What does it take to be a tech leader of a company with thousands of employees?

Today, we'll be highlighting a few folks who are doing that.

Learn about 27 tech executives that are helping to change the future of Chicago!

Danielle Brown

Danielle Brown is VP and CIO Officer at Brunswick. She's leading the IT organization to leverage technology and analytics to enable the objectives of Brunswick's business units, enhance service and product quality, and business and customer insights.

Prior to Brunswick, she led global IT transformation at DuPont, in preparation for the merger of DuPont and Dow Chemical.

She earned a bachelor of arts in computer science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania as well a master of science in information systems.

Danielle also has an MBA from Pennsylvania State University and Drexel University.

She is certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

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Mike Carlin

Mike Carlin is Global Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Business Technology Solutions (BTS) at AbbVie.

With more than 25 years of leadership experience, Mike is passionate about thinking creatively to affect change in the areas of organizational agility, innovation, talent development and strategic digital technologies.

His current focus is on digital transformation and modernization of technologies and talent development supporting AbbVie’s business, including R&D, manufacturing operations, commercial, infrastructure operations, architecture, information security/risk management and compliance.

Mike gradulated from Notre Dame with a bachelor in business administration. He also has an MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern

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Erica Geil

Erica Geil joined Groupon in 2010 as the only technical project manager, working her way up through multiple leadership positions including Director and Senior Director of Global Engineering Operations.

Today, Erica is the VP of global engineering operations at Groupon, where she oversees operations for five global teams comprising 350+ employees worldwide.

Prior to Groupon, Erica was a partner at Eight Bit Studios and focused on startup technology projects including custom websites and mobile apps. She also spent time working for agencies doing brand and technology projects for clients including Motorola, Sears, and Oprah.

Erica was also a founding member and Co-Chair of the Women at Groupon Employee Resource Group, which focuses on engaging, developing and attracting top female talent through various programs and initiatives.

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Adam Stanley

Adam Stanley is the Global CIO Cushman & Wakefield. With 20+ years of industry experience, he provides strategic and operational direction for the company's client facing and colleague technology systems and infrastructure across all global business lines.

Under Adam’s leadership, Cushman & Wakefield was named to the CIO100 for 2016 and 2015 by CIO Magazine. Adam has also been honored as one of Chicago’s Tech 50, Infoworld Premier 100 Leader, Huffington Post’s Most Social CIOs, and the InfoWorld CTO 25.

Prior to joining the firm, Adam served as Technology and Security Services Director for Aviva PLC. Adam’s numerous global and U.S. leadership roles have also included serving as the Global CTO of Aon.

He is deeply involved in the civic and charitable community and in addition to Board roles provides pro-bono technology, operations and organizational strategy advisory services to non-profit organizations.

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Deepa Soni

Deepa Soni is the US CIO at BMO Financial Group. She is responsible for the overall leadership, oversight and performance of Technology in the US.

Prior to BMO, Deepa was the SVP & Head of Application Development at M&T. Prior to that, she served as Director of Enterprise Architecture Group at KeyCorp.

Deepa has 20+ years of technology leadership experience in across multiple domains at Fortune 500 companies.

She holds a BS degree from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, India and a M.S from University of Science and Technology, at Missouri-Rolla. Deepa holds a Patent for systems driven process innovation.

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Charles Brooks

Charles is the CIO and SVP, Operations at Kemper.

He previously served as the Global Operations Officer for ACE Group in Philadelphia. Prior to that, he led Member and Plan Sponsor Services for Aetna.

In earlier leadership roles, he was SVP of Operations and CIO for Travelers Personal Insurance, Partner at Accenture and Captain in the United States Army.

He is a graduate from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.

He earned his MBA degree from Columbia University.

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Cynthia Clarke

Cynthia Clarke is the chief technology officer of Donnelley Financial Solutions Inc (DFIN). Prior to DFIN, she was the chief information officer at Mesirow Financial.

Before that, she served at Northern Trust overseeing Investment Technology, and leading programs to assess and exit impaired securities during the financial crisis.

