CHICAGO (AP) — There are Renaissance Weekends and meetings in Switzerland for the world's leaders to share creative ideas and make profitable connections.
And now there's a big-shoulders version of the concept: Chicago Ideas Week. The weeklong program of panel discussions, speakers and demonstrations opened Monday for its second year.
Chicago Ideas Week is the brainchild of Groupon co-founder Brad Keywell. The Chicago-based entrepreneur regards the project as a startup, although one that will never be publicly traded on Wall Street.
Keywell hatched Chicago Ideas Week as a nonprofit last year with his business partner Eric Lefkofsky. He says he wanted to fill a void in the city and create a "platform for world-class ideas." But in contrast to other forums, Chicago Ideas Week is accessible to almost everyone. Events cost $15.
