In-Person Event

Founder Night Out Chicago: Startup Networking for the AI Era

Meet Chicago founders and mentors, swap notes on building in the AI era, and grow your network.

Date
Sep 22, 2026
Time
04:00 pm - 07:00 pm
Address
Moe's Cantina River North, 155 W. Kinzie St, Chicago, IL, USA
Event Banner Image
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!

Who Should Attend:

  • Anyone interested in entrepreneurship
  • Anyone who has a pre-seed tech company or an AI startup idea
  • Anyone interested in joining an AI-Native Company Builder

Additional Resources:

Explore more Startup Events, know more about the Founder Institute Core Program and get inspired by the latest Graduate News.

About Founder Institute:


The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 9,000 entrepreneurs raise over $2BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across over 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide.

Speakers

Jason

Jason Jacobsohn

Founder & Managing Director @ Propellant Ventures

Andy

Andy Cwik

Co-Founder & CEO @ hubub

Platinum Partners

Local Partners

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