Prior to that, Cynthia led the global integration of SBC Brinson and UBS Asset Management.

Cynthia received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Illinois.

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Deepak Kaul

Deepak Kaul is VP and CIO for Zebra Technologies. He is responsible for the full strategic IT applications portfolio, global communications, computing and security infrastructure.

He started his career at Oracle Corporation, where he rose through the ranks to be a consulting practice director. He later served in leadership positions with increasing responsibilities at Life Fitness and United Components.

Deepak earned his bachelor of arts in physics from Vassar College and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Dartmouth College.

He also holds a master’s degree in business administration, general management, from Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.

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Linda Jojo

Linda Jojo is EVP, Technology and Chief Digital Officer of United Airlines. She's responsible for information technology, data analytics, digital products, e-commerce, cyber security and the airline’s digital strategy.

Prior to United, Linda held the position of executive vice president and chief information officer for Rogers Communications. She also served as the CIO for Energy Future Holdings Corporation and Flowserve Corporation. Earlier in her career, she worked for GE in various technology leadership roles.

Linda is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Adler Planetarium in Chicago and a member of the Board of Trustees at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

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Samir Daiya

Samir Daiya is vice president and chief information officer at Motorola Solutions.

Most recently, Samir led the North America marketing team, where he drove digital transformation for numerous customer-facing activities, in addition to introducing new marketing tools and elevating their analytics.

He also is responsible for implementing new measurement-driven decision making and digital-forward approaches to driving growth, acceleration and enablement within the Motorola Solutions marketing organization.

In his nearly 20 years with the company, Samir also has held leadership roles in strategy, sales and product management.

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Fred Lee

Fred Lee serves as CTO for Cars.com. He manages the technical and data engineering teams and is responsible for the product, data and operational platforms.

Prior to Cars.com, Lee was the vice president of digital architecture at Grainger and chief technology officer at Gamut, a fully-owned subsidiary of Grainger.

Prior to that, he was CTO at Belly and CIO/CTO at Enova.

Fred received a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

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Robin Hamerlinck

She is responsible for all of the company’s information systems, business system configuration management, IT strategic planning, infrastructure development, IT applications support, and business system operations.

Robin has been involved in the development and expansion of global SAP-based systems, strategic planning, talent and leadership development, and building successful IT organizations for large and mid-sized companies.

Prior to Shure, she was CTO at Merisant Worldwide, Inc.

Robin has a Bachelor of Science degree from Western Illinois University.

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Karriem Shakoor

Karriem Shakoor is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL).

Prior to UL, Karriem served as the Vice President of Information Technology at Ameriprise.

Before Ameriprise, he served as CIO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Prior to that role, he served in multiple technology leadership roles at the company, including Sr. Director and Director.

Karriem earned both a Computer Science degree and an MBA from Walsh College.

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Suren Gupta

Suren Gupta is executive vice president, Allstate Technology & Strategic Ventures for Allstate Insurance Company. He is responsible for the company's IT strategy, operations and processes. He also oversees Allstate's strategic ventures.

Previously, he was EVP and group CIO at Wells Fargo. Prior to that, he's held executive leadership roles at Airclic Inc, GMAC Residential and INTELSAT.

He is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. He also received an MBA from George Mason University and a master's degree in computer engineering from West Virginia University.

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Diane Randolph

Diane Randolph is the CIO of Ulta Beauty, a position she has held since 2014.

Prior to her role at Ulta Beauty, she served in multiple leadership roles at Reitmans (Canada), including VP and CIO, as well as Director.

Prior to Reitmans, Diane served as an independent consultant for a number of retailers, providing strategic and tactical counsel on initiatives ranging from new concept start-up to warehouse implementation.

Previously, she spent 25 years in roles of increasing responsibility at NSB/STS Systems (now Epicor), including Vice President of Software Development.

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Francesco Tinto

Francesco serves as Global CIO at The Kraft Heinz Company since 2015.

Part of his current focus includes technologies like AI, Robotics and analytics to help transform the company's systems and manufacturing operations.

