The document discusses the author's background as a graduate and independent trader, emphasizing the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation in Chicago. It highlights various networking opportunities, support structures, and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly in tech and startups. The author encourages taking advantage of Chicago's growing ecosystem and building a business using available resources.

1. Short Sweet With Some Meat

2. Who Am I?
• 1984 Graduate of the College of Business
• @pointsnfigures; pointsandfigures.com
• Was an Independent Commodity Trader, CME
Board
• Co-Founder of Hyde Park Angels in Chicago
• Funder, and connector
• Idea guy

3. PAIN POINTS
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What’s a Pain Point?
Can it be solved?
Future Pain Points (no more copycats)
Novel Pain Points
New Pain Points Caused by Innovation
Employment! (Set a goal to work for yourself)

4. Advice From Twitter and Facebook
• Avoid Wall Street (LaSalle St)-Better for Engineers to look somewhere else
@talentedblonde @reformedbroker
• Engineering is great training for Entrepreneurs@JLM73TX
• Find a great designer (especially mobile)@howardlindzon
• Move to Chicago!! @troyhenikoff @rahmemanuel @brucemontgomery
@jbpritzker
• Go work for a startup. Opens options for you. @aaronklein
• Test the boundaries of knowledge like Claude Shannon @warrenmurdoch
• Break stuff and make stuff @nileshtravedi
• What skills are in demand today? What matters? Use that answer to
evaluate companies as you search. @coreyferengul
• Build your network. Create your own opportunities. @johnkish
• The great tech problems aren’t sexy. They transform industry and change
the world. @fredhoch

5. Chicago, It’s an Innovative Town
• Startups are thriving in Chicago.

6. Broader Midwest Innovation
• St.
Louis, Minneapolis, Madison, Indianapolis, An
n Arbor.
• Great place to start a company
• On the QT-Stealth mode is easier
• Many customers and Fortune 1000 firms
• Easier to bootstrap (Cheaper)
• Future (Healthcare and B2B)

7. Chicago, Hub of Industry
• Rivers, rail, distributed power, modern retailing, modern
architecture, atomic age, electronic trading, Second City
• NOW Chicago is synonymous with TECH
• Orbitz, CDW, CareerBuilder all Chicago
• Groupon, fastest growing company EVER
• GrubHub-0 to HUGE in 8 years
• Cleversafe-providing some of the biggest storage devices in
the world
• Guaranteed Rate-billions in mortgages
• Braintree sold for $800 million in 7 years

8. Great Ecosystems are Entrepreneur
Lead
• There is support for entrepreneurs where
there wasn’t before
• You can build a business.
• There is talent, just have to find it (HINT: A lot
of it is toiling away at HFT firms)
• Great talent in marketing, sales, accounting

9. Infrastructure
• 1871, Technori, Catapult, Junto
Institute, Nextspace, TechStars, Impact Engine
• HydeParkAngels, Irish Angels, Harvard
Angels, West Suburban Angels, Cornerstone
Angels, Firestarters,
• Chicago Innovation
Mentors, iBio/Propel, Illinois Technology
Association (ITA)
• BuiltInChicago.org

10. Do You Want It?
• It’s here, it’s free, it’s easy to get.
• What are You afraid of?
• The time is now.

11. Time For a Beer (Microbeer Hopefully)
Q+A