Women's Disrupter Series: Desiree Vargas-Wrigley—Creating a Tech Talent Pipeline

In partnership with World Business Chicago’s ThinkChicago program and Women in Bio’s 3.8 Initiative, the Women Disruptors Series at Illinois Tech’s Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship celebrates women leaders in Chicago’s tech and innovation ecosystem.

The Kaplan Institute serves as the university’s hub for students to explore technology entrepreneurship and innovative ventures. Held throughout Women’s History Month 2021, the Women Disruptors Series underscores the Kaplan Institute’s commitment to elevating a diverse range of voices in the tech space.

The third speaker in the series is Desiree Vargas-Wrigley, vice president and executive director of P33 Chicago's Tech/Rise initiative. Her program is titled “Creating a Tech Talent Pipeline.”

Vargas-Wrigley, a Latinx serial entrepreneur, is vice president of P33, a privately held nonprofit focused on making the Chicago-area region an inclusive global tech leader. She heads P33’s Tech/Rise initiative, which is working to provide funding and support for Black and Latinx tech founders. Her companies include Pearachute, which connects parents and children with family activities in their towns. Prior to launching Pearachute, she co-founded GiveForward, the world’s leading crowd-giving platform for people facing a major life event. She began her career at the Kauffman Foundation as a specialist in entrepreneurship and then at Arabella Philanthropic Investment Advisors. Vargas-Wrigley has been named to Inc.’s 30 Under 30 and Crain’s Chicago Business’s 40 Under 40. She was named as one of Parents magazine’s Most Inspiring Moms and as one of Forbes magazine’s Women to Watch. Vargas-Wrigley also has appeared on Shark Tank, closing one of the largest deals on the show to date. She is a graduate of Yale University.

To attend the virtual Zoom event, you must register.