To foster further adoption of these 3 technologies, he created an innovation hub that gives everyone across the organization the chance to explore & experiment.

With a 20+ year career in IT leadership, his prior roles include VP and Chief Information Officer, Director at Kraft Foods.

Prior to those roles, he was IT manager at Procter & Gamble.

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Lisa Olmstead

Lisa is SVP International CIO at TransUnion.

Her current responsibilities include the company’s technology strategy, applications, operations, infrastructure and delivery of solutions in Canada, Latin America, Brazil, Asia Pacific, India and South Africa

Prior to her role as international CIO, Lisa has served in multiple SVP roles since starting at TransUnion in 2010.

Previously to TransUnion, Lisa has also held multiple leadership roles at ComEd, Exelon, and McDonald's corporation.

Lisa has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Clarke University.

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Paul Martin

Paul Martin is SVP and CIO at Baxter International Inc. since 2011. Prior to Baxter, he served in multiple senior executive leadership roles at REXAM PLC, including VP and CIO.

Martin also serves on the Board of Directors at Unisys Corporation and was also appointed to the board of directors at Baxter Credit Union. He also serves on the board of trustees at the Ravinia Festival and Rush University Medical Center.

He currently serves as executive sponsor of Baxter's African American Leadership Council business resource group for employees, which provides a forum to enhance engagement, build on recruitment and retention efforts, and increase the impact of business, charitable, and volunteer initiatives in the African-American community.

Martin received his bachelor’s degree in management information systems from Western Kentucky University.

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Daniel Henry

Daniel Henry is EVP and Global CIO for McDonald’s Corporation. He is responsible for the global technology portfolio at McDonald’s. Henry also has oversight over the Global Technology Project Management Office and Information Security.

Prior to McDonald’s, he spent 15+ years at American Airlines in numerous leadership roles including VP of Customer Technology and Enterprise Architecture as well as Managing Director of eCommerce.

Daniel earned a bachelor’s degree from Cameron University, where he played football.

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Ann Madea

Ann Madea serves as Chief Information Officer for HSBC US, the U.S. operations of one of the world’s largest banks.

Ann has led a major transformation effort to modernize HSBC’s approach to IT, bringing concepts like Agile and DevOps into the bank.

With more than two decades of executive experience, Ann brings a wide range of success leading teams and implementing large to extra-large, complex technology solutions.

Ann is also passionate about mentorship, helping women both inside and outside of HSBC.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree, Operations Research, MIS, Statistics from the University of Illinois in Chicago.

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Glenn Schneider

Glenn Schneider is the Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer at Discover since 2008.

With over 25 years at the company, his prior roles included responsiblity for Application Development and Marketing Applications.

Prior to Discover, he worked for Kemper Financial Services as a Programmer.

He holds a bachelor's degree in economics and computer science from Northern Illinois University.

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Joher Akolawala

Joher Akolawala is the SVP and Global Chief Information Officer at Mondelēz International.

Previously, he's held a wide range of senior leadership roles in Finance and Strategy at Kraft Foods since 1991.

He was instrumental in the spin-off of Kraft Foods from Mondelēz International in 2012, leading the separation of the North American IT infrastructure and enterprise applications for the two companies.

Joher began his career as an engineer in India and holds an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the University of South Carolina.

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Dennis Boecker

The Chicago Connectory is a co-creation space and an incubator focused on the Internet of things (IoT), backed by a $2 million investment from Bosch to help foster collaboration and help drive innovation.

Dennis is a Vice President at Bosch USA, as well as Global IT Innovation Lead. He also serves on the the board at 1871.

Dennis professional with a diploma in Business Administration (BA) from Leibniz Akademie Hannover in Germany.

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Vijay Luthra

Vijay Luthra is CTO at Northern Trust Corporation since 2018.

Prior to his CTO role, Vijay served in SVP roles where he led Northern Trust's Technology Infrastructure architecture, strategy and operations.

Prior to Northern Trust, he was managing director of infrastructure at ITG. Before that, he was Head of IT Infrastructure at Artio Global Investors.

