The Polsky Center’s new breakfast series brings together entrepreneurs, investors, and experts to highlight important emerging trends in select industries. In Civtech 2019, we will hear from a panel of expert venture capitalists and entrepreneurs changing the provision of government and other aspects of civil society. This event is hosted in partnership with the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Confirmed speakers: //

• Beth Bond, Bosch – Beth has over 12 years of experience in digital platform, civic tech and educational program development. She has worked with startup teams, social ventures, public agencies and corporations to identify strategic partnerships, launch products and cultivate community. Current projects include launching a civic engagement platform for cities with GoCivic, facilitating a civic tech incubator in Chicago Schools with her nonprofit Community Startups, and exploring the future of urban mobility in mega-cities with Bosch.
• Serhat Cicekoglu, MBA ’05, Sente Foundry – Serhat is an expert on innovation management with over 25 years of industry experience serving corporations in consumer electronics, semiconductor, consumer goods, and industrial products. In 2008, he founded Sente Foundry, a startup investment program funded by corporations, family offices, venture capitalists, and municipalities. Sente Foundry is also the exclusive international startup accelerator program partner of 1871. He is a frequent judge at programs like Verizon Innovation, AHA Heart Challenge, Start-up Chile, KAUST, Teknojumpp, ITU Gate and ITU Seed new venture programs. Through Sente Foundry, he has invested in 10 startups from seven countries including Germany, Turkey, and Israel. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Istanbul Technical University.
• Will Colegrove, Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation (moderator) – Will is responsible for leading the Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program at Chicago Booth’s Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation, including cultivating the pipeline for the John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC) from across the University of Chicago. Previously, he worked in venture capital, leading diligence and deal sourcing for an early-stage fund in Chicago. Prior to that, he spent several years in New York City government working in legislative and tech policy, as well as municipal finance and grant making.
• Mike Duffy, MBA ’12, CityBase – Mike founded CityBase with the inspiration that technology could help public servants do what they do best: solve local problems and improve lives. Mike was driven to embrace local government’s distinct operational challenge of serving every person, regardless of their needs or demographics. Today, more than 100 government agencies and utility service providers across the United States are using the CityBase platform for integrated payments and digital services. Mike brings a deep interest in behavioral economics from over a decade working in capital markets, including as a Federal Reserve analyst at Northern Trust. He concentrated in economics, econometrics and statistics, and entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business before founding CityBase and embarking on his mission for humanity.
• Brian Hill, Edovo – Brian is the CEO of Edovo, a Chicago-based venture that aims to reduce recidivism by bringing tech-enabled education and communication tools to incarcerated people. Brian was in his first year of a JD/MBA at Northwestern University when he began work on a Social Impact Bond initiative for the largest single-site jail in Chicago. This exposure prompted him to create the Edovo platform, which has scaled nationally and reached well over 100,000 incarcerated students. Brian’s impact-driven work has been recognized by many national platforms, and he was named one of Conscious Company’s “Social Entrepreneurs to Watch” He earned a BS in economics and business from Brigham Young University, is a father of four, and is committed to making serious changes in corrections and re-entry through technology.
• Elizabeth McCluskey, Impact Engine – Elizabeth is a principal at Impact Engine, a venture capital and private equity investment firm focused on companies that generate positive outcomes in education, health, economic empowerment, and environmental sustainability. Within the ventures team, she is responsible for identifying and evaluating investment opportunities and conducting financial and business due diligence. Prior to joining Impact Engine in 2015, Elizabeth was active in developing the social impact community in Chicago as manager of the social innovation and impact investing programs at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She previously worked in investment banking and wealth management at UBS and Hightower Advisors. Elizabeth earned a BA in economics from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

Additionally, the event will include the opportunity for networking and time for a limited number of 1-minute pitches from civtech startups before this engaged audience. To apply to pitch, complete an application by February 7 at 12 p.m.

Free breakfast is provided and registration is required.

If you like this event, be sure to check out all the events in our series:

• January 18: Health Tech 2019
• January 25: Food 2019
• February 1: Therapeutics 2019
• February 8: Civtech 2019
• February 15: Fintech 2019
• February 22: Energy 2019
• March 1: AI 2019