YouTube co-founder Steve Chen featured at Chamber roundtable on region's entrepreneurial, investment and innovation climate

The Chicagoland Chamber hosted a roundtable discussion on Thursday, May 22, to discuss how to make the region a more desirable environment for entrepreneurs, specifically in the technology industry. Featuring a distinguished group of entrepreneurial thought leaders, government leaders, and entrepreneurs – including YouTube co-founder and former Chicagoan Steve Chen – attendees discussed the Silicon Valley, regional challenges and potential solutions to enhance the region’s entrepreneurial and investment climate.

In addition to Chen, attendees included Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Chamber President and CEO Jerry Roper, Chicago Entrepreneurial Center President David Weinstein, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Jack Lavin, World Business Chicago Executive Director Rita Athas, and more than a dozen entrepreneurs and members of the region’s investment community.

Discussions centered on strategies to enhance the technology and investment communities to foster and grow more innovative companies in Chicagoland. While Silicon Valley continues to attract many startup companies, regional leaders acknowledged progress through the past five years, most recently recognized by Fast Company magazine naming Chicago its U.S. City of the Year and Site Selection magazine naming the region the top destination for business investment and expansion.

“Chicagoland continues to evolve, develop and grow as a world center for commerce, and working sessions like this promote greater understanding of steps we need to take to grow more young, innovative companies,” said Roper. “We learned we must continue striving for greater access to capital and developing our workforceto support entrepreneurs so we can compete with other cities across the U.S. and around the world.”

The roundtable was in part made possible by Google’s Central Region Development Manager, Kevin Willer.