Is Chicagoland the Next Silicon Valley?

Seven years ago, Santino Bibbo founded the Chicago Chapter of the Bocconi Alumni Association (BAA), which he still leads today. Over these years he has witnessed a double transformation: on the one hand, he's seen the interest of alumni for the chapter's activities growing, on the other, he's seen the economic baricenter of the Midwestern metropolis shift decisively towards the hi-tech industry. Concerning the former, the Chicago Chapter has attracted researchers working in the two great academic hubs of the city, Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, while Bibbo and his colleagues have built a stable network of professionals working in the Chicago metro area: "We come from different environments: finance, management consulting, and supply chain logistics, in particular, and I notice a growing interest in our association," says Bibbo, who is Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets at Cabrera Capital.

One sign of the growing attention for the Chapter was the recent meeting organized by Bocconi alumni with Paul La Schiazza, President of AT&T Illinois. "His personal experience was very informative, because he provided an example of what it takes to climb at the top of a huge company such as AT&T and which management skills are required," Bibbo explains. Alumni discussed digital innovation and broadband with La Schiazza, because Chicago is attracting innovative companies hailing from both the East Coast and the West Coast. According to the Cabrera manager, "The Bay Area is increasingly expensive, so that many corporations, including Google, while keeping their headquarters in Silicon Valley, are expanding their operations in Northern Illinois. To this, you must add the fact that Chicago has spawned its own high tech companies, since it's here that Groupon, Gogo, and GrubHub were born."

areachicago@alumnibocconi.it