SXSW 2012

With the meteoric rise of Chicago-based Groupon, interest in the Windy City startup scene has spread to both coasts and beyond, bringing new companies and hundreds of millions of VC dollars to the region. This panel features top Chicago investors, entrepreneurs, and journalists with diverse perspectives on the emergence of a Chicago startup community. Combining lifelong Midwesterners and recent transplants, young founders and seasoned venture capitalists, the panel will discuss how the Chicago startup scene has evolved in the past year, what it will look like in 5, why they chose Chicago over New York and the Valley, and the unique challenges of building a business in the Midwest.