On Friday September 12th, we’re turning the rooftop of Drive Capital’s Chicago office into a celebration of our city’s startup community.

DriveHouse will bring together Chicago founders, investors, and builders for an evening of connection. Drive portfolio companies from different stages will be showcasing their products through demos, alongside live music and city views.

If you’re building, investing, or just passionate about Chicago tech, DriveHouse is your place to connect.

Learn more below:

I think Governor Pritzker is ready to flip his stance on nuclear.

Last week, he signaled support for lifting the Illinois decades-old ban on building large reactors (1GW+). This would be a big shift from 2023, when he vetoed a bill that would’ve allowed anything larger than small modular reactors.

Pritzker once said large nuclear was too expensive. Now, with rising energy bills and pressure to compete for high-tech jobs, the economics are harder to ignore.

The timing of this matters.

AI is sending power demand through the roof and utilities are scrambling to secure reliable baseload energy. State Senator Sue Rezin warns that if Illinois hesitates, investment will flow to Indiana and Wisconsin, where nuclear construction is already approved.

In local nuclear news, Chicago-based Clean Core Thorium Energy just hit a milestone at the Idaho National Laboratory.

The company’s thorium fuel rods are surpassing industry benchmarks on both efficiency and safety, marking an important step toward cleaner, more reliable power.

Unlike traditional uranium rods, thorium offers greater abundance, produces less long-lived waste, and carries lower risks, making it a promising alternative for the future of nuclear energy.

Chicago can lead across the entirety of the energy stack.

Lab space in Chicago is growing YoY.

It's up 23% over the last 5 years.

We’re not at Boston’s scale yet, but with more room for builders, deep tech investors, and growing science and R&D jobs, Chicago is positioning itself to compete.

And we saw big news for Chicago’s science scene last week with Portal Innovations announcing a new $100M fund.

While big news fights for clicks, The Flyover is winning by ignoring the algorithm entirely.

Their newsletter-first model keeps readers coming back, with industry-leading open rates of 55–65% and 2.5M subscribers in just two years.

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