Previously, he was VP of Global Technology Infrastructure at Merrill Lynch

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Steve Betts

Steve Betts is SVP and CIO at Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC). He is responsible for the company's technology needs and works to ensure that the technology organization delivers both operational excellence and innovation across group, government and retail business segments.

Previously, Betts was CIO at Aon, where he was responsible for all aspects of global IT. Prior to that, Betts led large-scale technology implementations in the financial services sector and other industries for PWC.

He graduated from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in the United Kingdom with a BSc in mathematics and management science and also from the Global Executive Program at the Kellogg School of Management.

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Steve Turner

Steve Turner is SVP and CIO at Walgreens Boots Alliance. He is responsible for leading the information technology function and the company’s consumer-facing innovation efforts.

Prior to his role as CIO, Steve served as VP of service delivery & infrastructure at Walgreens. He's also held leadership roles in data analytics and digital technologies.

Prior to that, held various operations and technology leadership roles at Orbitz over a six year period.

Previously, Steve has had roles at Intuit, served as a contractor for the DoD as well as in the U.S. Navy as a cryptologic technician.

He earned an undergraduate degree in computer science from Chapman University as well as a Kellogg MBA.

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Mike Koehler

Mike Koehler serves as SVP and Chief Information and Chief Digital Officer at Exelon.

He is responsible for the strategic direction of the company's IT and digital strategy including resources and technology innovation and for ensuring effective and secure delivery and support of technology systems to all areas of the company.

Previously, Mike served as president of EMC Professional Services. Before that, he served in senior executive leadership roles at HP and EDS.
​

Mike serves as a director on the board of Coresite (COR). He also mentors and guides startups and emerging companies. ​

He received a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Texas Tech University.

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image credit: NASA

Do you dream of being an Astronaut?

You climb aboard the space shuttle...

....and strap yourself in for launch

On a vehicle weighing 4.5 million pounds in total

Lifting off at a thrust of over 7 million pounds

image credit: NASA

Accelerating from zero to over 17,000mph

..and getting to orbit in only ~510 seconds

To a height of up to 330 miles from Earth*

...and orbiting earth for a week (or two) at a time

What's it like to be an Astronaut?!

What if you could hear inspiring stories from TWO people who actually were?

You'll have the opportunity at our world class Dare Mighty Things conference on Oct 28th in Chicago.

We're SO excited that former Astronauts Dr. Linda Godwin and Mike Foreman will be joining our world class speaker lineup

Hearing stories from these astronauts will inspire you.

You'll hear about their lessons learned.

Challenges they overcame.

And so much more.

Join us for a magical experience at Dare Mighty Things on Oct 28th in Chicago.

Aside from Asronauts, we'll have 9+ other world class speakers, including people who built FLYING cars, co-founded Siri and so much more.

We'll take your mind on a journey you’ll never forget.

We’ll change the way you see the world.

What elements do you need to create a successful tech ecosystem?

One of them includes capital investment - to help fund big, audacious ideas.

Today at Dare Mighty Things, we'll be highlighting some of the venture capital firms helping to transform the future of Chicago tech.

Adams Street Partners

Image source: Adams Street Partners

Since 1972, Adams Street Partners has a large portfolio of nearly 100 companies and 150+ investments.

In it's history, over 50 companies have exited including RetailMeNot, LogRhythm and ComScore.

Apex Venture Partners

Founded in 1987, Apex Venture Partners, has a track record of more than $140 million in investments into nearly 50 companies over its 30-year existence.

Portfolio companies include Bloom Energy, Envestnet, Trunk Club and more

Arch Venture Partners

Founded in 1986, Arch Venture Partners backs disruptive science companies that impact humanity.

They take the long term view when it comes to building companies - which makes them flexible in deal size, which can range from from $50K - 150M.

Follow Arch Venture Partners on Linkedin

Baird Capital

Baird Capital is the direct private investment arm of Robert W. Baird & Co.

They make venture capital, growth equity and private equity investments in strategically targeted sectors globally including healthcare, industrial and technology companies.

