Fred Hoch

Ever wonder about disruption in the technology industry and how a company can grow by taking advantage of it? Fred has worked with thousands of companies to strategically address the ongoing transformation and challenges of the industry. Fred Hoch is also the Founder and General Partner of Chicago’s TechNexus Venture Collaborative, a venture development and innovation services firm building a new, collaborative model for leading corporations to engage and extract value from the global entrepreneurial ecosystem. TechNexus also operates an incubator from its headquarters in Chicago, where more than 400 ventures have grown. Fred is also Executive Chairman of the Illinois Technology Association – a business services organization with more than 500 member companies with a focus on scaling great tech companies. Serving as a platform for strategic development, ITA has driven success of the Chicago tech industry by helping its member companies grow, build and elevate their business. Fred has an eclectic background. Fred has worked at and founded a number of technology start-ups. He also led the Software Division at the national Software & Information Industry Association. With a keen interest in international affairs, Fred worked for a time at the U.S. Department of State and has visited more than 50 countries for both work and pleasure. He uses that spectrum of experiences, and a dose of sarcasm, in his daily business and personal endeavors. A native Californian, now a deep-rooted Chicagoan, he is always seeking out ways to get in the water and enjoy the outdoors through biking, hiking or kayaking with and without his wife, labrador and three children. Mr. Hoch currently sits on the boards of ChicagoNEXT and SmartBet Charities as well as the advisory boards of the UIC School of Engineering and TechWeek.