Chicago technology mavens to launch startup center

Chicago tech startups soon will have a new place to call home.

A group of the city's tech backers, led by New World Ventures CEO J. B. Pritzker, plans to launch a tech center that will rent space to startups and single entrepreneurs. The non-profit, backed by Pritzker and other companies and individuals, expects to sign a lease for up to 50,000 square feet of space soon, said Matt Moog, CEO of Viewpoints Network, who has been involved in the effort to create the tech center. Among the sites under consideration is the Merchandise Mart in River North, where many of the city's tech startups are based. The group expects to sign a lease in the next eight weeks, so the space can be opened by the start of next year. It could accommodate dozens of startups simultaneously.