Join us as we spotlight innovation in the ever-changing world of food and drinks. 

This year’s event features:

– Food industry innovators discussing 2025 emerging trends that excite them

– Tasting stations curated by Let's Talk Womxn women-owned restaurants

– Libations from Chicago 

craft brewers, distillers,

wine-makers and more

On June 18th, we're hosting the Chicago Innovation Climate Summit, a half-day event that showcases our region's strengths as a hub of climate innovation. Chicago Innovation was invited to host this event as part of SRI Congress 2025, a 2,000 person 4-day global conference on sustainability research and innovation, which is being held in North America for the first time with Chicago as the host city. 

Reflecting on an inspiring evening at the Chicago Innovation Award Winners Tell It All

On Wednesday, April 30th we gathered to celebrate some of the boldest minds in Chicago who shares their journeys, lessons learned, and unfiltered wisdom:

Glen Tullman – CEO, Transcarent

Tom Sosnoff – Founder and CEO, tastylive

Phyllis Lockett – CEO, LEAP Innovations

Luke Saunders – Founder and CEO, Farmer's Fridge

Elise Awwad – CEO, DeVry University

Moderated by Amanda Lannert – CEO, Jellyvision 

See Photos here

Celebrating Innovators at the 2025 Illinois Student Invention Convention

On May 3rd, 77 students out of 6,000 who participated from schools and programs across Illinois brought their bright ideas and bold solutions to life! These young innovators tackled real-world challenges with creativity, problem-solving skills and determination!

Watch the ISIC Recap Video here

WBBM Newsradio Interviews Luke Tanen About The Taste of Innovation event on

May 20

Luke Tanen, Chicago Innovation CEO and President, recently joined WBBM Newsradio to preview The Taste of Innovation, taking place May 20 at The iO Theater. 

Listen here

Chicago Innovation Fellows Fourth Session

On April 22nd, the Chicago Innovation Fellows gathered at mHUB, a fitting venue for the day’s theme: Taking a New Idea to Market. The day began with two engaging sessions led by Northwestern lecturer and StrategyLabs founder Andrew Razeghi, who explored the topics of Creative Innovation and Creating the Conditions for Success.

During lunch, Kristi Ross, a co-founder of tastytrade and U3 Coffee shared insights and personal lessons from her journey as a successful innovator. In the afternoon, a dynamic panel featuring Holly Copeland, Tim Sanders, and Hardik Bhatt provided real-world stories and strategies for bringing new ideas to market.

To wrap up the day, Fellows participated in a collaborative discussion around their capstone projects, focusing on how to deliver meaningful value back to their organizations.

3 Scientific Innovations To Ease Your Climate Anxiety

More than 60% of Americans said they’re somewhat worried about global warming—a feeling, that if left unchecked, can evolve into “ecoanxiety,” a term coined by the American Psychological Association to describe the “chronic fear of environmental doom” felt by many

people.

With May being mental health awareness month, UL Research Institutes is highlighting our safety research around three climate-friendly scientific innovations.

Tame your climate anxiety, and gain insight into top scientists’ efforts to improve the safety of innovations that help curb water scarcity and air pollution from wildfires, and further enable a clean energy future.

Read more here

Wintrust: How Small Businesses Can Start On The Path To Sustainability

At the heart of their communities, small businesses provide two of three net private-sector jobs in the United States, in addition to supporting the local community and encouraging entrepreneurial spirit. In the same spirit that several larger corporations, such as Amazon, Nestle, and Apple, have pledged to become more sustainable in the next few years, small local businesses can work toward more sustainability as well.

In fact, many small businesses already might have some sustainable practices in place that help protect the environment and will leave a positive impact on the community long term. Continue reading to learn the importance of taking a localized approach to sustainability as a small business, along with some actionable tips.

Read more here

DeVry Launches DeVryPro: AI-Powered and Industry-Aligned Courses to Upskill Professionals with Personalized Coaching for Career Growth 

The workplace is evolving quickly. With AI, automation, and shifting business needs, professionals must constantly adapt. Employers now seek talent capable of learning, unlearning, and relearning throughout their careers, requiring diverse learning formats to meet future workforce demands.

In response, DeVry University has launched DeVryPro, an AI-powered online platform offering individual courses designed to help the workforce meet tomorrow's challenges. Developed with input from DeVry academic and industry experts, the platform offers industry-aligned courses, practical skill development, and a unique AI-powered learning coach to tailor each learner's experience.

Read more here

Create a Talent Pipeline with

Stuart School of Business

As the only business school in Chicago embedded in a tech-focused university, Stuart is a leader in advancing education that bridges business and technology. Our undergraduate and graduate students develop the industry-leading tech skills, adaptability, and innovation mindset that prepare them to have an immediate and lasting impact at businesses and organizations across industries.

The Career Management Center at Stuart is dedicated to helping our business graduates connect with outstanding employers to learn about career opportunities. We would like to partner with you to pursue our common goal of placing talented

professionals in great jobs.

Read more here

Get 10% Off Tickets to the Future Food-Tech Chicago

We’re excited to share a 10% discount code with our community to attend the Future Food-Tech Chicago on

June 2-3 to discover opportunities in sustainable proteins & ingredients! Use code INNOVATE10 at checkout to receive 10% off tickets.

Join food corporates, investors,

start-ups, ingredient providers, manufacturers and policy

makers in Chicago, a globally renowned epicentre for food-tech and food production. Explore the latest breakthroughs in ingredient innovation, protein diversification, and supply chain resilience. Connect with C-Level industry leaders for strategic networking, exclusive insights, and start-up discovery.

Purchase your tickets here