Summer has arrived in all of its sticky, sun-soaked glory. Do you feel inspired to launch something new or kick off the next leg of your professional journey? Chicago’s tech scene gets a wee bit sleepy every August, but there are still great options to dip your toe into the start-up scene, hone your networking skills or participate in an unconventional bike-plus-beer brainstorm.
Beers, Bikes, and Prototypes: Drink Tank + Divvy + Betabrand
Drink Tank, the recreational think tank, is unlike any networking meet-up you’ve attended before. Join forces with everyone’s favorite bike share and apparel company, Betabrand, to brainstorm, prototype and solve real-world challenges over local beer. (Ancien Cycles, 688 N Milwaukee Ave, Thursday, August 6, 6pm. $20)
Blue 1647, Pilsen’s incubator/co-working space/tech-hub extraordinaire, hosts its monthly Friday happy hour. Meet up with community activists, technologists, entrepreneurs and new and experienced coders alike. Learn about upcoming programs and offerings. (Blue 1647, 1647 S Blue Island Ave, Friday, August 14, 5pm. Free)
Networking and Personal Branding Workshop for the Tech Industry
The career services team at coding school Dev Bootcamp is hosting a two-hour workshop for those in the tech industry and those trying to get into the tech industry. Learn tangible strategies for personal branding (think LinkedIn, Twitter) and making the most of in-person networking over drinks and apps. (Dev Bootcamp, 351 W Hubbard St, Monday, August 17, 6pm. Free)
TechCo’s Startup of the Year Competition & Mixer
TechCo is touring the country looking for its start-up of the year—next stop Chicago. Attend this expo-style mixer at co-working space WeWork to scope out the next generation of Chicago start-ups. Or, apply for your start-up to participate. (WeWork, 210 N Green St, Thursday, August 20, 6:30pm. $15–$25)
This unique two-day conference at the Gleacher Center brings developers and operations folks together. Using the flexible “open space” conference format, attendees cluster around issues that interest them, from open source contribution to building strong DevOps teams. (University of Chicago Gleacher Center, 450 N Cityfront Plaza Drive, 6th floor, Tuesday, August 25 & Wednesday, August 26, 8am–5:30pm. $199)