Editor's Note: P33 is a non-profit partner of the Chicago Quantum Exchange. This article also quotes Kate Timmerman, Chicago Quantum Exchange executive director.
Not often do three of the most influential leaders come together and challenge an entire city to reach its full potential. Well, that is exactly what happened in Chicago.
Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Chicago-native Penny Pritzker, Chicago tech entrepreneur and founder of Ocient and Cleversafe Chris Gladwin, and Civic Committee and Commercial Club of Chicago President Kelly Welsh, gathered a diverse group of Chicago leaders and community stakeholders to answer a perplexing question – why is Chicago, a city home to more than thirty Fortune 500 companies, multiple world-class research universities and a vibrant startup ecosystem, not one of the U.S.’s leading technology and innovation hubs?
After months of meetings and research, the group emerged with a plan and launched P33 with a mission to turbocharge Chicagoland’s tech economy to accelerate economic growth, opportunity and equity for all Chicagoans.
“P33 actively looks to remove obstacles and address pressing challenges in our tech ecosystem,” Brad Henderson, CEO of P33, explained. “Once we identify a roadblock or an inefficiency, we work to bring together the right mix of institutions, communities and individuals that we’ll partner with to launch solutions aimed at alleviating or eliminating that specific challenge.”
This private sector-led organization has been officially off the ground as a fully operational 501c(3) for about a year now, and already has multiple programs set in place to have a lasting impact on its Chicagoland community.