94th Edition
This Week on Landon’s Loop:
🔬 UChicago's $130M Drug Discovery Partnership
📆 Events Around the City
🔙 Previous Newsletter Editions
🔙 Highlights from Last Week:
My partner Nick shared a great video on his initial reaction to the DeepSeek news 👇🏽
The DeepSeek saga (and how Drive thinks about investing in AI) explained, courtesy of @nsolaro.
— #Drive Capital (#@drivecapital)
8:49 PM • Jan 30, 2025
We made our first seed investment of the year in Chicago 👇🏽
First Chicago deal of the year ✍🏽 We’re off to the races. 🚙 💨
Reach out if you’re in the arena. We’re looking for B2B AI agents across several verticals.
— #Landon (#@landon20s)
7:01 PM • Jan 31, 2025
🔬 UChicago's $130M Drug Discovery Partnership
Big news out of UChicago this past week: the university and Deerfield launched Hyde Park Discovery, a new initiative aimed at speeding up drug development with up to $130M in funding.
I spent the day on campus last week and could feel the energy in the air. Let’s dive into the details:
The Partnership
Hyde Park Discovery brings together UChicago’s cutting-edge research and Deerfield’s healthcare investment expertise to streamline the path from scientific breakthroughs to real-world therapies.
The joint committee includes leaders from UChicago, the Polsky Center, and Deerfield’s scientific team.
This initiative builds on UChicago’s legacy in medicine, leveraging strengths in AI, chemistry, and molecular engineering to develop next-generation treatments.
Impact on Chicago
Hyde Park Discovery joins a growing list of initiatives advancing Chicago’s life sciences industry, including the UChicago Science Incubator at Hyde Park Labs and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago.
By linking academic research with industry expertise, this partnership will accelerates the journey from idea to market, attracting more investment into our ecosystem.
UChicago’s faculty secured over $750M in federal research funding last year, reinforcing the university’s role as a leader in groundbreaking scientific advancements.
Hyde Park Discovery is another sign that Chicago is solidifying its place in the future of biotech.
📆 Events Around the City
Community Co-Work Day
Tuesday
NGT3 Pitch Event
Wednesday
Product Invitational Chicago #3
Hosted by ZoCo Design and Drive Capital
Thursday
Inside the Loop Biweekly Coffee
Thursday
Crypto Chicago 2025 Kickoff with Sui & Walrus
Friday
🗞 Previous Newsletter Editions:
👋 See you next week!
Big news for Chicago compute: a new startup is launching an open exchange for GPUs and compute. Think crude-oil futures, but for AI workloads.
Co-founded by Chicago’s own Don Wilson (@DRWTrading).
— #Landon (#@landon20s)
7:17 PM • Feb 1, 2025
