🏆 Congrats to our very own Joey Mak for being honored on this year's Axios #Chicago Power Players list, which recognizes local leaders who are making a difference. 👇 axios.com/local/chicago/…

I'm very honored to be included on the 2023 Axios #Chicago Power Players list! Thanks to Mike Allen Justin Kaufmann Monica Eng Carrie Shepherd and the entire Chicago team for throwing a beautiful honoree reception last night! Congrats to all the winners! axios.com/local/chicago/…

Sooo much great stuff coming to the Lofty Ventures platform in 2024 to support our 160+ founders & 300+ angels in: ❤️#LoftyFamily & 👼#LoftyAngels Here’s a taste… • EXPANDED 🔥#LoftyCamp 2.0 retreat at OffMap with 30+ founders, angels, VCs & partners • NEW Lofty

"Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” We keep Dr. King's words top of mind today as we build a more equitable future for Chicago's VC ecosystem. #MLK

Thanks to Crunchbase News for publishing some of my thoughts about the state of #DEI in #VentureCapital amid Chicago:Blend's recent Startup Diversity Report w/World Business Chicago & CDW Corporation. news.crunchbase.com/diversity/vc-c…

Startups led by Black founders and women still continue to receive single-digit percentages of funding. How do we do better? Guest author Joey Mak of nonprofit Chicago:Blend offers his perspective. news.crunchbase.com/diversity/vc-c…

Tickets are going fast for this Wed night's #BlackHistoryMonth celebration w/TechNexus Venture Collaborative BLCK VC Gray Matter: The space for Young Black Innovation CDW Corporation & Accenture! We'll have food, networking, and rapid fire talks feat. Chicago's top investors, founders, and changemakers! chicagoblend.org/events/chicago…

We have an awesome program in store for our #WomensHistoryMonth luncheon on 3/19! Hope you can join us!

Thanks to orgs like mHUB , #Chicago is THE place to be for HardTech innovation. Come celebrate on Mar. 13-14 and don't miss their panel on "The Road Well Traveled: Finding Success in Funding as an Early-Stage Start-Up," which will be moderated by yours truly!

Thanks to everyone who attended last night's #BlackHistoryMonth event! S/O to our collaborators Devin Brown bask_n_robbins Abena Boamah Jason Mercer of Cleveland Avenue okorie chidima BLCK VC Gray Matter: The space for Young Black Innovation TechNexus Venture Collaborative CDW Corporation Accenture Dujon C. Smith Tessa Flippin Christian McKenzie

Just registered for this upcoming event hosted by the StartOutChicago team to amplify the voices of women and trans individuals in #Chicago. Hope to see you there. 🎟️ Tix 👉🏽 eventbrite.com/e/together-we-…

ICYMI, check out our photos from yesterday's #WomensHistoryMonth event w/All Raise, iBIO, GETCities, HPA & TechNexus Venture Collaborative! Special thanks to our incredible speakers Lindsay Knight, Lynessa Rico, Ann Vogel, Elle Ramel & Thru Shivakumar! 📸 photos.app.goo.gl/1fqQyafQ4BYs5H…

More sunshine means more gatherings! Kick off spring with Chicago:Blend and CDW Corporation at our VC & Startup Mixer on Apr. 25! This event is open to all founders and investors, but registration is required 👇🏽. Hope to see you there! 😎

🏆 Congrats to the finalists and winners of last night's University of Illinois Chicago Blaze Pitch Competition, which awarded $13k to student-led pitch competitions. Always great to be back on the UIC campus to see the innovations coming out of this great institution. ❤️

Kids born today will experience 5x the # of extreme weather events than today's 80-year-olds, highlighting the need for more #sustainability due diligence by companies + investors, according to Chicago:Blend VC fellow @slbasys (Fall '23). #EarthDay2024 🌎 youtube.com/watch?v=E5vDsA…

🗓️ Tue 5/21 #FutureOfFoodWeek World Business Chicago 🔟 Talks by Chicago:Blend's #VC Fellows 💡 5⃣ TechRise - powered by P33 startups pitching for $25k 💸 🤝 Meet #Chicago's top founders, investors, techies 🙏 Sponsors CDW Corporation mHUB Expo Pass 🎟️ Tickets 👉 lu.ma/blendtalks-spr…

Excited for this one! If you’re a VC/investor or startup founder, DM me for a comp code! 🤫

We're so excited to announce that Elle Ramel and Samir Mirza are joining the Chicago:Blend board of directors! Read the full press release! chicagoblend.org/news-insights/…

This #Juneteenth, we commemorate the end of slavery in the United States, the legacy of which persists today. At a time when efforts to address racial inequities are under attack, we stand firm in our commitment to building a more diverse and inclusive economic future for all.