The second annual Chicago Venture Summit, sponsored by World Business Chicago will be held on April 20-21, 2016 at Google’s newly opened Chicago branch office. The summit will host startups, venture capital firms and will focus on trends in innovation. Fortune 500 companies will also be there to provide the oil to lubricate the machine of networking. A special emphasis will be placed on businesswomen in Chicago.

“Chicago’s tech community is thriving,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “We’ve seen a record high amount of venture capital invested in Chicago startups in 2014, and the second highest number of companies included on Inc. 5000’s latest list of fastest growing companies. The Chicago Venture Summit builds on this environment, allowing our companies to continue to grow and create jobs throughout Chicago.”

ChicagoNEXT, the WBC’s council of technology leaders, is organizing the event. The council is committed to fostering growth and opportunity in technology, science and innovation. They support entrepreneurship which leads to new growth.

“We’re proud to bring the strongest local, regional and national venture companies to the city to converge with our area’s brightest entrepreneurs and industry leaders,” said ChicagoNEXT Chairman Mark Tebbe. “The Chicago Venture Summit provides one of the most unique networking opportunities and creates tangible investment in our city and its companies.”