- The Driver's Seat
- Posts
- đźš™ Mapping Drive's Mission
đźš™ Mapping Drive's Mission
AND The Brain Train
Hey Friends! 🚙 👋🏽
Welcome to Issue #35 of the Driver’s Seat!
Highlights from Last Week:
We hosted our second AI Tinkerers event at the Drive Chicago office for 30 technical builders innovating with language models.
The event was two days after OpenAI’s Demo Day, so we had a lot to discuss.👇🏽
We hosted another Fuel Up Friday connecting the early-stage founder community in Chicago. 👇🏽
I’m visiting Vanderbilt in Nashville later this week to host another AI Meetup on Campus for student founders. 👇🏽
📍 Today’s Lineup:
🚙 Mapping Drive’s Mission
🚊 The Brain Train
đź“Š Chart of the Week
đź—ş Events Around the City
🔙 Previous Issues of the Driver’s Seat
Let’s dive in! 🚙 🚙 🚙
🚙 Mapping Drive’s Mission
Our firm was founded in 2012 under the notion that market-defining companies can be built anywhere, not just the traditional coastal tech hubs.
The Midwest in particular stands out as an epicenter for innovation. We have all the pieces necessary: talent, customers, and major industries.
Talent in Abundance
The Midwest has over half of the nation's top engineering schools, indicating a rich pool of upcoming engineering talent.
And nearly 80% of Midwest college grads gravitate towards Chicago, making it not only the region's prime destination for fresh talent but also the second most popular city in the United States for recent graduates to settle in.
60% of the nation’s top engineering schools are in the Midwest.
— Landon (@landon20s)
Nov 8, 2023
Beyond the talent, the Midwest offers a financial advantage. Our startup salaries stretch further than in the more expensive coastal cities, providing a cost-effective environment for new companies.
A Diverse Customer Base
Our founder Chris often shares the importance of building close to customers.
“Proximity allows builders to incorporate customer feedback and iterate products faster.”Â
In the Midwest, the proximity to a diverse range of customers isn’t just a logistical advantage; it's a strategic asset.
Our customer base also acts as a representation of the broader global market. Companies here can pilot / perfect their products in a representative environment before scaling globally.
The Midwest region has 150 of the Fortune 500 companies. đź“Ťđź’ˇ
— Landon (@landon20s)
Jun 22, 2023
World-Changing Industries
The Midwest is a hub for innovation across diverse sectors, including manufacturing, Agtech, quantum computing, healthcare, finance, and many more.
In Chicago alone, we have one of the most diverse economies in the nation, where no one sector takes up more than 13% of the overall economy.
Anything can be built in the Midwest.
“What truly sets Chicago apart is the balance of our economy.
No one sector dominates, with each representing less than 13 percent of the overall economy.
This diversity is a major advantage for companies, providing a robust ecosystem with numerous opportunities for growth… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
— Landon (@landon20s)
May 28, 2023
🚊 The Brain Train
A few months ago, I attended a press conference with Governor Pritzker, Mayor Johnson, and other city / state leaders to discuss the vision behind the Brain Train.
High Level Insights
The Chicago Hub Improvement Plan is a billion-dollar plan to improve Union Station / rail connectivity across Chicago.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which allocates $350B to federal highway initiatives over a span of five years, was signed into order in 2021.
Our strategy is to receive a $872M grant from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal / State Partnership Program to make this happen.
The Impact of the Brain Train
Significantly shorten commute from Chicago’s Union Station to O’Hare airport.
Add direct commutes from Chicago’s Union Station to Fulton Market, McCormick Place, and the Obama Presidential Center.
Better connect students and researchers from UIUC to downtown Chicago.
How You Can Help
You can learn more here / sign this petition below 👇🏽 to help reach a goal of 10,000 signatures and get the attention of D.C.
đź“ŠÂ Chart of the Week
Our state is making a large bet on transforming Illinois into a hub for quantum innovation.
The above ⬆️ chart shows Illinois in the lead for the amount of financial commitments made towards making this happen.
Over the last 5 years, institutions like the University of Chicago, UIUC, and the Argonne Lab have invested $50M+ in quantum infrastructure.
🗺️ Events Around The City
Property Based Testing
Hosted by Spothero
Tuesday Nov 14
Chicago AI Meetup
Hosted by 1871
Wednesday Nov 15
Chicago CoS Summit
Hosted by Chief of Staff Network
Thursday Nov 16
Chicago Innovation Awards
Hosted by ChicagoInno
Thursday Nov 16
Game-A-Thon
Hosted by GENESIS
Friday Nov 17
Biotech Meetup
Hosted by ChiTownBio
Friday Nov 17
Lofty Lunch & Learn w/ Kat Mañalac
Hosted by Lofty Ventures
Friday Nov 17
Winter is Coming - Hackathon
Hosted by OraVew
Friday Nov 17
đź‘‹ See you next week!
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for even more Chicago startup news and photos of my favorite restaurants in the city.
"What we need is less AI happy hours, and more AI hackathons in Chicago." - @landon20s
Yes!
— Manny Bernabe (@MannyBernabe)
Nov 10, 2023