08/17/2026
Chicago’s creative sector continues to gain momentum, converging with world-class manufacturing, enterprise infrastructure, and a rising founder community. Last month’s Chicago Media & Entertainment Tech Summit, presented by Good Chaos, The Coleman Foundation, , and highlighted the strengths and opportunities of these industries with a high-impact global gathering of founders, investors, and industry leaders at the forefront of the creative economy.
The summit kicked off with opening remarks from Phil Clement of , an update on the economic impact of Illinois’ creative economy from , and the signing of an MOU between 2112, , and Music Tech Embassy. We featured curated panels and innovation spotlights exploring: Chicago as the New Capital of Creative Technology and Future of Media; XR, Virtual Production & Experiential Innovation; Dual-Use Technologies; The Future of Sports, Music & Live Experiences; Chicago in the International Ecosystem; The State of Creative Tech Investment in 2026, and Intelligent Systems.
Day 1 culminated with a keynote presentation by of and a pitch competition presented by The Coleman Foundation, which spotlighted the region’s most compelling creative technology companies with $25,000 in cash prizes. Congratulations to of for winning the Judge’s Choice Award, and of for taking home the Audience Choice prize. Each finalist was also awarded a year-long membership to 2112 and business development support from the ILT Academy. The night concluded with an industry reception hosted by .
Refreshments throughout the summit were provided by 2112 Members .co and .
Video by 2112 Member