Taft partner Kostas Poulakidas was profiled in the Poets & Quants for Executives article “What Happens When Kellogg’s EMBA Entrepreneurs & Investors Start Talking.” The article highlights the Northwestern University Kellogg EMBA Entrepreneur <> Investor Initiative, which was launched by Poulakidas and fellow MBA student Volkan Emre to connect entrepreneurs and investors. In the fall of 2022, Taft sponsored the LEHI Pitch Competition, which invited entrepreneurs to pitch to an online audience. The audience chose their favorite presentations and contributed funds that were then allocated to the top vote-getters.

Poulakidas is co-chair of Taft’s Public Finance and Economic Development practice. He provides economic development and public finance representation to government entities, real estate development firms, commercial banks, manufacturers, and nonprofit organizations. He focuses on public/municipal finance, economic development incentives and strategies, tax increment financing (TIF), venture capital, EB5 financing tax benefits related to Qualified Opportunity Zones, forming Qualified Opportunity Zone Funds for private equity investment, private-public partnerships (P3s) and project finance.