Brad Keywell, Cofounder and Managing Partner, Lightbank; Cofounder and Director, Groupon; Cofounder and Director, Echo Global Logistics; Founder, Chicago Ideas Week
Life in the world of startups can be solitary, poor, brutish, and short—to borrow from Thomas Hobbes. As an entrepreneur, you should anticipate that you will fail—often, according to Brad Keywell—and there are few who can teach you how to pick up the shattered pieces and turn them into a brilliant mosaic. Vision, self-education, creativity, and the ability to overcome failure may be amongst the most important attributes of successful entrepreneurs—along with a prescient sense of timing. But can these qualities be learned? How have true leaders changed the game when they were down and turned their disruptive technologies into world class companies? Join The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Groupon cofounder Brad Keywell for an exploration of leadership, failure, and entrepreneurship.
Brad Keywell is the cofounder and managing partner of Lightbank, a venture fund investing in disruptive technology businesses. He is a cofounder and director of Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN), a cofounder and director of MediaOcean, and a cofounder and director of Echo Global Logistics (NASDAQ:ECHO), as well as a director of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR). Keywell is an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and chairman of the Illinois Innovation Council, appointed by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. Keywell is the founder and cochairman of Chicago Ideas Week, an annual event which hosts nearly 200 speakers at 80+ events. He founded the Future Founders Foundation, which runs entrepreneurship education and experiential programs for over 10,000 students in the Chicagoland area. He received his BA and JD from the University of Michigan.
5:30 p.m.
Registration
6:00 p.m.
Presentation and Discussion
7:15 pm.
Adjournment
Chicago Council on Global Affairs Members $10
Nonmembers $20
Chicago Council President’s Circle, Corporate, Sponsor, Donor, and Student Members complimentary
© Illinois Science and Technology Coalition
Illustration by Dieter Braun
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