In 30 years of operation, they've invested in over 300 companies and have 150+ exits.

Follow Baird Capital on Twitter

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Ceres Venture Fund

Ceres Venture Fund seeks to provide funding for high-growth companies in the Midwest.

Ceres Managing Directors bring over 60 years of experience in investing, managing, and developing early stage businesses.

They invest in heartland companies, because they see the region as an untapped pool of potential deserving of more opportunity.

Chicago Ventures

Image source: Chicago Ventures

Launched in 2012, Chicago Ventures seeks to invest in seed stage companies in cities like Chicago, Austin, Madison and Denver.

With 100+ investments, 50 portfolio companies and 3 dozen exits, its impact is crystal clear.

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Corazon Capital

Image source: Corazon Capital

Founded in 2014, Corazon Capital is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage opportunities.

They've made 50+ investments, with 8 exits including Bonobos and Authy.

Follow Corazon Capital on Twitter

Energize Ventures

Image source: Energize Ventures

Energize Ventures is a pre-growth stage, female-led, venture fund located in Chicago providing early and growth stage capital.

They also help their portfolio companies by providing expertise in engineering and operations.

Energize Ventures has thus far made 10 investments across: cyber security, mobility, data analytics, operational efficiency, and distributed energy.

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Energy Foundry

Image source: Energy Foundry

Founded, Energy Foundry has provided funding for its 16 portfolio companies in the clean tech and energy sectors, including Digital H2O.

Their approach merges venture capital with the perks of partnership and includes an arsenal of essential tools and relationships to help bring great ideas to market.

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First Analysis

Investing more than $780 million over four decades, First Analysis uses its extensive research model to identify rapid-growth companies in tech, security, healthcare and more.

Out of its 46 portfolio companies, some of its notable investments include Yello and UniversityNow.

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Hyde Park Venture Partners

Image source: Hyde Park Venture Partners

As an early stage venture fund, Hyde Park Venture Partners looks to take on startups with high growth potential.

Its 66 portfolio companies include successes like Geofeedia, Avant, ParkWhiz and Fourkites, and the firm has raised more than $400 million in follow-on capital for its portfolio with 7 exited companies.

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JK&B Capital

Founded in 1996, JK&B investments in software companies, specifically in communications, IT and healthcare markets.

Over the years, they've made 150+ investments, with 70+ exits.

Jump Capital

Image source: Jump Capital

With 84 investments and 51 portfolio companies to its name, Jump Capital provides expansion and growth stage capital for software companies.

Founded in 2012, the firm provides advocacy and support through a platform of institutional-level resources for entrepreneurs.

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Hyde Park Angels

Image source: Hyde Park Angels

A syndicate of angel investors comprised of former executives, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, Hyde Park Angels provides seed funding to midwestern companies.

From businesses in financial services to digital media and tech, the firm boasts a portfolio of over 50 companies in the midwest like Clearcover, Farmer's Fridge and FourKites.

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Illinois Ventures

Image source: Illinois Ventures

A early-stage tech investment firm, Illinois Ventures has brought in 29 research-based companies in IT, physical sciences and life sciences into its portfolio.

Born from the campus of the University of Illinois, the firm combines leading researchers with innovative ideas and high growth companies coming out of the school.

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Lightbank

Image Source: Behance

Started in 2010 by serial entrepreneurs Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell, Lightbank is a top performing early stage venture capital firm headquartered in Chicago.

They've made investments in 144 companies, including Clearcover, SpotHero and Sprout Social.

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MATH Venture Partners

Image source: MATH Venture Partners

Founded in 2014, MATH Venture Partners is an early-stage venture capital fund managed by an experienced team of hands-on technology investors and operators.

With over 30 portfolio companies, the fund invests in digital technology companies demonstrating a competitive advantage in acquiring and retaining customers across a variety of sectors including software, e-commerce and analytics.

Follow MATH Venture Partners on Twitter

MK Capital

Image Source: MK Capital

Founded in 2003, MK Capital invests in companies within the software and cloud spaces.

