Technology and Innovation
Overview
Where Makers Thrive
The birthplace of groundbreaking inventions including the cell phone, the wireless remote and the first-ever web browser, Illinois is a place where ideas become patents, businesses and life-changing technologies.
The state’s history of innovation continues today thanks to its robust digital infrastructure, venture capital networks and continually growing talent base. In fact, Illinois is the second largest producer of computer science graduates in the country, awarding nearly 10 percent of the nation’s computer science degrees, and ranks fifth in the nation for access to capital, according to CNBC’s Best States for Business 2017.
Chicago alone accounted for $1.7 billion in startup funding in 2017—a fact that helped the city rank among the top 10 tech innovation hubs in the world in a survey of more than 800 tech leaders from KPMG.
Relevant News
Salesforce Announces Salesforce Tower Chicago, Commits to Adding 1,000 New Local Jobs
Salesforce (NYSE:CRM), the global leader in CRM, today announced Salesforce Tower Chicago, significantly expanding the company’s regional headquarters in Chicago. As part of the expansion, Salesforce plans to add 1,000 new jobs locally, over the next five years, helping fuel the city’s economic development.
HARTING announces $6 million expansion of Elgin facility
Investment follows German trade visit and is expected to create 50 or more new jobs ELGIN – Gov. Bruce Rauner, HARTING, and the City of Elgin today announced a $6 million facility expansion at the German company’s world-class North American Headquarters in Elgin. The new investment will include the addition of a lab and showroom […]
Illinois Investment Spurred by Bonds and Big Data – U.S. News and World Report
Intersect Illinois President & CEO Mark Peterson talks about building relationships and data networks to attract business to the state in this U.S. News and World Reports story. Mark Peterson, the man who heads economic development efforts for the state of Illinois, says the key to his job is building. As president and CEO of […]
Building Relationships: The Key to Making Illinois a Top Location for FDI
Foreign direct investment (FDI) is key to the economic renaissance underway in Illinois. With more than 1,800 foreign owned companies already calling Illinois home and contributing more than $100 billion to the state’s GDP, the potential for growth is tremendous. Relationship building on an international scale is crucial to Illinois’ foreign investment strategy. Over the […]
Faber-Castell to Open Cosmetic Manufacturing Facility in Elgin
ELGIN – Governor Bruce Rauner and Faber-Castell Cosmetics announced the company’s first North American manufacturing facility in Illinois. The German company has leased a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Elgin that will be dedicated to producing cosmetic pencils for the North American market. The $9 million project will create 50 full-time jobs. The announcement comes after […]
