Drawing from National Labs and universities in the Midwest, the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation will host the DeepTech Conference on April 20-22. The virtual event will feature pitches from deep tech entrepreneurs and panel discussions with industry experts. The event’s primary focus will be on the significant scientific and engineering challenges of deep tech.
“The Polsky Center launched DeepTechU to help shine a brighter light on all the emerging deep technologies coming out of the greater Midwest,” said Jay Schrankler, Associate Vice President and Head of the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “There is incredible work being done here and we are excited to partner with top research institutions and Big 10 schools in supporting breakthrough innovations that will change the way we live in the future.”
The conference agenda will provide early looks into cutting-edge tech innovation, giving 48 investor-ready companies an opportunity to be seen. Also, researchers and faculty inventors will gain insight on what investors are looking for when the deep tech startups seek to raise capital.
Event organizers sought out research in the areas of materials science and engineering, sustainability, energy storage, and quantum information sciences, among others from which deep tech startups arise.
Juan de Pablo, University of Chicago Vice President for National Laboratories, Science Strategy, Innovation, and Global Initiatives, explains, “The Midwest is uniquely positioned to lead in deep tech, meaning the types of early-stage technologies that require fundamental breakthroughs to advance science and move innovations into use in the world.”
Chris Meldrum, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at DCVC Bio, sees the value of bringing together researchers who are producing the innovations that potentially address the societal challenges, while also exposing them to investors.
“We believe deep tech will play an essential role in addressing many of the challenges facing society today, by responding quickly to develop new therapies, agricultural solutions, and transformational uses for synthetic biology. I’m excited to participate in DeepTechU to not only draw attention to the breakthroughs happening in deep tech, but also to highlight the innovative work coming out of the Midwest.”
To register for the conference, visit deeptechu.com
