WORLD BUSINESS CHICAGO UNVEILS KEYNOTE LINEUP FOR INAUGURAL CHICAGO VENTURE SUMMIT: FUTURE OF HEALTH

More than 700 startup CEOs, investors, innovators, and healthcare industry leaders from across the U.S. and around the world will convene in Chicago on October 20 for the region's flagship startup and industry innovation conference.

CHICAGO, Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- World Business Chicago (WBC) today announced the keynote speakers and initial program for the inaugural Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Health, taking place October 20 in Chicago's Fulton Market District. The first Chicago Venture Summit dedicated to healthcare and life sciences will convene more than 700 startup CEOs, investors, innovators and industry executives from across the country and around the world to examine the technologies, companies and investment driving the future of health—and Chicago's growing role in shaping it.

"Healthcare and life sciences are industries where Chicago has a clear right to win," said Abin Kuriakose, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at World Business Chicago. "We have the talent, research institutions, healthcare systems, corporate leaders, and capital to turn breakthrough ideas into companies that grow and scale. The Chicago Venture Summit brings those pieces together—connecting entrepreneurs and investors while showcasing why Chicago continues to attract investment and drive innovation across the sector."

Together, these leaders bring distinct perspectives from across healthcare, life sciences, investment, and innovation - and each underscores why Chicago is an important place to build, invest, and shape the future of health.

The Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Health will bring together senior leaders shaping the future of healthcare, technology, and innovation — spanning Chicago's healthcare and business communities and our global connections, including leaders from World Business Chicago board companies Health Care Service Corporation and Bank of America:

• Dr. Omar Lateef, President & CEO, Rush University System for Health & Rush University Medical Center, in conversation with Tim Little, Midwest Region Executive, Bank of America.
   
• Derek J. Robinson, MD, MBA, FACEP, CHCQM, Divisional Senior Vice President & Chief Health Officer, Health Care Service Corporation, and David Mao, Divisional Senior Vice President, AI and Transformation, Health Care Service Corporation.
   
• Claire Kennedy, Consul General of Canada in Chicago.

The Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Health reflects the strength of an ecosystem built on collaboration — connecting healthcare, research, business, investment and global partners. Leaders across that ecosystem share why Chicago has both the talent and the opportunity to help shape the future of health and healthcare:

"Chicago has a remarkable opportunity to shape the future of health by bringing together world-class research, clinical expertise and a growing community of entrepreneurs and innovators," said Rush President and CEO Dr. Omar Lateef. "The Chicago Venture Summit Future of Health reflects the power of that ecosystem and our shared commitment to turning breakthrough ideas into solutions that improve health, advance equity and strengthen communities."

"Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) is committed to supporting the innovators who are reimagining how we deliver and experience health care," said Dr. Opella Ernest, President, HCSC, and World Business Chicago board member. "Innovation is essential to improving health outcomes and expanding access to care for people of all ages, and Chicago is uniquely positioned to lead that work. By bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, health care leaders and the broader business community, we can help turn bold ideas into solutions that make a meaningful difference for people and communities."

"Canada and the American Midwest share a deep commitment to innovation and an extraordinary concentration of talent, research and entrepreneurial energy," said Claire Kennedy, Consul General of Canada in Chicago. "By strengthening connections between our health care, research, investment and startup communities, we can accelerate the development and commercialization of new ideas across North America. The Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Health is an important opportunity to build those connections and demonstrate what is possible when Canadian and Midwestern innovators work together."

Learn more about the Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Health agenda and official startup portfolio at: https://worldbusinesschicago.com/chicago-venture-summit/

The Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Health is part of World Business Chicago's broader innovation and venture strategy, which also includes programs such as Startup Chicago, Chicago Day at SXSW, ThinkChicago, and previous Chicago Venture Summits, including the Future of Food, Future of Climate Tech, and Future of Logistics. Led by World Business Chicago and supported by our official partners, the October 20, 2026, summit is invite-only. To learn more, please email Helena Gittelman, Director of Innovation, World Business Chicago, at [email protected].

In collaboration with the Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC), World Business Chicago serves as an official Supporting Partner for the Midwest BioBuilder's Summit on November 12, 2026. Led by the CBC, the Summit connects academics, entrepreneurs, and startups with investors, operators, and industry leaders who can help advance their innovations. With a pronounced emphasis on life sciences and biotechnology investment, the BioBuilders Summit echoes the Midwest's industrial spirit, highlighting companies and platforms dedicated to translating breakthroughs into market-ready products and building the infrastructure needed for the next era of biotechnology. You can learn more at www.chicagobiomedicalconsortium.org.

In collaboration with WBC board member University of Illinois System, the Grainger Engineering Tech Startup Challenge, hosted by The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, will be held during the Chicago Venture Summit on October 20. Bringing together engineering-powered startups from leading universities across the Midwest and beyond, the competition provides entrepreneurs with a live stage to pitch their ventures to prominent investors, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders in Chicago's thriving tech ecosystem. Participants compete for significant funding while gaining direct exposure to networks and capital. The Challenge reflects The Grainger College of Engineering's commitment to translating cutting-edge research into real-world impact and to positioning the Midwest as a hub for the next generation of deep tech innovation. You can learn more via https://landuyt.illinois.edu/programs/tech-startup-challenge.

As part of the Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Health, World Business Chicago collaborated with Summit Innovation Partner APCO on a new economic-development perspective examining a critical challenge facing health innovation: why proven solutions can still struggle to reach the people and markets they are designed to serve.

"Approval Is the Easy Part: Why Proven Health Innovations Still Stall" explores what it takes to move innovation beyond approval and into adoption, scale and impact. Read the full piece here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/chicago-sits-center-healthcares-next-challenge-bfukc/https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/chicago-sits-center-healthcares-next-challenge-bfukc

The Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Health is made possible through the generous support of our partners.

Presenting partners include:

• Bank of America, a WBC board member
• Consulate General of Canada in Chicago
• DLA Piper, a WBC board member
• Health Care Service Corporation, a WBC board member
• Grainger College of Engineering of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; the University of Illinois System is a WBC board member
• MATTER
• Microsoft, a WBC board member
• Portal Innovations
• Rush University System for Health and Rush University Medical Center
• Shapack Partners, a WBC board member

Innovation Partners include:

• 1871
• APCO
• Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
• Business Leadership Council
• Chicago Biomedical Consortium
• ChiForward by World Business Chicago
• Clique Studios
• Cooley
• Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership
• iBIO: Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization
• J.P. Morgan
• mHUB
• Northwestern Querrey InQbation Lab
• SecondMuse
• Seed Spot
• TechNexus Venture Collaborative, a WBC board member
• Women-in-Bio Chicago

Venture Partners include:

• 2Flo Ventures
• 7wire Ventures
• Enterprise Ireland
• Mid-America Healthcare Investors Network
• Northwestern Medicine and Techstars Healthcare Accelerator
• Orrick
• Pace Healthcare Capital
• University of Chicago Medicine Ventures
• Valtruis

ABOUT WORLD BUSINESS CHICAGO
World Business Chicago (WBC) is the city's public-private economic development agency, driving growth, attracting investment, and creating jobs across Chicago and the greater Chicagoland region. In partnership with the City of Chicago and a network of civic and business leaders, WBC advances initiatives that help companies expand and innovate and serves as the lead organization for the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership (GCEP)—a seven-county collaboration aligned to compete—and win—globally with a unified regional strategy. For the latest news, data, and insights shaping business in Chicagoland, visit worldbusinesschicago.com.

SOURCE World Business Chicago