Startup Events

Must Attend Startup Events in Chicago, USA

Chicago's next startup weeks are mid-November 2026, with a free AI hackathon, SC26, the Chicago Innovation Awards and a Startup Grind night on non-VC funding. In 2027, mHUB's HardTech Summit, the Startup Mania pitch tournament, Techstars Demo Day and TechChicago Week (19–25 July) are the dates to plan around.
This guide lists startup, tech, investor and women-founder events in Chicago, from November 2026 to the end of 2027. We checked every date on the organiser's own website. We mark each event as Confirmed (date on the official site), Announced (date from a reliable second source) or Expected (based on past editions only). For New York, San Francisco and other cities, see the list at the end.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.

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Must Attend Startup Events in Chicago 2026–2027: Calendar from November 2026 to November 2027

DatesEventVenueTypeStatus
13–15 Nov 2026CIQ Local AI HackathonChicagoAI hackathon (free)Confirmed
15–20 Nov 2026SC26McCormick PlaceSupercomputing conferenceConfirmed
17 Nov 2026Chicago Innovation AwardsTo be announcedInnovation awardsConfirmed
19 Nov 2026Startup Grind: Beyond VCTo be announcedFunding panelConfirmed
29 Nov–3 Dec 2026RSNA and Vibe Coding HackathonMcCormick PlaceMedical imaging meetingConfirmed
8–10 Dec 2026Q2B26 ChicagoChicago Marriott MarquisQuantum conference, pitchConfirmed
29 Jan 2027SeedConDavid Rubenstein ForumBooth VC conferenceConfirmed
4 Mar 2027mHUB HardTech SummitmHUBHardtech pitches and awardsConfirmed
23–25 Mar 2027Startup Mania IIITo be announcedPitch tournamentConfirmed
19–21 Apr 2027ProMatMcCormick PlaceSupply chain trade showConfirmed
22–25 May 2027National Restaurant Association ShowMcCormick PlaceFoodservice trade showConfirmed
3 Jun 2027Techstars Chicago Demo DayNot publishedAccelerator demo dayConfirmed
13–16 Jun 2027NeoConThe MartInteriors trade showConfirmed
16–17 Jun 2027Chicago AI Week SummitChicagoResponsible AI summitConfirmed
Jun 2027Celebrating Women in InnovationNot publishedWomen innovators' eventConfirmed (month)
19–25 Jul 2027TechChicago WeekAcross ChicagoCity tech weekConfirmed
Nov 202726th Chicago Innovation AwardsNot publishedInnovation awardsConfirmed (month)

Autumn and winter 2026

CIQ Local AI Hackathon and SC26: 13–20 November 2026

📅 CIQ Supercomputing Local AI HackathonConfirmed
DatesFriday 13 November 2026, 5 PM, to Sunday 15 November, 4 PM
WhereChicago; address shown to registered guests
TypeAI hackathon, 20 teams
Who it's forDevelopers and AI builders
TicketsFree
Official siteluma.com
CIQ, NVIDIA, VAST Data and Lenovo let 20 teams build on real multi-node hardware the weekend before SC26. The top three teams win SC26 passes. Chicago's builder community AI Tinkerers shared it.
📅 SC26Confirmed
Dates15–20 November 2026
WhereMcCormick Place, 2301 S King Dr
TypeSupercomputing conference and exhibition
Who it's forAI-infrastructure and deep tech founders
TicketsSee the official site
Official sitesc26.supercomputing.org
The world's main high-performance computing conference, in Chicago this year. Buyers and vendors of AI infrastructure come from all over the world. See our AI startup events.

Chicago Innovation Awards and Startup Grind: 17–19 November 2026

📅 25th Annual Chicago Innovation AwardsConfirmed
DatesTuesday 17 November 2026
WhereVenue to be announced
TypeInnovation awards ceremony
Who it's forFounders, business and civic leaders
TicketsNot published yet
Official sitechicagoinnovation.com
The city's best-known innovation awards, for companies of any size. Venue and tickets are still "coming soon".
📅 Startup Grind Chicago: Beyond VC, How To Fund Your StartupConfirmed
DatesThursday 19 November 2026, 6–9 PM
WhereChicago (60606); venue to be announced
TypeFunding panel and networking
Who it's forBootstrapped and non-VC founders
TicketsSee the event page
Official sitestartupgrind.com
Speakers from Illinois DCEO (the state's INVENT fund), ASL Aspire and Startup Hypeman talk about grants, crowdfunding and state investment. A good evening for bootstrappers. Global Entrepreneurship Week runs on 16–22 November, but we found no Chicago event on its official site. See our fundraising events.

RSNA and its Vibe Coding Hackathon: 29 November–3 December 2026

📅 RSNA 2026 Annual MeetingConfirmed
Dates29 November–3 December 2026; exhibits 29 November–2 December
WhereMcCormick Place, 2301 S King Dr
TypeMedical imaging meeting and exhibition
Who it's forHealthtech and imaging AI founders
TicketsSee the official pricing page
Official sitersna.org
The largest buyer audience in medical imaging. The first RSNA Vibe Coding Hackathon runs from 29 November to 2 December, and you don't need coding experience. See our healthtech events.

