TechChicago's BIPOC in Biotech

Career. Connection. Community.

BIPOC in Biotech aims to bring together BIPOC PhDs and Postdocs from across the Midwest with a variety of local life science organizations to connect with each other, explore careers, and build a network.

You will spend the day making connections with fellow PhD's and postdocs, getting an inside view into a breadth of career opportunities, and learning tips from experts on how to market yourselves and pitch your work for potential jobs in biotech and pharma.

Build your knowledge and network through direct access to companies working at the forefront of amazing biotech and opportunities to speak with former PhDs and Postdocs like you, who have forged exciting careers with their scientific backgrounds.

Plus, free food, a live pitch competition with local biotech startups, and an amazing afterparty!

From out of town? A limited number of travel awards are available - apply when you RSVP!

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Proposed Agenda (subject to change)

9:30a-6p (+ afterparty!) at 167 N. Green Street

Food: Breakfast, Lunch, and Snacks will be served

8:30a-9:30a: Check-in and Breakfast

9:30a - 10:00a: State of Unity Address (Speaker announced soon!)

10:00a-10:45a: Morning Keynote(Speaker announced soon!)

- 15min Break -

11:00a-11:45a: Career Panel

• Scientists across various career paths will showcase their journey, sharing information about their role, companies to seek out, challenges they faces, and more
• These panel scientists (along with others) will be available for during the afternoon session for one-on-one discussions during the career fair (Panelists announced soon!)

11:45a - 2:30p: Lunch, Career Connections, and Interview Prep Workshop (Secure your workshop spot during registration - spots are first come first served!)

• Lunch: Enjoy lunch and network with some of your fellow attendees
• Career Connections: Meet with different companies that make up the local life sciences ecosystem and understand their mission, while companies can access and build their network of local talent. Scientists representing various careers will be available for one-on-one or small group discussions to discuss their work and pathways to these jobs.
• Interview Prep Improv Workshop : Hosted by Byron Stewart, an adjunct lecturer at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering and science communication instructor for Northwestern’s RCTP Science Communication program, uses his theater background to help postdocs and graduate students take command of the stage and have a presence. This interactive session will help students hone their brand and learn to speak about their work, setting them up for success as they venture into a career. (Spots are first come first served and can be secured during registration.)

- 15min Break -

2:45p-3:30p: Afternoon Keynote(Speaker announced soon!)

3:30p - 4:30p: BIPOC Biotech Entrepreneur Panel (Speakers announced soon!)

• BIPOC Biotech Entrepreneurs share their experiences around their path to entrepreneurship

4:30p - 4:45p: Quick Quarter(Speaker announced soon!)

- 15min Break -

5:00p - 6:00p: Deep TechRise Live Pitch Competition

• Deep TechRise builds on P33's TechRise program (https://techrise.co/), giving away $25K of nondilutive funding along with other resources and support to diverse biotech founders. Over the hour, you will see 5 founders pitch their startups LIVE, learn about the amazing work each of them are doing to transform biotech, and watch as one of the companies walks away with funding and other helpful resources

6:00p - 8:00p: Afterparty (More information coming soon!)

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About CBC: Generously funded by the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust, the goal of the Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC) is to become a centralized “One Chicago” resource for early academic life sciences commercialization and economic development. The CBC connects scientists, venture, industry, accelerators, and the rest of the community, subsequently catalyzing significant economic development for Chicago life sciences.

About P33: P33 is a privately funded non-profit focused on driving inclusive, global tech and innovation leadership in Chicago. P33’s work is anchored in deep research and driven by a need to unlock the potential of the digital age to solve some of the toughest problems facing Chicago, such as equitable access to digital careers, talent retention, deep science commercialization, and gaps in our growth-stage startup ecosystem.

ABOUT TECHCHICAGO: TechChicago is a community-built brand and movement representing Chicago’s technology sector. Spearheaded by P33 and World Business Chicago, in collaboration with thousands of Chicagoland and Illinois tech and business leaders, TechChicago aims to increase visibility around the region’s innovation strengths to attract world-class tech talent, founders, and businesses to Chicago and the region.

Follow TechChicago on Twitter and LinkedIn and visit the website at gotechchicago.com.