Companies among its portfolio include those in digital media, data center automation, software and edtech.

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OCA Ventures

Since 1999, OCA Ventures has funded 60+ companies with seed, series A and B capital.

They focus on investing in sectors that include tech, financial services, education and healthcare tech.

OCA Ventures has invested in companies like SpotHero, Cleversafe, Snapsheet and more.

Follow OCA Ventures on Twitter

Origin Ventures

Image source: Origin Ventures

Founded in 1999, Origin Ventures typically invests in Series A rounds, with an initial check size of 500k - $4m.

Origin focuses on funding software and marketplace companies in both B2B and B2C markets.

Investments include companies like GrubHub, Cameo, Tock and Tovala.

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Pritzker Group Venture Capital

Image source: Pritzker Group Venture Capital

Founded in 1996, Pritzker Group Venture Capital employs an investment strategy focusing on series A / B funding for companies in the consumer, digital health, enterprise and emerging technologies space.

With a massive 200+ investments across a variety of sectors, their notable recent exits include Dollar Shave Club, Cleversafe, Fleetmatics and Viv Labs.

Follow Pritzker Group Venture Capital on Twitter

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Sandbox Industries

Image source: Sandbox Industries

Founded in 2003, Sandbox Industries, is a Chicago-based venture capital firm that invests in across multiple sectors including IT, healthcare, agriculture and more. Their current portfolio includes 40+ companies.

In addition to venture investing, Sandbox Industries also leads accelerator programs as well as innovation consulting.

Follow Sandbox Industries Group on Twitter

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Valor Equity Partners

Founded in 1995, Valor Equity Partners, is an operational growth investment firm focused on control and non-control investments in high-growth companies across various stages of development.

With over 70 investments and 28 portfolio companies, they partner with leading companies and entrepreneurs who are committed to the highest standards of excellence and the courage to transform their industries.

Dare Mighty Things is excited to announce we've added the Illinois Tech Association (ITA) as a media partner for our world class conference, happening Oct 29th in Chicago.

As a cornerstone of Chicago's tech community, we're excited to work together once again with ITA!

About ITA

The Illinois Tech Association (ITA) is a business services organization dedicated to growth-state technology companies in Illinois and Greater Chicago.

For 10 years, ITA’s mission has focused on maximizing the growth potential of its member companies and increasing the overall success rate of the local tech industry.

Companies who are members of ITA are able to leverage the organization's network, resources and expertise that are needed to drive growth.

ITA provides programs and services through a three pillar action model – Grow, Build and Elevate.

By utilizing all three pillars, ITA members can address both the strategic and operational aspects of their business to drive success.

Fireside chat w/ Basecamp CEO Jason Fried and TechCrunch's Fitz Tepper

We're so excited to let you know that Dare Mighty Things will return to Chicago on Oct 29th!

Join us alongside 1000 tech executives, founders, engineers, creatives & media from 35+ cities.

Held at the incredible Symphony Center, you'll hear 10 inspiring stories from our world class speaker lineup.

They'll talk about what it takes to build things like:

• The Hyperloop
• Self Driving Cars
• Gene Editing Therapies

..and so much more

These people took huge on challenges...and never gave up.

They Dare Mighty Things...and you can too!

Don't miss out on the magic this year: join us Oct 29th in Chicago!

Huffington Post Screenshot

The latest pre-conference coverage of Dare Mighty Things comes to us from The Huffington Post:

"Top Tech Conference Dare Mighty Things Arrives In Chicago"

WGN Radio Screenshot

This week, I was fortunate to be interviewed on WGN Radio's "The Opening Bell" Hosted by Steve Grzanich.

Listen to the full interview here:

"The Opening Bell: Dare Mighty Things – November 3rd"

Huge thanks to the Steve & the WGN Radio team for having me on!!

Chicago Inno screenshot

We're excited that Chicago Inno, one of the city's top tech publications, did pre conference coverage this week:

"Dare Mighty Things’ Conference to Showcase Big Ideas in Chicago"

Huge thanks to the team at Chicago Inno!!

