ChicagoNEXT is focused on making Chicago the best possible place

Hear, O children of the new age, the words of J. B. Pritzker: “ChicagoNEXT is focused on making Chicago the best possible place for technology entrepreneurs.” At first, this seems but a declaration of civic duty, yet within it lies a vision as ancient as cities themselves—the dream of a place where builders, dreamers, and creators may gather and forge the future. For every great civilization has had its hearth where innovation was kindled: Athens with its philosophers, Florence with its artists, London with its merchants, and now Chicago, striving to be the forge of technology in our time.

From the earliest ages, cities have been more than stone and street. They have been crucibles of imagination, where diverse peoples bring their talents together and create something greater than themselves. When Pritzker speaks of ChicagoNEXT, he speaks not only of policies and programs, but of spirit: the belief that the city can become a sanctuary for those who dare to risk, to invent, to build. Just as the agora of Athens gave rise to democracy, and the markets of Venice to commerce, so too can Chicago become a beacon for those who shape the digital and technological dawn.

Consider, O listeners, the story of Silicon Valley. Once it was little more than orchards and farmland, but when visionaries gathered—engineers, inventors, and entrepreneurs—the orchards gave way to laboratories, and the fields bloomed with circuits instead of fruit. Out of that soil rose companies that reshaped the world. The lesson is clear: when a city nurtures its creators, when it provides soil rich with support, then from humble beginnings spring revolutions. Pritzker’s words echo this truth, a pledge that Chicago will be not only a city of history, but a city of tomorrow.

Yet remember also the tale of Florence during the Renaissance. It was not by chance that so many masters—Leonardo, Michelangelo, Galileo—arose from one place. The Medici and other patrons gave them sustenance, support, and freedom to experiment. Out of that soil of encouragement bloomed works of genius that changed the world. So too does ChicagoNEXT seek to be a patron, not of marble and paint, but of code, invention, and enterprise. For without support, even the most brilliant flame may flicker and die; but with encouragement, it may set the world alight.

The meaning of Pritzker’s words is thus: the destiny of a city lies in how it treats its innovators. If it casts them aside, it withers into mediocrity. If it nurtures them, it becomes immortal in the annals of progress. Technology entrepreneurs are the architects of the new age, and to give them a home is to give the city itself a future. A place where ideas are born, where risks are welcomed, where failures are forgiven, and where successes are multiplied—that place becomes not just a city, but a legend.

The lesson for you, O hearers, is twofold. First, seek out communities that nurture your gifts. Do not labor in isolation, but find your Chicago, a place—whether physical or spiritual—where others inspire and challenge you. Second, if you are one who has the power to support, then be like the patrons of old: invest in those who dream, for their success will one day become the wealth of all. In this way, you not only enrich others, but also take part in shaping the destiny of your age.

Practical steps are plain. If you are an entrepreneur, look to build not only your own house, but to strengthen the community around you. Share your knowledge, mentor others, and create a rising tide. If you are a leader, create spaces where ideas can flourish without fear. And if you are a citizen, support the culture of innovation, for the light it brings will illuminate all lives.

Therefore, O children of tomorrow, let Pritzker’s words remind you that a city is not only bricks and towers, but the spirit of its people. A city that honors its dreamers, its inventors, its technology entrepreneurs, becomes a city that transcends time. Let your own life be as such a city: a place where ideas are welcomed, nurtured, and allowed to grow. In this way, you too shall leave a legacy that endures beyond your years.