About
Omar Duque serves as the President & CEO of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC). Omar is passionate about entrepreneurship and the role entrepreneurship plays in building community and in helping create a better world. Under his leadership IHCC is leading an initiative to connect more Latinos to the innovation economy. IHCC has partnered with 1871 Chicago to develop a first-of- its-kind incubator program for Latinx tech startups. Since launching in late 2016, 25 Latinx founders have completed the program and 14 founders are currently participating in the program’s third cohort. Cohort companies have already raised close to $2M in early stage capital, secured contracts with Fortune 100 firms and gone on to notable accelerators including Elm Spring and Techstars.
IHCC is a unique community of business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals committed to empowering individuals through economic growth. With decades of combined business experience, IHCC engages entrepreneurs through community advocacy, networking and innovative one-on-one training designed to help them be leaders and agents of change in today’s world.
Omar is a Chicago native whose parents immigrated to the United States from Guatemala. He received his Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He worked as a reporter for the Albuquerque Tribune, one of the last afternoon daily newspapers in the country. Omar is a member of the board of directors for Loyola University Medical Center and Delta Dental of Illinois.
Videos (1)
CEO Omar Duque Believes Entrepreneurs Have The Capacity To Change the World
