In-Person Event

Founder Night Out: Meet Midwest's AI Founders, Investors and Operators

Meet the founders, investors, and operators actually building in Midwest, in one room.

Date

Nov 10, 2026

Time

04:00 pm - 07:00 pm

Address

Theory, 9 W. Hubbard St., 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL, USA

Timezone

If you have a startup idea or a growing company and you want to expand your network in Chicago, then join us for the in-person 'Founder Night Out' event. At this informal networking event, you can connect with other early-stage entrepreneurs, startup mentors, and advisors from the Founder Institute network. With AI reshaping how founders build, launch, and scale, it's the perfect moment to swap notes on the tools and tactics working right now — whether you're a technical builder or just getting started. Socialize over drinks with potential co-founders, advisors, mentors, and partners, trade ideas on building smarter with the latest tools, and most of all, get away from the computer and have fun!

What You'll Learn:

Who is building what in Midwest right now, from the people building it;
Which local investors are active and what they are looking at;
What the operators in the room can help with;
Where the local ecosystem is strong and where it is thin;
How to keep the conversations going after the night ends.

Who Should Attend:

Founders at any stage building in or near Midwest;
Professionals considering starting something who want to meet people who did;
Local investors and operators looking for early deal flow and talent;
Anyone who prefers a conversation to a webinar.

Additional Resources: Find more Startup Events, browse the Founder Institute Mentors active in your region, or follow Graduate News to see who is building nearby.

About Founder Institute: The Founder Institute is the World's Largest AI-Native Company Builder, giving idea-stage, first-time founders, and employees making the leap to entrepreneurship the tools, global network, and proven methodology to build an AI-powered startup from zero to funding. Since 2009, our structured programs have helped over 9,000 founders across 100 countries raise more than $2BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 6 continents, our mission is to empower talented and motivated people everywhere to build impactful, AI-powered companies.