Abin Kuriakose

(all views expressed via this platform are my personal views only, not the views of my employer) I believe the next generation of economic development must be inclusive, innovative, and values-driven. I lead innovation and venture strategy for the City of Chicago’s economic development organization. More about me: Abin Kuriakose is the first-ever Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at World Business Chicago, the City of Chicago's economic development non-profit chaired by the Mayor. As a public-private partnership, WBC drives inclusive economic growth and job creation, supports the business and innovation ecosystem, and promotes Chicago as a leading global city. Abin and his team manages a portfolio of high-impact economic development programs to grow the region’s tech, innovation, and startup economy. This includes the Chicago Venture Summit (the city’s flagship startup & venture capital conference series), Startup Chicago (capital attraction & startup growth program), ThinkChicago (STEM talent attraction & retention program), & Entreprise Chicago (corporate startup program). With his leadership, Abin’s team led the largest innovation and venture program year in WBC history with 80 unique events (2023). As lead organizer, Abin also led the largest Chicago Venture Summit (2023) with more than 1,000 startup entrepreneurs, investors, and Fortune 500 executives from around the world. Previously, Abin was WBC’s first inno & venture program manager (ChicagoNEXT) from 2016-2018. Abin launched his career in Cook County Government, where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Public Policy Director, and Community Affairs & Engagement Director for the Board of Commissioners (Tenth District) – the county’s legislative and governing body. He served as the staff leader for the Cook County Board’s Pension Committee and Workforce, Housing, & Community Development Committee, where he developed OpenPensions.org, one of the first open-data platforms in local government. Abin is an Emerging Leader of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (2022) and a Civic Leaders Academy/CLA Fellow of the University of Chicago (2018). Governor J.B. Pritzker appointed Abin to the State of Illinois’ Asian American Employment Plan Advisory Council. Chicago Scholars recognized Abin as one of "35 under 35 Young Leaders Making an Impact" (2017). Specialties: public-private partnerships, innovation-enabled economic development, public policy, civic engagement