Water Week has begun and to kick the week off we sat down with Chief Executive Office and Director of Current; Alaina Harkness and Lead Water Strategist at Argonne National Laboratory; Dr. Junhong Chen. Current is a non-profit convener of scientists, corporates, academic institutions, and local governments that has a goal of turning waste into wealth through responsible stewardship of water resources. Alaina and Junhong met with us to discuss their team's recent recognition as an NSF Regional Innovation Engine designee, the Blue economy of the Midwest, the energy-water nexus, and, of course, all things Water Week! Stream, stream, stream, the episode now! 

The State of Innovation is BACK with an episode on clean tech innovations, the mode du jour for innovators and scientists working to combat climate change, and startup success stories. We were privileged to welcome the director of mHUB Chicago's Climate and Energy Tech Accelerator; Thierry Van Landegem. Tune in and hear Thierry share his advice for clean tech founders, investors, and our robust discussion on the Climate and Energy Tech Sector. 

On Today's episode fo the State of Innovation Podcast, we talk to Chicago Urban Historian Shermann Dilla Thomas on what it means to be an innovator from the city. 

Our discussion weaved together the rich history of Chicago with Dilla's insights on the multitude of pathways the city can follow to rekindle its innovative spirit. We discussed historical achievements be Chicago leaders; Bessie Coleman, George Ferris, and many others. We discussed the important history of Chicago's South and West side neighborhoods. Dilla's perspective comes from being a son of Chicago and we want you to join us to learn about why 'Everything Dope About STEM, Comes from Chicago.' Tune in!

On todays episode of the State of Innovation Podcast, we talk to ISTC Education Director Becky Goldberg, Horizon Educational's Ben Giordano, and Constellation Energy Vice President of Corporate Strategy Colleen Wright.

Our discussion touched on a major new event coming to Illinois; the H2 Grand Prix Series. We dive in on the sights and sounds of the first qualifying race, the passion that the 12-14 year old participants in the race have for innovation, and the future of the Grand Prix Series in the state. 

On todays episode of the State of Innovation Podcast, we talk to IL State Representative Margaret Croke. 

Our discussion touched on Rep. Croke's major milestones and journey to the House, her thoughts on the future of cryptocurrency and blockchain in IL, and the opportunities for their adoption and advancement across the state.

On today's episode, we speak with Leslie Amonoo, the Founder and Director of Millennial Beacon. This healthcare incubator on Chicago's south side aims to diversify talent in healthcare innovation and create access to solutions that positively impact health outcomes in Black communities. We discuss narrative building and why it's important to reposition the south side as a viable area for opportunity and investment; we also expand on Millennial Beacon's strategy toward building trust and creating change in the communities they serve. 

To learn more about Millennial Beacon, visit their website below

https://millennialbeacon.org/

During this episode, we speak with Jason Mercer, a Principal at Cleveland Avenue, a venture capital firm that invests primarily in Black and brown founders across restaurant, food tech and beverage companies in the Midwest region. With such a  major gap in the funding of Black founders, our discussion with Jason touches on the different ways to address and improve this engagement. 

On this episode, we discuss the role of downstate innovation within the future of IL with Gary Kinsel, the Vice Chancellor of Research at Southern Illinois University. Our conversation highlights SIU's Research Park and the entrepreneurial support among their student and faculty. We also dive into the wins that have come through their focus on industry relations, technology transfer programming, and the pipelines being developing between research and commercialization. 

The State of Innovation podcast is BACK with new co-hosts Oluwatobi "Tobi" Oladejo (Innovation Program Coordinator) and Austin Green (Data and Policy Intern)! 

During this episode, we are joined by Colleen Egan and Nicole McCarthy (Innovation Program Manager) at World Business Chicago to discuss the launch of Venture Engine, ISTC's new corporate-startup connectivity platform. Our conversation touches on the impactful relationship between ISTC's partners at WBC and TechNexus Venture Collaborative and goes into detail about the vision that each of our organizations share for the future of innovation and entrepreneurship in IL.