Are you satisfied in your current position?

Is your company giving you opportunities to learn and grow?

Or are you bored, frustrated….or just plain burned out?

Building a career is tough work. Not only do you need the skills but you also have to know the lay of the land when it comes to companies/cultures.

Wouldn’t it be great to find an opportunity in a new environment here in Chicago, where you can solve new problems & challenges?

Here’s Who’s Hiring

Below we've listed some of the top companies that are attending Dare Mighty Things in full force.

They're giving multiple teams the opportunity to get inspired by 9+ world class speakers who created breakthrough innovations including pioneers in Quantum Computing, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, DNA editing and more.

They'll also get the chance to hear from people who helped Steve Jobs build the first iPhone, NASA build the Mars Curiosity Rover...or even Steven Spielberg build the futuristic interfaces in Minority Report

Investing in career growth & development is critical, and those we've listed below recognize that Dare Mighty Things is a fantastic opportunity for their employees.

As such, we want to recognize them.

Learn a little bit about the Chicago companies below as well as some of the key areas & tech jobs they're hiring for.

Image source: Arity

Arity

Arity is a technology company focused on making transportation safer, smarter and more efficient for everyone. It transforms large amounts of data into actionable insights to help partners better predict risk and make smarter decisions in real time. The Arity platform was built on more than 26 billion miles of historical driving data with more than a million active telematics connections and over 10 years of data directly from cars. Arity was founded by The Allstate Corporation in 2016 and has offices in Northern Ireland, India and Chicago's Merchandise Mart.

Arity is looking for passionate, talented people to help them make a difference in transportation.

What they're hiring for

Developers (Android, iOS, Java & more), Product Managers, Data Scientists, Cloud Architects & DevOps Engineers & many more.

They currently have 39 job openings, which you can find listed here

Image source: Groupon

Groupon

Groupon is building the daily habit in local commerce, offering a vast mobile and online marketplace where people discover and save on amazing things to do, see, eat and buy. By enabling real-time commerce across local businesses, travel destinations, consumer products and live events, shoppers can find the best a city has to offer. Groupon is redefining how small businesses attract and retain customers by providing them with customizable and scalable marketing tools and services to profitably grow their businesses.

What they're hiring for

Software engineers, Data Scientists, Product Designers & more.

Check out some of their openings in Engineering, Design & UX...or see the full list here.

Image source: Ulta

Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty is the largest beauty retailer in the United States and the premier beauty destination for cosmetics, fragrance, skin care products, hair care products and salon services. We provide unmatched product breadth, value and convenience in a distinctive specialty retail environment. Our guests can satisfy all of their beauty needs at Ulta Beauty. Our stores and website offer more than 20,000 products from approximately 500 well-established and emerging beauty brands across all categories and price points, including Ulta Beauty’s own private label, the Ulta Beauty Collection. Ulta Beauty operates 1,000 retail stores across 48 states and the District of Columbia and also distributes its products through its website, which includes a collection of tips, tutorials and social content.

What they're hiring for

Full stack developers, UX Architects, Systems engineers & more.

Check out the multiple openings on their E-Commerce and Information Technology teams....or see the full list here

Image credit: NASA

What if you could go to a place you've never been before?

What if it was outer space...or the surface of Mars?

Immersive experiences change your perception of what's possible.

They take you to a places you'll never forget.

Ones that you could only dream of traveling to.

Image credit: NASA

That's why we're so excited to announce that Vic Luo, an Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality innovator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be joining us as our latest world class speaker!

NASA's Operations Laboratory at JPL is spearheading several ambitious projects applying virtual and augmented reality to the challenges of space exploration.

Through partnerships with multiple VR and AR companies, scientists on the Curiosity Mars Rover mission are exploring the Martian terrain, engineers are experimenting with new ways to control the Robonaut humanoid, and astronauts on the International Space Station are preparing to perform their work more efficiently than ever before.

As lead of these projects at NASA, Vic will share their progress so far, the challenges that lie ahead, and their vision for the future of VR and AR in space exploration.

