Chicago Innovation

10/06/2026

Meet DJ Cobra B!

Cobra B will be spinning live from 5-7pm at The Ladder Community Social on October 15.

Cobra B is a Chicago-born, St. Louis-raised open-format DJ who mixes music rooted in the Black diaspora, including house music, amapiano, afrobeats, R&B, kwaito, techno, hip hop & post-punk.

Since launching her DJ career, Cobra B has made appearances in some of Chicago’s most legendary spaces, including Smartbar, Podlasie Club, the California Clipper, Berlin nightclub (RIP), and annual events like Pride Fest and the Other Art Fair.

She is also a resident DJ for a monthly community roller skate event in Garfield Park and regularly plays at underground events and raves.

Enjoy her energizing, boundary-pushing selections while networking with Chicago-area innovators and enjoying local food entrepreneurs’ products at The Hatchery.

Less than two weeks until the event - RSVP today with the link in our bio!

Tag someone who should be in the room. 🎉

10/05/2026

AI is moving faster than most leaders can keep up with, and the human skills that build trust are getting harder to protect. 🤖🤝🏼

Teams want a leader who can do both: use the tech and bring out the best in people. That’s what it takes to become The Complete Innovator.

Join us at The Second City for a night with leaders from Accenture, Capital One, McDonald’s, Aon, West Monroe, and more.

We’ll kick things off with an improv warmup from The Second City and close with a cocktail reception.

Grab your ticket at the link in our bio!

09/29/2026

Everyone needs someone in their corner, whether you’re launching a venture or growing your corporate career.

Applications for Chicago Innovation’s mentoring programs are OPEN as of today for our January 2027 cohort!

The Ladder: for Black and Latine innovators
Women’s Mentoring Co-op: for women at every stage, from startups to the corporate world
Ageless Innovators: intergenerational co-mentoring

Six months. 1:1 matching. A community that shows up.

Apply now at the link in our bio, and tag someone who needs a mentor! ⬇️

09/24/2026

We are so excited to announce The Ladder Community Social happening on October 15 at ICNC’s The Hatchery! We hope to see you there to celebrate, connect with peers, and engage with a larger community! 🥂

The Ladder, launched in January 2022 in partnership with i.c.stars |* Chicago, supports Black and Latine innovators taking their next steps in their careers or launching and growing businesses.

We are excited to invite the entire innovation community to join us in celebrating innovators across our city, connect with other entrepreneurs and professionals, and enjoy some great food and drinks from The Hatchery entrepreneurs!

RSVP at the link in our bio.

Send this to someone looking for their next step! ✨

09/22/2026

Your students are natural problem-solvers, but how often do they get the chance to prove it? 🤔

Traditional classrooms are typically teacher-led- but ISIC is student-led learning. Kids get to ask their own questions, chase their own ideas, and build something that solves a problem they care about.

That’s exactly what Misty Richmond, 7th & 8th grade science teacher at James Ward Elementary and a 2026 Golden Apple Award winner for Excellence in Teaching, built her classroom around instead. Hear why in her own words. 🎥⬇️

That’s the ISIC difference- and it’s FREE for K-8 educators across Illinois.

📢 Educator sign-ups are open now. Give your students the chance to invent, problem-solve, and see themselves as innovators.

➡️ Link in our bio to sign up!

09/22/2026

09/17/2026

Last night was everything. ✨

The room was buzzing with nominees, supporters, and dreamers all in one space, celebrating what it means to bet on yourself and actually be seen for it.

There’s nothing like watching people get recognized for the work they almost didn’t believe in.

Here’s to more rooms like this one!🥂

Sign up for our mailing list with the link in our bio to get more involved. 🥳

09/11/2026

One week left. Tickets are almost gone.

On September 16th, Chicago’s entire innovation community- 356 Chicago Innovation Award nominees, Fortune 500 execs, VCs, and past winners- will fill one room for one night at CineCity Studios Chicago.

This is your shot to meet the founders and leaders shaping Chicago before 20 of them are awarded winners in November.

Don’t miss out on this one!

🎟️ Grab your ticket before they’re gone at the link in our bio.

09/10/2026

Most classrooms teach kids to find the right answer. ISIC teaches them to find the right problem- and then invent their way into solving it.

The Invention Convention (ISIC) is a hands-on program that challenges students to identify a real problem in their world and design an original invention to solve it.

From ideation to prototyping to pitching, students get to think like real inventions- not just learn about them.

Imagine how much impact we could create if every classroom has this opportunity.

Do you want your students to experience ISIC?

Educator sign-ups are OPEN to all who want to participate! Click the link in our bio to find out more.