Chicago Startup Founder 101

To launch a great startup, it is critical to get feedback on your ideas from entrepreneurs who have been there and done that. On this live online event, we will gather several startup experts ready to provide feedback for aspiring entrepreneurs. The event will start by providing guidelines to create a compelling elevator pitch, and then attendees will have the opportunity to share your pitch with other entrepreneurs, advisors, and investors at virtual tables for instant feedback. Even if you don't want to share your pitch, you can still join to hear other startup ideas and witness how the experts review a pitch.

❯ What You'll Learn:

• How to give a concise, yet compelling, elevator pitch
• What investors are looking for in a startup pitch

❯ To get the most out of this Pitch for Feedback event:

The greatest variable in the success or failure of a startup is the Founder, especially at the earliest stages. Join us at our live online event to discover what makes a successful entrepreneur. We will be sharing insights from 15 years of startup research that lead to startup success. Do not miss this chance to learn how to develop these traits and hear stories of entrepreneurial achievements.

❯ What You'll Learn:

• What defines a successful entrepreneur?
• Insights from FI's Entrepreneur DNA Assessment, including the 9 Entrepreneur Profiles.
• How do you evaluate your potential as a startup founder?
• Specific steps to improve your Founder selection process.

❯ Featured Expert:

Venture Trailblazers is an exclusive event series that connects leading investors, founders, and ecosystem leaders from across the globe to discuss the latest trends in startups and venture capital. For this edition, we welcome Ilya A. Strebulaev (Professor of Finance & Private Equity at Stanford). The goal of Venture Trailblazers is to educate and connect the founders, leaders, mentors, and investors across the global Founder Institute, VC Lab, and FI Venture Networks.

❯ About the Speaker:

Building a great Co-Founder team is one of the most difficult yet important steps in founding a startup. While many founders may start alone, there are multiple benefits of having a Co-Founder, and taking the time to establish a quality team can mean the difference between failure and success. Join us for this fun and interactive event where you will learn best practices for building and formalizing a Co-Founder relationship. In addition, you will have the opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs who are looking for a Co-Founder at virtual tables and speed networking sessions.

❯ What You'll Accomplish:

• You will learn the best practices for finding the right Co-Founder
• You will meet startup enthusiasts and experts from around the world
• You will shortlist potential Co-Founders

❯ To get the most out of this Co-Founder networking event:

For startup founders, mastering enterprise sales is key to driving exponential growth. Join us at this live online event and learn how to break into large corporations, manage extended sales cycles, and secure high-value deals essential for scaling your startup. Industry experts will share actionable insights on navigating the complex sales landscape, building trust with corporate clients, and overcoming common challenges that founders face. If you're a founder aiming to land major enterprise clients and accelerate your startup's growth, this event is a must-attend. Register now!

❯ What You'll Learn:

• Break into large corporations and secure major deals.
• Manage long sales cycles and build lasting client relationships.
• Overcome common challenges in enterprise sales.

❯ Featured Speaker:

Building a successful startup starts with a strong MVP, but getting the right feedback is crucial for growth. Join us for this interactive event designed to help early-stage founders refine their MVPs with insights from experienced product managers. Attendees will have the chance to present their MVPs, receive actionable feedback, and even connect with potential first users. Whether you're fine-tuning features or validating your concept, this is a perfect opportunity to make your product more compelling for the market.

❯ Who Should Attend?

• Early-stage founders with an MVP ready for feedback.
• Startup teams looking to refine their product based on expert advice.
• Entrepreneurs interested in gaining their first users and validating product-market fit.
• Anyone seeking insights from experienced product managers and fellow founders.

❯ What You’ll Gain:

• Expert feedback on your MVP from seasoned product managers.
• Strategies for improving your product and aligning it with user needs.
• Opportunities to connect with first users ready to test your solution.

❯ Featured Experts:

• Aram Melkoumov - Co-Founder & CEO at Crowdlinker
• Rodrig Naska - Product Lead at Revido
• Harish Malhi - Founder at Goodspeed
• Mehdi Doghri - Co-Founder & CTO at Save Your Wardrobe

Join us for the most recent Chicago - Wisconsin Fall 2024 Graduation, where you can see an inspiring talk by and a few debut presentations from the new Alumni. Learn about some of the companies that will go onto seed-accelerators, raise funding, and build the next great startups.

❯ Graduation Keynote Address:

• Marsha McVicker - Founder & CEO @ LYLA: With over 23 years of experience in creating and scaling innovative and customer-focused businesses, Marsha has been recognized as a UIC Entrepreneur Hall of Fame inductee and ranked #8 alongside Dropbox, Indeed, and Slack, for Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company in 2022. LYLA is a technology-based platform that provides employee benefits, work-life balance, and engagement solutions.

❯ We Proudly Announce the Following New Graduates:

• Founder @ Fitcopilot
• Founder @ Grocery Oasis
• Founder @ Nutraberry
• Founder @ Medical RFID Industries

❯ We Will Also Showcase the Following Previous Graduates:

• Founder @ Activated Scale
• Founder @ Lunuum
• Founder @ Swyft