, or explore AI?
You’re not alone.
With so many domains in tech, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and wonder if you’re investing your time in the right skills. This session is designed to help you explore your options and make more informed career decisions before committing months to learning something.
In this workshop, we’ll cover:
✨ The different career paths in tech and what they actually involve
✨ How to identify your strengths, interests, and working style
✨ The skills, tools, and day-to-day responsibilities of popular tech roles
✨ How to explore a domain before fully committing to it
✨ A practical framework to help you choose your next learning path
Whether you’re just starting out or thinking about switching domains, you’ll leave with more clarity and a personalized action plan for your career journey.
Who should attend?
• Students exploring careers in tech
• Beginners unsure where to start
• Anyone considering a switch between tech domains
• Curious learners who want to make informed career decisions
A company may start with a few founders and a prototype. Years later, it may ring the opening bell. Between those two moments, it raises capital again and again: venture equity, late-stage secondaries, growth debt, and public-market financing. From Garage to Gong! An Inside View of Full-Stack Tech Investing brings together investors from across that journey to explain what each layer is, what trends they are seeing in tech and AI, and how individual investors can think about access at each stage. The discussion is educational, practical, and built for Tech Week.
Core promise: In 30 minutes, attendees understand how a tech company gets financed from garage to gong – and the specific ways individuals can participate at each stage, subject to eligibility, risk, and offering requirements.
