Chicago:Blend Winter Gathering
You helped make this year happen. Come celebrate it with us.
2026 was Chicago:Blend’s biggest year yet. We grew in new directions, reached new corners of the ecosystem, and did it all with the help of the people on this invite list. So before the year wraps, we want to say thank you in person, over lunch, with the sponsors, investors, program alumni, and friends who make Chicago’s venture community work.
What we’re celebrating...
100+ Venture Fellows. Our VC Fellowship passed a milestone we’ve been working toward since day one, with alumni now working across Chicago’s venture firms.
Angels and LPs at the table. This year we brought more angel investors and LPs into the mix, from our Angel Investor Meetups to our invite-only LP dinner series
The next generation, earlier. We launched Venture Club 101, our first program for Chicago-area undergraduates, introducing 17 students to venture before they’ve even graduated.
What to expect...
A room worth the trip. VCs, LPs, angels, founders, ecosystem builders, and our alumni, all in one place to close out the year.
Lunch is on us.
A short program, 12:20–12:50. A toast to the year, the moments that defined it, and a few thank-yous we’ve been saving up.
"Blend:Demo" tables. Our Cohort 10 fellows will be along the sides of the room showing the VC tools they built this fall. Stop by between conversations.
Schedule
11:30 AM: Doors open, lunch & networking
12:20 PM: Program & toast
12:40 PM: Networking & demos
1:30 PM: Wrap
This is an invite-only gathering, and registration requires approval. Know someone who belongs in this room? Tell us.
Thank you to our host and longtime sponsor, CDW for hosting, and to all of our Sustaining Donors who make this work possible.
Meet Cohort 10 of the Chicago:Blend Venture Fellowship
Benedict Sukra, Exposition Ventures
A tool to set assumptions about quantum hardware and project how the ecosystem reshapes, revealing white space and where value will sit.
Lokita Rajan, Earth Foundry
A diligence assistant that rates a physical technology's scaling risk and capital intensity straight from the pitch deck.
Liliana Valasquez, Vamos Ventures
Fiona Chen, LongJump
Digital twin to speed up customer discovery.
Yu'e (Lucia) Liu, Capita3
An AI tool that helps tech transfer teams and investors quickly assess whether a university life sciences invention is ready for licensing, partnering, or NewCo formation.
Halima Hasan, 2Flo Ventures
A tool to check whether digital health startups' clinical evidence, FDA pathway, and reimbursement model hold up.
Olivier Tameze-Rivas, Velocity Catalyst
An always-on sourcing engine that pulls startups from Chicago accelerators and matches them against an investment thesis.
Almaz Edilbaev, Fifth Star Funds
A platform that connects signals to surface stealth startups and emerging founders before anyone else finds them.
Shianne Baggett, Capitalize VC
A tool to startups with sports potential outside traditional sports tech, helping sports VCs spot portfolio synergies.
Anjum Sayyed, Dipalo Ventures
Analysis of how public market movement shapes VC valuations and fundraising.