Chicago Mid-West Private Capital Forum 2026 | Sky Expo Consulting

 A boutique, independent forum for serious dialogue on private capital governance. LP-first. Chatham House Rule. No fundraising. No pay-to-play.

About the Forum

The Chicago Private Capital Forum is a one-day, invitation-led gathering designed to foster candid, off-the-record dialogue among institutional allocators, private capital managers, academics, and civic leaders. The Forum focuses on governance, fiduciary decision-making, and long-term capital stewardship across private equity and private credit.
Discussions are conducted under the Chatham House Rule to encourage openness, intellectual rigor, and peer-level exchange. The program is independently curated and academically informed, with participation based on perspective and experience rather than commercial involvement.
The Forum is intentionally structured to prioritize substance over scale, dialogue over presentation, and fiduciary integrity over promotion.

Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee guides the Forum’s fiduciary and governance priorities and ensures the program reflects authentic institutional perspectives.

Advisory Committee Profiles

An independent advisory Committee ensures the Forum remains sponsor-neutral and balanced in content.

Members of the Advisory Board are:

• Institutional LPs: senior allocator voices.
• Academics: leading researchers in governance and finance.
• Nonprofit & Ecosystem Leaders: advocates for diversity and impact.
• Civic/Public Leaders — connecting public mandates to private markets.
• Fiduciary Experts: professionals who ensure integrity and compliance.

The Advisory Committee continues to expand to include additional academic, institutional, and civic voices contributing to the Forum’s development.

Partnership Opportunities

The Chicago Private Capital Forum welcomes a limited group of aligned institutional partners who support the Forum’s fiduciary-first, governance-focused mission. Partnership opportunities are selective and curated to maintain the integrity of the program and the LP-centered environment.

Partners gain visibility within a serious institutional dialogue among pensions, endowments, foundations, family offices, academics, and civic leaders conducted under the Chatham House Rule with no fundraising and no pay-to-play.

A detailed overview of partnership tiers is available upon request.
For inquiries, please contact info@skyexpoconsulting.com.

Partners Aligned With Our Mission

Civic Partners

Additional Partners (to be announced)

The Forum is supported by a select group of Partners who are aligned with the Forum’s mission of trust and alignment:

• Professional Associations: organizations working as advocates for governance and fiduciary standards.
• Academic Institutions: institutions contributing thought leadership and talent.
• Civic & Development Partners: champions of Chicago’s role as a capital hub.
• Nonprofit & Advocacy Groups: supporters of diverse managers and impact capital.
• Advisory & Fiduciary Firms: legal, consulting and administrative experts who are willing to share their viewpoints.
• Media Partners: leading business and finance publications that amplify allocator voices, highlight governance and stewardship trends, and bring Chicago’s capital corridor story to a broader audience

Featured Event Speaker

The Forum convenes a selective group of academic, institutional, civic, and industry voices to guide discussions on governance, fiduciary duty, and the evolving structure of private capital.

Below are the initial confirmed speakers for the 2026 edition.

President and CEO

The Chicago Network

Fireside Conversation: “Governance and Fiduciary Leadership: Building Trust in Private Capital and Civic Market

President and CEO

Chicago Urban League

Closing Civic Remarks: “Fiduciary Capital × Equitable Outcomes”

Strategist | Public Policy Expert | Social Impact Professional

Featured Speaker Profiles

The Forum will feature a curated mix of recognized voices, including:

• Institutional LP Leaders: CIOs and senior allocators.
• Fund Managers: managing partners, COOs, CFOs from private equity and private debt firms.
• Operational Executives: compliance and finance officers managing governance.
• Academic Voices: faculty members offering research-driven perspectives.
• Nonprofit & Ecosystem Leaders: advocates for diverse and emerging managers.
• Civic & Public Stakeholders: connecting private markets with public priorities.

The Chicago Midwest Private Capital Assembly is an invite-only, boutique forum bringing together senior decision-makers across the private markets ecosystem:

• Institutional Allocators (LPs): pensions, endowments, foundations, family offices, insurers, sovereign wealth funds.
• Fund Managers (GPs): private equity, private debt, emerging and mid-market firms, hybrid/innovative structures.
• Operations Leaders: COOs, CFOs, GCs, CCOs, and senior IR.
• Advisors & Partners: placement agents, fund administrators, legal & compliance experts (by invitation).
• Academics & Civic Voices: university faculty, civic leaders, nonprofit and policy partners.
• Public Sector & Regulatory Stakeholders: state pensions, treasurers, and market policy representatives.

Suggested Topics

Key Themes

• SEC 2026: Compliance Readiness & LP Expectations
• ESG Integration: Beyond Marketing to Data-Driven Accountability
• NAV Lending, Liquidity, and Alignment of Interest
• Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, and Operational Risk
• The Future of Fund Reporting: GenAI and Automation
• Private Capital’s Role in Economic Development

Curated Conversations

• Public-Private Partnerships: How Private Capital Can Align with Public Good
• LP Voices: Pension Fund Priorities for 2026
• Governance in Practice: Oversight, Accountability, and Decision Rights in Private Capital

Forum Format

The Forum is delivered through a curated mix of:

• Plenary discussions and moderated panels
• Fireside conversations
• Closed-door roundtables
• Small-group workshops

Get direction to the Venue

Situated in the heart of downtown Chicago, the Gleacher Conference Center offers modern facilities overlooking the Chicago River.