SamirMayekar.MichaelFassnacht_e.007

We've talked a lot about Chicago here at Lab Rats to Unicorns. e.007 is the time to really describe that setting–and dive into why Chicago is an exciting place to be for a life sciences startup company (or, say, a life sciences podcast lol). Leave it to Chicago's Deputy Mayor, Samir Mayekar, as well as World Business Chicago's President and CEO, Michael Fassnacht, to teach us about Chicago and its growing life sciences ecosystem. Samir is a tri-sector leader who has played executive roles in public, private and nonprofit sectors. He served in the U.S. government during the Obama administration; and prior to his work with Mayor Lori Lightfoot on economic development, Samir was the CEO of NanoGraf Technologies–an international company built around Northwestern battery technology. Simultaneous to his role as President/CEO of WBC, Michael is the Chief Marketing Officer for the City of Chicago. His goals for inclusive economic development and his talent for initiating engagement through creative marketing were what made him such an effective President and CEO of FCB Chicago; they continue to make him a phenomenal leader at WBC.