Abin Kuriakose serves as the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at World Business Chicago (WBC), the City of Chicago’s economic development organization. In this role, he spearheads initiatives targeting technology, innovation, and startup entrepreneurship. Abin manages a portfolio of programs aimed at fostering startup growth, attracting STEM talent, and forging partnerships with corporations, universities, and national labs to bolster the region’s innovation sector. He’s the lead organizer of the Chicago Venture Summit Future-of-Food, which saw successful editions in 2022 and 2023, including the largest summit in 2023 with over 1,000 global participants. A native of Chicagoland, Abin brings a wealth of experience in economic development and public policy, with a background in Cook County Government, one of the largest counties in the United States. Recognized as an Emerging Leader by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in 2022, Abin is also a 2018 Civic Leaders Academy Fellow of the University of Chicago. Additionally, he was appointed by Governor J.B. Pritzker in 2019 as a member of the State of Illinois’ Asian American Employment Plan Advisory Council.