Chicago

Chicago Hero Image

Chicago is the first location in our national expansion. 

Our expansion in 2020 was made possible with support from Pivotal Ventures, the Cognizant Foundation, and Verizon. In Chicago, we partner with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) as part of an initiative led by Pivotal Ventures.

Break Through Tech at UIC

Why Chicago

We selected Chicago as the first city for our national expansion of Break Through Tech because of its diverse and growing talent pool and its robust ecosystem of tech startups, higher education, investors, and Fortune 500 companies.

UIC College of Engineering East Campus in Chicago August 31, 2020. UIC Engineering/Jim Young - Scenic, Campus, Logo

University of Illinois Chicago

As Chicago’s only public research university, and one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the country, The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) was an ideal academic partner.   

University of Illinois Chicago
Amita Shetty, Director of Break Through Tech Chicago

We want to make sure we can get women into the pipeline, have them stay in the pipeline, and work to find out if they’re leaving, why. We want to be there every step of the way.

Amita Shetty she/her
Amita Shetty, Director of Break Through Tech Chicago