Episode insight · June 2019 conversation
A city needs a way to tell its own story
Built In did not begin as a generic media play. Its value came from making Chicago’s technology ecosystem visible, connected, and easier to participate in.
By Unicorn Road Editorial · Bytes Over Bagels
In this 2013 Bytes Over Bagels conversation, Built In CEO Maria Katris describes a simple but durable idea: a growing technology community needs a shared picture of itself.
Make the local ecosystem legible
Katris describes tracking companies, funding, launches, acquisitions, and the city’s most significant digital employers. The work gave founders, candidates, investors, and journalists an easier way to see what was happening—and a factual basis for talking about Chicago beyond its borders.
That is different from publishing news for its own sake. A useful community platform creates shared context: who is building, where the momentum is, and how someone can take part.
Distribution follows useful evidence
She connects Built In’s growing attention to data that other outlets could cite. When a local story is clear, current, and backed by useful information, it becomes easier for the wider market to repeat accurately.
What to take from it
- Choose a community with a real coordination problem.
- Turn fragmented activity into an understandable picture.
- Build evidence people can reference—not just opinions they can scroll past.
This article interprets a 2013 conversation and is presented as historical context, not a description of Built In today.