Q2B26 Chicago: 8–10 December 2026

📅 Q2B26 Chicago x Chicago Quantum SummitConfirmed
Dates8–10 December 2026, from 8 AM
WhereChicago Marriott Marquis
TypeQuantum technology conference with a startup pitch
Who it's forQuantum founders, researchers and investors
TicketsSee the official site
Official siteq2b.qcware.com
Up to ten finalists pitch on 8 December for a $150,000 prize pool: the winner gets $100,000 ($50,000 as a SAFE and $50,000 non-dilutive). Apply by 20 November 2026. See our quantum startup events.

Winter and spring 2027

SeedCon: 29 January 2027

📅 Rattan L. Khosa SeedCon 2027Confirmed
DatesFriday 29 January 2027, 8 AM–5 PM
WhereDavid Rubenstein Forum, 1201 E 60th St
TypeEntrepreneurship and VC conference
Who it's forFounders, investors and students
TicketsSee the event page
Official sitepolsky.uchicago.edu
Chicago Booth's flagship founder conference, run with the Polsky Center. Outside founders are welcome. Also in February: the Chicago Auto Show (13–21 February, McCormick Place), a consumer show that is only useful for mobility founders.

mHUB HardTech Summit: 4 March 2027

📅 mHUB 2027 HardTech Summit and Fifth Revolution AwardsConfirmed
DatesThursday 4 March 2027; summit from 9:30 AM, awards 7 PM
WheremHUB, 1623 W Fulton St
TypeHardtech summit, pitches and awards
Who it's forHardware, medtech and energy founders and investors
TicketsAwards dinner $450; summit price not published
Official sitemhub.org
mHUB's tenth anniversary: more than 40 startups on the pitch stage, 50 product demos and a Rising Star pitch competition. See our robotics events.

Startup Mania III: 23–25 March 2027

📅 Startup Mania III: The Ultimate Startup Pitch TournamentConfirmed
DatesTournament Wednesday 24 March 2027; venture crawl 23 March; investor meetings 25 March
WhereChicago; venue to be announced
TypePitch tournament
Who it's forFounders, investors and accelerators
TicketsSee the event page
Official sitestartupgrind.com
Sixty-four startups pitch in a bracket, up to five times in one day. The winner gets a prize package worth more than $30,000, with at least $10,000 in cash. Startups are selected in January. See our pitch competitions.

ProMat and the National Restaurant Association Show: April–May 2027

📅 ProMat 2027Confirmed
Dates19–21 April 2027
WhereMcCormick Place, 2301 S King Dr
TypeManufacturing and supply chain trade show
Who it's forLogistics, robotics and supply chain founders
TicketsFree registration
Official sitepromatshow.com
More than 1,200 exhibitors and a StartUp Pavilion for young companies.
📅 National Restaurant Association Show 2027Confirmed
Dates22–25 May 2027
WhereMcCormick Place, 2301 S King Dr
TypeFoodservice trade show
Who it's forFood and restaurant-tech founders
TicketsSee the official site
Official sitenationalrestaurantshow.com
Restaurant operators and distributors at scale. See our foodtech events. In Evanston, Northwestern's VentureCat student startup finals are on 27 May (free, registration opens in spring).

Summer and autumn 2027

Techstars Chicago Demo Day: 3 June 2027

📅 Techstars Chicago Demo Day 2027Confirmed
DatesThursday 3 June 2027
WhereChicago; venue not published
TypeAccelerator demo day
Who it's forInvestors and founders
TicketsNot published
Official sitetechstars.com
Techstars Chicago and the Northwestern Medicine healthcare accelerator present their cohorts. Want to be on stage? Applications close on 18 November 2026, and the programme starts on 8 March 2027. The oncology meeting ASCO is also at McCormick Place in early June (4–8 June on event listings).

NeoCon and Chicago AI Week: 13–17 June 2027

📅 NeoCon 2027Confirmed
Dates13–16 June 2027
WhereThe Mart, Chicago
TypeCommercial interiors show
Who it's forProptech, design and materials founders
TicketsSee the official site
Official siteneocon.com
See our proptech events.
📅 2027 Chicago AI Week SummitConfirmed
Dates16–17 June 2027, 9 AM–5 PM
WhereChicago; address shown after registration
TypeResponsible AI summit
Who it's forAI founders and buyers
TicketsGeneral admission $999
Official siteluma.com
Run by AI 2030 with 1871, Chicago's main innovation hub. Some tickets include the Women in AI (WiAI) track.

TechChicago Week: 19–25 July 2027

📅 TechChicago Week 2027Confirmed
Dates19–25 July 2027
WhereVenues across Chicago
TypeCity tech week
Who it's forFounders, investors and tech workers
TicketsVaries by event
Official sitegotechchicago.com
Run by P33. This is the week when most of Chicago's founder, investor and women-founder events happen together: in 2026 it had pitch nights, demo days and a women founders' showcase.

