Abin Kuriakose

Abin Kuriakose is an economic development executive with more than 15 years of experience driving innovation and impact across the public, private, and non-profit sectors. He serves as the first-ever Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at World Business Chicago, the City of Chicago’s economic development non-profit, chaired by the Mayor. As a public-private partnership, WBC drives inclusive economic growth and job creation, supports the business and innovation ecosystem, and promotes Chicago as a leading global city. Abin and his team manage a portfolio of high-impact economic development programs to grow the region’s tech, innovation, and startup economy. This includes the Chicago Venture Summit (the city’s flagship startup & venture capital conference series), Startup Chicago (a capital attraction & startup growth program), and ThinkChicago (a STEM talent attraction & retention program). Abin’s team led the largest innovation and venture program year in WBC history with 80 unique events (2023). As lead organizer, Abin also led the largest Chicago Venture Summit (2023), which brought together more than 1,000 startup entrepreneurs, investors, and Fortune 500 executives from around the world.

Abin launched his career in Cook County Government, where he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Public Policy Director, and Community Affairs & Engagement Director for the Board of Commissioners (Tenth District) – the county’s legislative and governing body. He served as the staff leader for the Cook County Board’s Pension Committee and Workforce, Housing, & Community Development Committee, where he developed OpenPensions.org, one of the first open-data platforms in local government.

Abin is an Emerging Leader of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (2022) and a Civic Leaders Academy/CLA Fellow of the University of Chicago (2018). Governor J.B. Pritzker appointed Abin to the State of Illinois’ Asian American Employment Plan Advisory Council. Chicago Scholars recognized Abin as one of “35 under 35 Young Leaders Making an Impact” (2017). He’s also a 2025 Honoree of the Chicago Culture Ball and a 2026 Chicago Titan 100 honoree, recognized as one of the Top 100 Chicago CEOs and C-Level Executives.