Chicago Biomedical Consortitum's Midwest BioBuilders Summit, happening November 12, 2026, at the Willis Tower in Chicago. 

The Midwest is home to a growing cluster of early-stage biotech companies, many of which are underexposed to coastal capital. This summit brings together founders, researchers, and technical teams from across the region, presenting a strong opportunity to see emerging assets before they're widely known.

IVCA members interested in attending, please contact Kathy Pyne at kpyne@illinoisvc.org for an exclusive early-access invitation link!

Over the past three years, the Summit has grown into the Midwest's flagship biotech event. On November 12th, the CBC is gathering 100+ early-stage companies and entrepreneurs from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, and more to present in their “Hall of Inventions”. The last Summit brought together 600 attendees, including more than 200 national VCs and industry leaders attracted to this unique concentration of Midwest innovation. As part of our push to get national exposure, they have built a program that includes a keynote by Alexis Borisy of Curie.Bio and panelists from Takeda, Johnson & Johnson, Lilly, Xaira Therapeutics, and many more.

The Summit is designed to foster meaningful conversations about company creation, investment opportunities, and the translational infrastructure needed to bring breakthrough science to patients. They’ll also have 1:1 partnering available on the 12th and satellite events on November 11th to provide additional networking opportunities.