Do you want to learn more about the AR/VR Revolution?

You'll have the opportunity at our world class Dare Mighty Things conference.

Learn from innovators like Vic, along with 11+ world class speakers, including Forbes, pioneers in AI, Quantum Computing, Robotics and so much more.

Dare Mighty Things is excited to announce that we've added AIGA Chicago as a media partner for our world class conference.

AIGA, the professional association for design, advances design as a professional craft, strategic advantage, and vital cultural force.

As the largest community of design advocates, AIGA brings together practitioners, enthusiasts, and patrons to amplify the voice of design and create the vision for a collective future.

They define global standards and ethical practices, guide design education, inspire designers and the public, enhance professional development, and make powerful tools and resources accessible to all.

That's why Dare Mighty Things is excited to have them as a media partner for our incredible conference!

Dare Mighty Things is excited to announce that we've added Tech Nexus as a media partner for our world class conference.

TechNexus is an incubator that finds, funds and grows technology ventures as a force multiplier for entrepreneurs and enterprises.

To do that, they've curated a massive global network of 2000+ partners, including investors, incubators, universities & more.

During its ten-year run, they've helped more than 450 ventures bring in a haul of $400 million in capital.

With stats like these, it's evident that TechNexus has made a huge impact for innovation & entrepreneurship in Chicago.

That's why Dare Mighty Things is excited to have them as a media partner for our incredible conference!

Dare Mighty Things is excited to announce that we've added General Assembly Chicago as a media partner for our world class conference happening this Fall in Chicago.

General Assembly (GA) is a global educational company. Focusing on the most relevant and in demand skills across data, design, business and technology, General Assembly is empowering a global community to pursue work they love through best-in-class instruction and access to opportunities.

What began as a co-working space in 2011 has since grown into a global learning experience with campuses in 20 cities and over 40,000 graduates worldwide.

GA works with students online and in person around the world and thousands of companies as partners in course development and graduate placement as well as through GA’s corporate training and development business.

As individuals and companies struggle to compete in an increasingly technological economy, General Assembly provides award-winning, dynamic training to close the global skills gap.

GA helps to provide people with the skills they need to create their own future. That's why Dare Mighty Things is excited to have General Assembly Chicago as a media partner for our incredible conference!

Dare Mighty Things is excited to announce that we've added Hyde Park Angels as a media partner for our world class conference happening this Fall in Chicago.

Hyde Park Angels is the largest and most active angel group in the Midwest.

With a membership of over 100 successful entrepreneurs, executives, and venture capitalists, the organization prides itself on providing critical strategic expertise to entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurial community.

Image source: Hyde Park Angels

By leveraging the members’ deep and broad knowledge of multiple industries and financial capital, Hyde Park Angels has driven multiple exits and invested millions of dollars in over 30 portfolio companies that have created over 500 jobs in the Midwest since 2006.

Hyde Park Angels is focused on transforming early-stage investing with a people-first approach. They invest in bold entrepreneurs who have bold ideas that can change the world.

That's why Dare Mighty Things is excited to have them as a media partner for our incredible conference!

Dare Mighty Things is excited to announce that we've added Tech in Motion a media partner for our world class conference happening this Fall in Chicago.

As one of the largest tech meetups in Chicago with 7,000 members, they bring the community together to meet, learn, and innovate.

Tech In Motion started as a collaborative project between Jobspring Partners and Workbridge Associates, has since grown internationally to 70,000 members across 11 major cities, including Boston, New York, SF, LA, Dallas, Toronto & more.

I attended their Timmy Awards event last week, and met so many awesome people there (including the meetup organizers)!

If you're in Chicago and love tech, you should sign up now for their Machine Learning & drinks meetup, which happens 13 days after our conference.

Community is the foundation of everything we do and believe in at Dare Mighty Things.

With 7000 members, Tech In Motion is doing a phenomenal job of bringing people together here in Chicago and beyond.

That's exactly why we're excited to have them as a media partner for our incredible conference.