ICYMI: Inaugural 1871 Community Newsletter (4.2.15)

Welcome to the inaugural 1871 Community Newsletter – your new source for interesting news from the 1871 team, members and friends. From mergers to member opportunities, this is the new place to stay updated on all things 1871. Contact Melissa Wooten: mwooten@1871.com | @1871Chicago

Support your fellow members – watch inRentive’s Melissa Moline pitch for Google Demo Day! Join us in the auditorium at 11:35am today (4/2) to watch the live-stream, or watch it on your own here: bit.ly/1CyqqMf

Audience Choice: Infiniteach wins big at the Google-Autism Speaks Pitch Playground. 1871 member Infiniteach is doing amazing things for people with autism through their innovative platform, so we’re excited to see that they won the “audience choice” award and a $10,000 cash prize at the Pitch Playground competition for autism-focused apps. bit.ly/1CKDPCB | @Infiniteach | @autismspeaks

Cinderella Story: 1871 member Nick Petit shares how the failure of his first company, a new focus, and a cold call to @properties set Kahoots on the road to success. All that’s missing is the glass slipper. bit.ly/1ECM7sM

Senator Durbin visited 1871 on March 16 to announce legislation that would boost scientific and tech research funding by $100 billion over the next ten years. Spotted: NU President Morty Schapiro, SIU System President Randy J. Dunn, U of I President Robert A. Easter and President-elect Timothy Killeen, UChicago Provost Eric Isaacs, and NIU VP for Research and Innovation Partnerships Lesley Rigg. bit.ly/19LmRci | @SenatorDurbin

Future 1871 Members: Eleven-year-old Lily Born attended the White House Science Fair to showcase the Kangaroo Cup, a spill-proof cup she invented to help people with Parkinson’s disease. You might remember Lily from the PowerPitch Competition at 1871, where she took home first prize with her Kangaroo Cup pitch; or you may know her father, 1871 alum Joe Born. bit.ly/1CW0XQb

Digital Makeover: You may have heard the rumors…now John Pletz confirms: a new 1871 app will allow members to pay their dues, schedule mentors, reserve meeting rooms, see a schedule of upcoming events and even order lunch! bit.ly/1xGjBcP

Caffeine Confessions: In her recent article on 1871 CEO Howard Tullman, Crain’s reporter Shia Kapos “reveals” that Howard drinks at least 100 ounces of Diet Coke a day. This doesn’t come as too much of a shock given that artist Nadine Robbins recently chose to paint him holding his standard Double Gulp, but it does make me less worried that I’m drinking too much coffee. bit.ly/1HB7O2H

Can’t get enough of March Madness? Follow Chicago Inno’s Tech Madness with us to see which local tech companies are leading in this bracket-style competition. Vote for your favorite startups here.

Rumor Mill: 2014 CEC Momentum Award Finalist Coyote Logistics is “reportedly eyeing an initial public offering later this year that may value the firm at more than $2 billion, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.” bit.ly/1HrLjcO

Wondering if your S.O. is marriage material? There’s an app for that! Watch 1871 member Bobby Leach teach Steve Harvey about his Marriage Material app, which helps users learn about and improve their relationships through activities and quizzes developed by relationship experts. bit.ly/1HuahM0

Awesome Alum: 1871 grad PrettyQuick was recently featured in Crain’s Chicago Business. Founder Coco Meers’ “technology integrates into any salon calendar system, so small-business owners don’t have to upend their own programs to work with PrettyQuick. It’s easy for those seeking services, too: Women scroll through nearby, editor-vetted salons and choose appointments within their desired timeframe and price range. All payments, including tips, are billed to a credit card on file—a relief to any salon-goer who’s had to dash to the closest ATM and fork over a bank fee in order to leave a cash tip.” bit.ly/1BnP7qS

Harvard Business School hosted several competitions that saw 1871 members pitch their startups. Lihtec and ClosingBid were selected to participate in the Harvard Business School Real Estate Venture Competition, and Breakwater Chicago placed second with their pitch at the Harvard Business School Alumni New Venture Competition finals.

Tweet of the Week: @BeauDarcy “Rule #1 of Startup Life: Always be dressed to pitch.” @lshenoy @1871Chicago @BreakwaterCHI bit.ly/1NKdKqw

Options Away worked with 1871 Recruiter Laura Fendrich to hire two Senior Engineers, Steve Barg and Russell Lee, who will assist in the company’s efforts to expand internationally following their Series A. Other new hires from the 1871 Recruiter include Jessica Allison for Telnyx, Ben Lampere for Caremerge, April Muller for PeopleVine, and Chhay Tea for Spot Hero. Welcome to 1871! Aim higher with your hires: lfendrich@1871.com

Speaking of tech hires, last month President Obama announced his TechHire Initiative, a $100 million plan that “aims to convince local governments, businesses, and individuals that a four-year degree is no longer the only way to gain valuable tech skills.” The program is set to use 1871 alum Better Weekdays’ platform to help participants connect with tech jobs. Sounds like good news to us, and especially for our tech talent schools. wrd.cm/1BnPl1r | @BetterWeekdays

Welcome new members! Will Little (Code Fellows) – Jerry Graunke (Vokal) – Jeff Palmer (Object Partners) – Jeff Servos (Philo Broadcasting) – Tim Luo (Classkick) – Jose Sanchez (Georama) – Baffour Osei Takyi (Zero Percent) – Qianqi Guan (Foodtrace) – Spencer Kovacevich (ThinkCERCA) – Adam Miguest (Pickup) – Mike Oleon (Kahoots)

Just For Fun: Is it a radio? An alarm clock? Watch how some cute kids react when you show them a VCR. (Spoiler: they might be unimpressed with your collection of Disney movies on VHS) read.bi/1ECPqQJ

Birthdays this week: Sunday 3/29 – Beau D’Arcy (Breakwater Chicago) – Alex Novak (Dentprio) – Monday 3/30 – Adam Rosenblum (Package Zen) – Tuesday 3/31 – Tylar Masters – Wednesday 4/1 – Ezz Abdelmagid (Delivvy) – Jonathan Speh (Pixl) – Thursday 4/2 – Phil Ramsbottom (Minium) – Saturday 4/4 – Fabricio Costa (DataGenno)

*Don’t see your birthday here? Make sure you fill out your Weave the People profile!

 Essential Links: @1871Chicago | http://www.1871.com | weavethepeople.com/w/1871/2015/ | www.facebook.com/1871Chicago