World Business Chicago names entrepreneur Mark Tebbe as Chairman of ChicagoNEXT

Tebbe’s experience and passion is a tremendous asset to Chicago’s technology community

CHICAGO (May 12, 2015) – World Business Chicago (WBC) today named Mark Tebbe Chairman of ChicagoNEXT, a dedicated effort to drive growth and opportunity in science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. J.B. Pritzker, Managing Partner of Pritzker Group and the organization’s previous Chairman, will now serve as Chairman Emeritus.

Tebbe comes to WBC and ChicagoNEXT with deep experience in business and technology. An entrepreneur, Tebbe is on the executive committees for 1871, one of Chicago’s top tech incubators, and TechNexus, a venture collaborative. Tebbe is also Entrepreneur in Residence and Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In addition to his roles advising companies and students, he serves as Operating Executive at Lake Capital, a $1.3 billion fund that focuses on marketing and technology services.

“Chicago is quickly becoming the best city in the U.S. for tech companies, beating even Silicon Valley in job growth since 2010. ChicagoNEXT’s work has helped pave the way for this growth, including the launch of MATTER, the 2014 Chicago Venture Summit and the CleanTech Innovation Bridge,” said Pritzker. “Mark’s insight and experience will help amplify the impact the organization is making.”

“Mark is an exceptional connector across diverse tech segments,” said World Business Chicago President & CEO Jeff Malehorn. “His experience will be extremely important as we take the organization to the next level.”

In his role, Tebbe will set strategic direction that furthers ChicagoNEXT’s goals of attracting tech talent and capital to Chicago, with particular focus on bridging connections between established and emerging firms.

“Throughout my career, I have seen the tremendous impact that technology can have,” said Tebbe. “I am honored to have the opportunity to chair such a dynamic organization and excited to continue to develop strategies that make the Chicago Metro and larger Midwest as attractive as possible for tech companies.”

ChicagoNEXT focuses broadly on technology and science-based pursuits, with a particular emphasis on the CleanTech, BioScience, Web/Mobile, and FinTech sectors. In addition to the launch of MATTER, the 2014 Chicago Venture Summit and the CleanTech Innovation Bridge, ChicagoNEXT is responsible for the ThinkChicago student recruitment initiative.

Creating opportunity in the tech space and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship is an integral part of WBC’s Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs. WBC is implementing Plan strategies to accelerate economic growth throughout the Chicago region.

For more information on Mark Tebbe, view his full biography here.