Chicago Innovation Awards: November 2027

The 26th awards are set for November 2027, and Chicago Innovation's Celebrating Women in Innovation for June 2027; exact days are not published yet. chicagoinnovation.com

Dates not announced yet

  • Polsky New Venture Challenge 2027: UChicago's startup competition gave $2.1 million in its 2026 finals; expected in spring.
  • 1871 International Women's Day 2027: last held on 4 March 2026; expected in March.
  • Chicago Venture Summit 2027: World Business Chicago's invite-only investor summit was on 19–20 October 2026; expected in autumn.
  • ChiWitCon 2027: the Chicago Women in Tech Conference was on 1 October 2026; expected in autumn. chiwomenintech.com
  • NAWBO Chicago's Women Mean Business 2027: last held on 29 April 2026 in Oak Brook; expected in spring.

Recurring meetups and communities

  • Chi Hack Night: a weekly civic-tech night on Tuesdays, in person and online. chihacknight.org
  • AI Tinkerers Chicago: monthly meetups where builders demo what they made. aitinkerers.org
  • Polsky Center: several workshops a week, many open to outside founders. polsky.uchicago.edu
  • Matter: the healthtech hub's coffees and investor talks. matter.health
  • mHUB: workshops for hardware founders. mhub.org
  • Startup Grind Chicago: panels and pitch nights. startupgrind.com
  • Founder Institute Chicago: a pre-seed programme with a spring 2027 cohort. fi.co
  • GDG Chicago: Google developer labs; nothing new listed. gdg.community.dev
Quiet or gone: Windy City DevFest has not moved past 2024, Chicago Ideas looks dormant, and 1871's own event list is only open to members.

Events for women founders in Chicago

  • Celebrating Women in Innovation (June 2027): Chicago Innovation's event; it also runs a Women's Mentoring Co-Op. chicagoinnovation.com
  • Women in AI track at the Chicago AI Week Summit (16–17 June 2027).
  • 1871: International Women's Day event each March and the WMNtech programme. 1871.com
  • NAWBO Chicago: the women business owners' association. nawbo.org
  • TechChicago Week (19–25 July 2027): women-founder showcases ran during the 2026 week.
We found no women-founder pitch event in Chicago between November 2026 and February 2027. Run one? Send it to us and we'll add it. See also our women in tech events.

Funding and support to know before you go

  • Ecosystem size: Startup Genome values Chicago's ecosystem at $65 billion, with $1.5 billion of early-stage funding (H2 2023–2025). startupgenome.com
  • Illinois INVENT: a $114 million state fund that invests equity in startups alongside private investors; it is not a grant. dceo.illinois.gov
  • Illinois Innovation Network: 15 hubs, including UIC, Chicago State University and the Discovery Partners Institute. iin.uillinois.edu
  • Business licences: the City's Small Business Center is the one-stop shop for licences and permits. chicago.gov
  • Accelerator deadline: Techstars Chicago applications close on 18 November 2026. techstars.com

How to get the most out of Chicago startup events

  1. Plan for 13–19 November. The AI hackathon, SC26, the Innovation Awards and Startup Grind fall in one week.
  2. Start with the free events. The CIQ hackathon, Chi Hack Night, AI Tinkerers and many Polsky workshops cost nothing.
  3. Use the big trade shows. RSNA, ProMat, the Restaurant Show and NeoCon bring thousands of buyers to McCormick Place and The Mart.
  4. Mind the deadlines. Techstars Chicago closes on 18 November and the Q2B pitch on 20 November 2026.
  5. Save July. TechChicago Week (19–25 July 2027) is when most founder events happen.

List your event in this guide

Do you run a startup, tech or investor event in Chicago? Send us the name, dates, venue and official link, and we'll check whether it fits this guide. We list events for founders, with a real date and an official page.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.

🔗 Add an awesome event

Startup events in other places

FAQ

What are the main startup events in Chicago?

SC26 (15–20 November 2026), the Chicago Innovation Awards (17 November 2026), SeedCon (29 January 2027), the mHUB HardTech Summit (4 March 2027), Startup Mania III (23–25 March 2027), Techstars Demo Day (3 June 2027) and TechChicago Week (19–25 July 2027).

When is TechChicago Week 2027?

On 19–25 July 2027, at venues across Chicago.

Are there free startup events in Chicago?

Yes: the CIQ Local AI Hackathon (13–15 November 2026), ProMat registration (19–21 April 2027), Chi Hack Night every Tuesday and many Polsky Center workshops.

Are there events for women founders in Chicago?

Yes: Celebrating Women in Innovation (June 2027), the Women in AI track at Chicago AI Week (16–17 June 2027), 1871's International Women's Day event in March and NAWBO Chicago.

Where can startups pitch in Chicago?

At the Q2B26 quantum pitch (8 December 2026), the mHUB HardTech Summit (4 March 2027), Startup Mania III (24 March 2027) and during TechChicago Week (19–25 July 2027).

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
2026-11-02 14:26 By city