Tom’s Recommended Reading for the Week

This frigid week did not cool off the week’s news. Enjoy!

1. Downtown biohub, Matter, will be at Merchandise Mart – The new downtown hub for health-technology startups has a name and an address. Called Matter, the facility will be in the Merchandise Mart next to 1871, the digital-technology hub upon which it’s modeled.The 25,000-square-foot facility will be funded by $4 million from the state of Illinois…  Crain’s Chicago
2. Chicago Spire developer gets funding, wants to resume project – The Irish developer behind the Chicago Spire said it has found an investor to pay its creditors, allowing it to emerge from bankruptcy and possibly restart work on the long-stalled residential project.… Chicago Tribune
3. Two more law firms coming to Chicago- Two litigation-oriented law firms are opening Chicago offices they say could eventually total as many as 50-some lawyers.Akerman LLP, based in Miami with about 600 lawyers and lobbyists, hired seven lawyers from Chicago-based Ulmer & Berne LLP, while Goldberg Segalla LLP, a 180-lawyer firm based in Buffalo, N.Y., took six lawyers from Chicago-based Wiedner & McAuliffe Ltd… Crain’s Chicago
4. The $180,000 way to create a tech startup – Seventy-nine percent of Illinois university tech startups still alive since 2010 came up through Chicago-area universities, according to a report out Monday.Northwestern University and the University of Chicago accounted for two-thirds of the total 354 startup companies created statewide, with the University of Chicago counting 103 total and 84 still-operating new companies, and Northwestern creating 116 with 92 still alive… Voices
5. The logic of logistics: Key considerations for companies looking to expand, renovate or relocate – Despite some recent hiccups, a slowly-but-steadily improving economy seems to have reached the point in which many businesses are no longer just trying to keep their heads above water. In many cases, they are looking to move to a bigger pool. Across the Midwest, improving economic circumstances have led to a noticeable uptick in not only commercial moves, but also expansions and renovations of existing spaces… RE Journals